Frequently Asked Questions

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We want to hear your story, your hopes and dreams and what you want to accomplish in your career. We are looking to learn about you, what you’re passionate about, what you want to learn and why. Whether you’re looking to grow your current organization, want to transition into a new role, or you’re trying to have the time and space to reboot and consider what’s next, be honest about where you’re at in your journey. We hope that the application process might serve as a reflective practice for you to step back and articulate what you’re hoping to accomplish. If you have questions about admissions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xsd@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

No, there are no educational prerequisites to apply for this program—we are looking for leaders across all industries with a variety of perspectives.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xsd@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss your questions.

You will complete four online courses and attend an in-person convening at the University of Pennsylvania. Required courses: Design Thinking for Social Innovation and Engagement for Impact. There are two required electives; you can select from: Performance Management, Business Models for Social Enterprise, Self & Society, Digital Media, and Mobilizing People. There is a required independent studio project where you reflect on the tools you are applying to your work.

Our program features an in-person learning component which is important to our educational model. The in-person component will take place at the University of Pennsylvania in late October. During this time, you will complete critical coursework in design thinking and leadership and make progress in problem definition for your studio project. You will also solidify relationships with the other members of the cohort to share your ideas and build connections that facilitate your learning throughout the program.

Our program is designed to have the lowest tuition possible without losing the integrity of the educational experience. We’re proud to say it’s one of the most affordable executive programs available today. Since the program tuition is already being offered at a discounted rate relative to other similar programs, we’re unfortunately unable to offer any scholarships. Previous students have gotten partial or full tuition covered from their employers as well, and we also encourage students to crowdfund if possible. If you have questions about finances, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xsd@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

We anticipate that most students will spend about 6 – 10 hours per week on the program, but of course this may vary. The program is a part-time program that is designed to be taken alongside, and complementary to, your existing professional responsibilities.

We release materials each week that the class is offered. Once released, the material will remain available until the duration of the program. All assignment submission due dates are in ET.

Yes, if you complete the two required electives we will honor requests to audit additional electives of your choice.

No. Our XSD fall cohort begins in early September each year.

Penn’s tuition benefit program does not cover non-credit courses such as our executive education certificate program. Penn’s policies regarding tuition benefits can be found here.

At the moment, the XSD program does not offer scholarships or financial assistance. We encourage all prospective students to apply by the July 1st early application deadline for $600 discount in the tuition rate. Please reach out to the XSD team directly for advice on how to document program costs to be reimbursed by your place of work.

Employer policies will vary greatly amongst students. Some previous Penn students have gotten partial or full tuition covered by their employers in similar certificate programs. If you have questions about the information you need to present to your employer to make this request, please email us at xsd@design.upenn.edu.

Our inaugural 2019 cohort were a talented group of 60 students from 30 US states and four countries. These XSD alum are a mix of mid-career professionals representing non-profit mission-driven organizations and design professions. Some came with specific project ideas to implement and others used the program to explore and develop ideas that evolved into their final project. These creative optimists sought to find meaning with their projects considering a wide range of individual questions such as: "How might we make mental health resources accessible to more Asian-Americans?" or "How might we reduce turnover in affordable housing projects?"

Through the program, these XSD learners went through the iterative process of design thinking: changing how they framed problems, gathering information through interviews, prototyping, testing, storyboarding — challenging their assumptions at every step. Solutions presented by the students included such projects as writing a financial literacy guide for young African-American women and designing a more efficient grocery cart system, to name just two. We will be adding some alum profiles to this FAQ page so you can learn more about individual stories.

This curriculum was created as a collaboration between the Weitzman School and the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2). As a result, students are expected to take courses that focus on design thinking, as well as social impact, and will apply their learning from each discipline to one studio project for the duration of the curriculum.

Cohort members have the flexibility to choose a topic of their interest for a studio project, while faculty members and fellow cohort members will help each individual hone their problem statement and project focus during the in-person convening on campus. The in-person convening, as well as the pitch day at the end of the curriculum are a great chance to gain interpersonal skills.

Faculty members of this curriculum have taught students that have gone on to create leading products and found companies, such as Lilu and Lia. These students were able to apply their learning to develop practical yet innovative solutions to problems faced today.

While many cohort members choose to focus on subject areas relevant to their professional jobs or current roles, it is not crucial to have an exact studio project idea before you begin. Our Self and Society course is a great way to reflect on values that are important to you and how you can apply your belief system to communities you wish to help. The curriculum will also guide you through the design process with three simple steps: (1) Define, (2) Design, (3) Pilot. The first phase of the process will be your chance to define your studio project before turning it into a viable product or experience.

We would recommend taking a look at these articles for further reading in this space: (1) HBR Article: Design Thinking Comes of Age by John Kolko, (2) Stanford Social Innovation Review article by Tim Brown and Jocelyn Whyatt

There are no application fees and the application itself should not take you longer than 30 minutes to complete. The application requests some basic background information about yourself, a resume upload, and responses to three very short (< 250 words each) essay questions. Just be yourself as you compose your application. Our faculty are looking forward to reading your story.

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We want to hear your story, your hopes and dreams and what you want to accomplish in your career. We are looking to learn about you, what you’re passionate about, what you want to learn and why. Whether you’re looking to grow your current organization, want to transition into a new role, or you’re trying to have the time and space to reboot and consider what’s next, be honest about where you’re at in your journey. We hope that the application process might serve as a reflective practice for you to step back and articulate what you’re hoping to accomplish. If you have questions about admissions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xdl@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

No, there are no educational prerequisites to apply for this program—we are looking for leaders across all industries with a variety of perspectives.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xdl@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss your questions.

There are no application fees and the application itself should not take you longer than 30 minutes to complete. The application requests some basic background information about yourself, a resume upload, and responses to three very short (<250 words each) essay questions. Just be yourself as you compose your application. Our faculty are looking forward to reading your story.

Our program features an event that is critical to our educational model. Our 2-day summit occurs in January and will take place live on-line via zoom on the dates provided on the Program Schedule. During this time, you will begin your Independent Leadership Project.

You will also solidify relationships with other members of the community to share ideas and build connections that facilitate learning throughout the Program. The summit is a required component of the certificate. Arrangements are being made to accommodate students in time zones that do not align well with Eastern Standard Time.

Our optional Design Leadership Day occurs at the end of the program and features opportunities to practice and demonstrate the skills you have learned in the program in a safe, supportive space. There will also be a closing ceremony and reception to celebrate the hard work of the students and faculty.

Our program is designed to have the lowest tuition possible without losing the integrity of the educational experience. We’re proud to say it’s one of the most affordable executive programs available today. Since the program tuition is already being offered at a discounted rate relative to other similar programs, we’re unfortunately unable to offer any scholarships. Previous students have gotten partial or full tuition covered from their employers as well, and we also encourage students to crowdfund if possible. If you have questions about finances, please don’t hesitate to reach out to xdl@design.upenn.edu so we can discuss. Weitzman alumni qualify for an additional $500 scholarship. This is a one time offer and will not be offered again for this program after the 22–23 session.

Limited payment plan options are available. After submitting the deposit, the remaining balance may be split into two staggered automated payments. Contact us at xdl@design.upenn.edu for further details.

We anticipate that most students will spend about 6–10 hours per week on the program, but this may vary. The program is a part-time program that is designed to be taken alongside, and complimentary to, your existing professional responsibilities.

We release materials on a weekly basis. Once released, the materials will remain available for the duration of the program. All assignment submission due dates are in eastern time zone. We also host live weekly discussion groups for students.

The Weitzman team uses the latest approaches to engaging students in the online space with a variety of types of assignments including readings, discussion boards, reflective writing, simulations, experimentations in the real world and more. All the learning acquired in the program will be applied to the Independent Leadership Project where students will work with Teaching Fellows and the faculty to identify, define a leadership challenge from their workplace. Then students will move on to ideate and prototype possible solutions with a final plan leadership to be completed and finally tested, if possible, in the workplace.

The Teaching Fellows and faculty will work with you at the beginning of the 9-week project to identify and define a suitable leadership challenge.

The tuition deposit is not refundable. Weitzman online will receive request for refunds to non-credit programs in writing only to the appropriate program leadership.

The Weitzman School of Design reserves the right to cancel any program due to low enrollment or other extenuating circumstances at any time, before the start of the program. If a program is canceled, all participants will receive a full refund.

Official communications may be sent to xdl@design.upenn.edu.

The Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 10009226. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org or 800-AIA-3837, Option 3).

All XDL courses have been submitted for AIA CES approval. We have submitted the XDL courses for AIA approval. Please email xdl@design.upenn.edu for updates. When final approval is received, the website will be updated. We anticipate approval prior to the start of the program in October.

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

The Weitzman School of Design has submitted an application to become an ASLA CES Provider. Details will be posted as they become available.

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