#  For Students 

 



##  Join Our Community of Changemakers 

 Join Us 

The Field Lab offers an unparalleled opportunity to apply your classroom learning to real-world challenges while building lasting relationships with practitioners and peers.



 

 [ Learn more about our courses arrow\_circle\_right ](/experiential-learning-harvard-kennedy-school) 

 

       ![Students in the Field](/sites/g/files/omnuum12421/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-10/D18010G009%20%281%29.jpg?itok=t5ToZv77) 

 

 



 

 



### Why Choose the Field Lab? 

 

**Real Impact**: Your work directly influences policy decisions affecting thousands of residents. Many student recommendations are implemented within months of project completion.

**Professional Development**: Gain skills employers value most—project management, client relations, data analysis, and policy communication—while building a portfolio of professional work.

**Network Building**: Connect with alumni working throughout government, develop relationships with senior officials, and join a community committed to public service.

**Career Pathways**: Access exclusive summer fellowships, receive mentorship from practitioners, and explore career opportunities in the public sector.



 



      ![IMG_8415 new](/sites/g/files/omnuum12421/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2026-01/Field_Lab_00093%20%281%29.jpg?itok=BjTIYbyq) 

 

 

  

 



### Student Experience 

 

**Team-Based Learning**: Work in diverse teams of 4-5 students, bringing together different skills and perspectives

**Client Engagement**: Present directly to mayors and senior officials, receiving immediate feedback on your recommendations

**Field Work**: Spend significant time on-site in communities, understanding challenges firsthand

**Faculty Support**: Receive intensive coaching from faculty with deep expertise in public finance and urban governance

**Technical Training**: Master advanced analytical tools through hands-on workshops and clinics



 



      ![Students in the Field](/sites/g/files/omnuum12421/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2025-10/IMG_8255%20new.jpg?itok=-l4FnZAZ) 

 

 

  

 



 

 

 

 

    ![Students](/sites/g/files/omnuum12421/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-11/Mary%20T.jpeg?itok=M9x5fbG3) 

 

 

 

   

Experiential learning provides practice, but it also provides a deeper understanding of each concept’s importance and how the concepts interact. Classroom lessons tend to make topics seem more black-and-white than they truly are. Once you start applying them outside of the classroom, you find more layers of complexity.”

MARY TREACY, MPP 2025 (Field Labs Alum)

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

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