Close up of the Boston skyline from the ground: featuring the Boston Globe building and old state house

Our Mission

The mission of Executive Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Design is to educate leaders to build smarter, healthier, greener, more beautiful, and overall better cities. Our work spans design, architecture, real estate, technology, finance, city planning, leadership, economic development, and all the key sectors that shape life in cities present and future. Our programs at Harvard and globally are taught by distinctive teams of Harvard faculty and industry stars. We engage our participants as full partners in building and shaping our joint future.

Gund Hall on Harvard's campus

The GSD Experience

At Harvard GSD Executive Education, industry and academia’s foremost leaders join with accomplished design and real estate professionals from around the world. In this setting, we address complex challenges and create innovative solutions. In our dynamic learning environment, participants emerge with practical insights and valuable lessons to put into action, right away.

An ornate H cast in iron

Teaching Team

At Harvard GSD Executive Education, you learn from (and with) the best. In addition to distinguished Harvard faculty, our teaching teams include renowned authors, executives, investors, developers, architects, policymakers, government officials, and scholars from all over the globe. The result? An unparalleled learning experience that combines groundbreaking research and insights with real-world experience—practical, tactical, and incredibly valuable.

Aerial view of a city

Global Perspectives

We believe that broader views allow for more informed insights. That is why we collaborate with other elite schools around the globe and invite esteemed international experts to participate in our programs. It is these out-of-the-box efforts that result in distinctly compelling offerings that meet the complex needs of today’s real estate and design professionals worldwide.

Acknowledgment of Land and People

Harvard University is located on the traditional land of the Massachusett people, and the Nipmuc and Wampanoag Nations have long been our neighbors as well. Harvard Graduate School of Design recognizes and honors the past, present, and future of these Indigenous people and precious lands.