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Zuckerman Fellows Program

For study at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, or Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The challenges we face in our public schools and public health systems, as well as in government at all levels, are too complicated to be solved without the insight and commitment of leaders with the highest-quality professional training. But for many who have a strong aptitude for public service, the opportunity costs associated with acquiring the necessary training are too high.

In response to this problem, the Zuckerman Fellows Program equips people from the fields of medicine, law, and business to provide leadership for the common good by making it possible for them to pursue public service degrees at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, or Harvard Kennedy School.

Grant


"I came to Harvard Kennedy School with the hope of meeting dissimilar people: students with a common ethos, but with divergent perspectives and capabilities. I'm now part of an intimate family with the likes of a Navy SEAL, a pediatric neurologist, and a civil rights law student. I believe deeply that solving the world's problems rests on our ability to work together, across disciplines, experiences, and belief systems." 
-Grant Tudor, MPP '19

Application

Step 1: Apply for admission to Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, or Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Please see respective school websites for deadline information.

Step 2: Apply for the fellowship. Candidates for the Zuckerman Fellowship will be required to complete a fellowship application form and upload supplemental materials through the online portal, which is managed by the Harvard Committee on General Scholarships.

Deadline Information: 

Please review the following information carefully to submit a Zuckerman Fellowship application for the 2021-2022 academic year, as deadlines vary depending on the school to which you are applying.

  • Deadline for students applying to the T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) is Monday, January 4, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

  • Deadline for students applying to the Graduate School of Education (GSE) is Monday, January 25, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

  • Deadline for students applying to the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) is Thursday, February 4, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

  • Fellowship applicants who are applying to more than one school must submit one fellowship application by the earlier of the two or three school deadlines. For example, if you are applying to HSPH and HKS, you will need to submit your application by January 4, to be considered at both schools. Please note all schools that you are applying to in the fellowship application.


Note:
Before submitting your application, we expect that you have thoroughly reviewed all pertinent information related to the Zuckerman Fellowship, including but not limited to: program requirements, eligibility information, and the background and purpose of the fellowship, including the history and background of the donor. Being a CPL fellow carries with it certain responsibilities including maintenance of good academic standing as required by your degree program; attendance at all fellowship programming for the entire duration of the fellowship; leading program sessions and service activities including a field experience trip; and responsible conduct in representing CPL and Harvard University.


Please visit our Fellowship FAQs page for more information.

Commitment to Nondiscrimination
As a matter of commitment, policy, and law, Harvard Kennedy School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, color, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, intellectual focus, disability, or veteran status. The School strongly believes diversity enhances the value of all its activities, from research and teaching to degree programs and public events. The School encourages applications from candidates who are interested in careers in public service and acknowledges a special responsibility to train effective leaders in public policy and management.

Program Information

WHAT WE OFFER

The fellowship provides:

  • Full tuition scholarship, health care fees, and a living stipend for one year as they pursue their master’s degree program at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Graduate School of Education or Harvard School of Public Health

  • A comprehensive co-curricular leadership development program set within the Harvard ecosystem—a robust network of faculty, students, and opportunity

  • Engagement with mentors and highly accomplished leaders who will enhance your ability to impact the communities you serve

THE AWARD
The Zuckerman Fellowship provides recipients with full tuition and health insurance fees for one year plus a living stipend.

The program’s value proposition extends, however, beyond financial support: fellows come together regularly—both as a cohort and with the broader pool of CPL fellows—for dinners, speakers, retreats, and other experiential learning opportunities, including a field experience trip to another city or region. This co-curricular program is designed to enrich the fellows’ academic experience, develop leadership skills, and build lasting ties that serve them beyond their years at Harvard.

The animating idea behind the Zuckerman Fellowship is crosspollination: the creativity that results from bringing perspectives of multiple professions and academic disciplines to bear on public sector problems. Zuckerman Fellows are selected on the basis of leadership abilities, intellectual and academic achievement, and a commitment to public service.

ELIGIBILITY
Candidates for the Zuckerman Fellows Program are individuals who have—or are pursuing—an M.B.A., J.D., M.D., or D.M.D./D.D.S. degree from an accredited U.S. institution and are seeking an additional master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, or Harvard Kennedy School:

  • Candidates who have completed their M.B.A., J.D., M.D., or D.M.D./D.D.S. degree are eligible

  • Candidates who are working on their M.B.A., J.D., M.D., or D.M.D./D.D.S. degree are eligible

  • Candidates who are planning to enroll in joint or concurrent degree programs in these fields are eligible

  • Fellows must be enrolled as a full-time student in their first year at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, or Harvard Kennedy School during their fellowship year

Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Zuckerman Fellows are selected on the basis of outstanding leadership ability with potential for significant impact to advance the public good, commitment to public service, and intellectual distinction and academic achievement.

THE FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE
While they are pursuing a master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, or Harvard Kennedy School, Zuckerman Fellows also participate in an intensive leadership development program designed by the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership including experiential learning opportunities; faculty and practitioner-led seminars on core leadership competencies; a renowned speaker series; and service opportunities to help fellows gain applied leadership skills, enrich their academic experience, and build lasting ties that help them become powerful forces for change.

Zuckerman Fellows also have opportunities to engage with the full community of 100+ CPL graduate fellows along with CPL’s community of more than 800 fellowship program alumni.

Mortimer B. Zuckerman is the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News & World Report, the Chairman and Publisher of the New York Daily News, the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Boston Properties Inc.

He is a trustee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a member of the Bank of America Global Wealth & Investment Management Committee, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, and the Vice Chair and Treasurer of the International Peace Institute. He is a sponsor of Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, a former Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, a former lecturer of City and Regional Planning at Yale University, a past president of the Board of Trustees of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the former Chairman of the Principal’s International Advisory Board of McGill University. He is a former trustee of New York University and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton. He is a former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and served as President of the America-Israel Friendship League.

Mr. Zuckerman is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal where he received an undergraduate degree in 1957 with first class honors, a degree in law in 1961 and an honorary LLD in 2011. He received an MBA with distinction from the Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1961 and an LLM from Harvard University in 1962.

He has received honorary degrees from Colby College, Southampton College, Hebrew College, Berkeley College, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University and an honorary Doctorate of Laws from McGill University and Columbia University. Mr. Zuckerman was awarded the Commandeur De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Guild Hall, the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architecture in New York, the Sy Syms Humanitarian award from Yeshiva University and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Canadian government.