Jessica Chastain Enrolls at Harvard for Masters Program

Jessica Chastain is stepping away from movie sets to take on a different challenge: becoming a Harvard graduate.

The Oscar winner’s publicist confirmed to NBC News that Chastain, 48, has enrolled in a two-year Master in Public Administration program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Variety first reported the news that the actor and producer is currently a student at the prestigious Cambridge, Massachusetts, university.

Harvard’s Master in Public Administration Program is designed “for aspiring leaders with real-world experience and graduate-level coursework in economics, public policy, or management,” according to the university’s website. The program involves full-time coursework in residence at Harvard Kennedy School.

The website described the program’s curriculum as “flexible” and that it requires 64 credits to complete. Among the MPA Class of 2024, 19% went into the public and IGO sector, 11% entered the nonprofit and NGO sector and an overwhelming 62% focused on the private sector.

Throughout her acting career, Chastain has advocated for gender equality in Hollywood. In 2022, she posted on Instagram that she had visited Kyiv amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” star previously attended Sacramento City College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, located in Los Angeles. She then continued to pursue her acting dreams at Juilliard before graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.

In 2024, Chastain’s alma mater awarded her and a few others an honorary doctorate for their “profound contributions to the arts,” Juilliard President Damian Woetzel said in a statement at the time.

Chastain won an Oscar at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022 for her leading performance as the late televangelist in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

Although she is focusing on her education, Chastain still has multiple projects lined up.

Her next film will be the drama “Dreams” about an heiress who falls for a young ballet dancer. The movie had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, but it doesn’t have an official U.S. release date yet.

Chastain will also star in the Apple TV+ crime series “The Savant” as an undercover investigator tracking hate groups. The show premieres on Sept. 26.