The mission of the Hertie School is to prepare students for leadership positions in government, business and civil society institutions, to produce knowledge for good governance and policymaking and to encourage responsible stewardship of the common good.

Their mission is to:
Recognise that today’s governance and policy challenges require broad interdisciplinary knowledge and a rich repertoire of analytic as well as practical skills embedded in a culture of responsibility;
Acknowledge that such knowledge and skills are relevant across institutional sectors, be they government, business, or civil society;
Appreciate that diverse national and international perspectives enrich teaching and research and lead to cross-fertilisation of ideas and approaches;
Realise that educating future generations of leaders requires challenging intellectual environments and dedication to teaching;
Understand that excellence in teaching rests on a vibrant research culture of outstanding scholarship;
And further recognise the importance of public discussion and scholarly debate to enhance the educational and academic experience of students and faculty alike.
Specifically, the school is to educate students who are equipped with state-of-the-art knowledge and analytic, as well as practical skills of policy studies; who are capable of applying their expertise to the complex problems of today’s world at local, national, and international levels; who are interdisciplinary in approach, intersectoral in outlook, and international in orientation; and who are intellectually open and with a deep sense of ethical responsibility towards the common good.