MDE students are eligible for several types of position at the GSD, SEAS, and other Harvard schools, and may work part-time while in the program. Positions include research assistantships with faculty, centers, and/or labs, teaching assistantships for GSD courses, and teaching fellowships for SEAS and FAS courses. While there are numerous opportunities, student skillsets and initiative are critical to obtaining a position.
Many students choose to pursue an internship in the summer between academic years. The MDE program does not offer internship placement, but does offer and facilitate various opportunities with the External Advisory Board. The program has also partnered with Amazon to offer up to four internships per summer, dependent on strength and fit of student applications.
MDE students have interned at a variety of organizations, including WeWork, Utopia, IDEO, IDEO.org, Formlabs, AKT II, OMA, Palantir, Transsolar, Autodesk, Knoll, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics.
Students are eligible for GSD programs such as Community Service Fellowships, a program through which students apply for summer employment fellowships in agencies/organizations that address issues that serve the public interests of communities. Students are also eligible for university-wide opportunities like the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.
MDE graduates go in directions as diverse as their backgrounds and projects. Some graduates return to their prior field, but in new positions and capacities. Others use the program to pivot in entirely new directions.
To learn more about the paths graduates have taken during and after the program, visit the alumni page.
