Guidance on Statement of MLD Coursework

HKS students have broadly diverse career aspirations and a myriad of motivations for MLD training. Following are examples of how some students approach their MLD coursework. We offer these examples to spur your thinking about how MLD coursework might help you achieve your career aspirations.

Some students pursue a series of MLD electives to develop a specialization, for instance, in negotiation, behavioral decision sciences, or financial management.

Some students have in mind professional roles they would like to play after graduation and structure their MLD coursework to prepare themselves for those roles. For instance, a student might aspire to higher-level leadership positions and take coursework in leadership, managing people, or financial management. Students might envision themselves involved in policy implementation and take courses in performance management, operations, financial management, or managing people.

Some students anticipate working in particular types of organizational environments. For instance, students who aspire to create new ventures might complement coursework in business plan development and entrepreneurial finance with coursework in leadership development or making social change. Other students aspire to be involved in government innovation and might complement coursework in strategic management, negotiation, behavioral decision making, or leadership with a field course, like MLD-412. Other students particularly interested in nonprofit management are likely to want to take MLD-427 as well as other courses in strategic management or leadership. Students who want to join or lead in social movements might take courses in “Organizing” (MLD-377) or “Power and Influence” (MLD-340) complemented by other coursework in leadership studies, persuasion, negotiation, or developing people. Students entering politics might be particularly interested in courses like MLD-326 “Principles and Politics When Running for Office” or DPI-208 “Moral Practice for Public Leadership,” along with courses in negotiation, leadership, and  behavioral science.

Students have many options in the MLD curriculum, and they should take courses that make the most sense in light of their career aspirations. For more inspiration, we encourage you to tap into resources provided by HKS’s Office of Career Advancement.  Click here for testimonies from HKS alumni about HKS experiences that prepared them for their current jobs.

Remember that the central purpose of the MLD Certificate is to help students be more mindful and strategic about their MLD coursework and to help them explain their MLD training to prospective employers or investors.