Incoming students starting at Harris this fall will often be juggling several tasks. From coursework, to searching for an internship, to attending events and lectures, UChicago has several platforms to help ensure you maximize the value of your grad school experience. In this blog, we include a list of the platforms you will most frequently encounter during your time at the University of Chicago, and especially Harris. We hope this serves as a quick guide to common resource systems over the coming months.

Data and Programming for Public Policy I - R (PPHA 30535) is the first installment in a data science course sequence at Harris where students learn to program in the coding language R. Lindsay Hiser, MPP Class of 2023, shares her experience taking the course with Associate Professor Peter Ganong during the Spring 2022 quarter. If you’re interested in experiencing a class with Peter Ganong, attend his Masterclass on Thursday, August 11 to learn about the impact of public policies on people facing financial difficult financial circumstances.

Established in 2015, The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts promotes discussion, understanding, and resolution of global conflicts through research, education, and engagement with the global policy community. As part of the education component of its mission, The Pearson Institute annually awards Fellowships to a select group of distinguished MPP students.

Applicants frequently request more information on the application rounds and the benefits of one deadline over the other. If you are interested in our full-time degree programs, we recommend applying by the earliest deadline possible. Read about the benefits of applying early.

Our application for the class starting in Autumn 2023 will open at the end of summer—we will update you via email and the blog as the date is finalized. As you begin your application process you may be wondering which of our programs is the best fit for you. We’ve shared a brief video overview of our programs as well as some frequently asked questions with Senior Directors Jenny Erickson and Devon Reber Drehmer.

The Evening Master's Program (EMP) at Harris is specifically designed to equip you with the skills to help you make a measurable impact in Chicago and around the world, all while continuing to work at your organization. The final deadline to apply to the class starting in fall 2022 is July 5. Read our blog overview of career outcomes, program breakdown, and the EMP student body.

Ezra Serrins, MPP Class of 2023, shares some advice on getting the most value out of your academic experience at Harris.

Sahila Kudalkar, MPP Class of 2023, shares some advice to incoming students on finding on-campus jobs.

Tylor Collier, MPP Class of 2023, writes about how she landed her job as a Graduate Assistant (GA) with the Student Recruitment and Global Outreach team and what her day-to-day work entails. Interested in applying for graduate assistantships at Harris and across campus? Incoming students can apply through the GRAD Gargoyle and HarrisLink websites.

The final deadline to apply to the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy for the class starting in fall 2022 is June 15, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. CDT (UTC-5). Your Harris Admissions team would like to share seven quick and helpful video tips for completing a successful application!

Johnathan Hill, EMP Class of 2022 shares his recommendations for prospective and incoming students as they approach the application process and graduate school experience.

Johnathan Hill, EMP Class of 2022, discusses his first-year in the Evening Master’s Program (EMP) and the classes and programs he appreciates most. In the second part of the interview, he will share his advice with prospective and incoming students.

Just in time for the final application deadline on June 15, June Yom, MPP Class of 2022, recalls her own application experience and shares her advice for applying to Harris.

Incoming students who are considering taking the advanced versions of the Core courses should review the syllabi for both the standard and advanced versions to see which might be the best fit.

Time management is an essential skill when it comes to making the most of your graduate school experience. Below are some tips and resources to help you find the balance between your studies, work, and making connections.

Harris Policy Labs is a unique initiative in which teams of second-year (or second-third quarter MA) Harris students apply their rigorous core education to real-time public policy challenges facing client organizations. Students who complete the program have the chance to make an impact in their policy area of interest before they graduate, and are better-prepared policy professionals with a competitive advantage in the job market.

The Harris Core Curriculum (“the Core”) is a two-quarter sequence of six foundational courses in microeconomics, statistics for data analysis, and analytical politics. The Core is a distinguishing aspect of the Harris academic experience and sets Harris apart from other policy graduate programs. Lindsay Hiser, MPP Class of 2023, shares her experience taking courses in the Core Curriculum and her reflections on its impact.

We regularly host Roundtables with alumni of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar (DPSS) Program who share their UChicago experience and advice for prospective students. We asked alumni how they applied their skills in the workplace.

We regularly host Roundtables with alumni of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar (DPSS) Program who share their UChicago experience and advice for prospective students. We asked alums how they navigated the quantitative coursework of DPSS. Below are pieces of their testimonies. Access our webinar recordings or our DPSS Alumni Stories webpage for additional highlights.

Harris graduates bring a range of in-demand skills to employers all around the world. Kevin Hartman, MBA/MPP’98, Chief Analytics Evangelist, Google, notes, “The students that I’m seeing that come to us from the Harris School have that kind of rigor—and the ability to do the deep, quantitative thinking and analysis—and yet have the great way of linking that to discussion, conversation, and storytelling." As you decide where you will make your next academic home, we wanted to share a quick overview of our career outcomes.