Header About Design Thinking Education

Design Thinking Courses

Business School or Design School?

Design thinking courses are becoming increasingly popular among individuals and organizations who want to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and collaboration. It is a process that can be applied to a wide range of challenges, from developing new products to improving processes and services.

Design thinking courses provide individuals with the tools and techniques needed to apply the design thinking methodology to real-world problems. These courses typically include hands-on exercises, case studies, and group projects that help participants develop the skills needed to identify customer needs, generate ideas, prototype solutions, and test their ideas in the real world.

Design thinking courses are available in various formats, including online courses, workshops, and certificate programs. They are suitable for anyone who wants to develop their creative problem-solving skills, regardless of their background or industry. Design thinking courses are particularly beneficial for entrepreneurs, business leaders, product managers, and designers who want to create innovative solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

There are two types of Design Thinking certificate and or degree courses a student can choose from:

  • The Business School course approach
  • The Design School course approach

The design thinking methodology taught at both types of school  are the same, but the context and expected outcomes are different.

The Darden Business School (University of Virginia) Design Thinking Course states that "Darden’s Specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation empowers you to become a creative catalyst with a systemic approach to innovation in the workplace" , whereas the California College of the Arts Design Strategy MBA course states "The MBA in Design Strategy is more than a program. We’re a movement of future-focused designers, business strategists, educators, and engineers who want to frame the world in entirely new ways. We believe deeply in the value of design-based perspectives in business and that human-centric design is the future."

Need a different starting point?

If you would like to get right into it, take a look at our article 5 Design Thinking Project Examples for Students. This article also has many interesting ideas for students and and first time explorers of Design Thinking.

Our view on Design Thinking Education

Our present view on Design Thinking certification is that it is not a useful measure of whether or not someone can effectively implement the Design Thinking methodology.

This view could change in the future, but for now, we are not offering a Design Thinking certificate, concentrating instead on ensuring that we build a solid collection of useful examples, case studies, practical training and resources for practitioners to improve their mastery of the Design Thinking methodology, skills and craft. Training in the practice and building knowledge are more important than any short introductory course.

Here is a list of places where you could train and earn a Design Thinking Certificate from.

Universities and Schools offering Design Thinking Courses and Certificates

Business School Based Design Thinking Courses

University of Virginia Darden Business School

Stanford d.School - 6 Different programs for executives to fellows in residence. Design Thinking Courses, workshops and programs.

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Business - Business Design Fundamentals, 2 day workshop

Harvard Business School - Reimagining Strategy: Applying Design Thinking to Your Organization. A 4 day course.

Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School

MIT Sloan School of Management - Mastering Design Thinking (Online) 3 month course, 6-8 hours a week

Columbia Business School 

Cornell University - Certificate in Design Thinking

University of Cincinnati - UC Forward Design Thinking Certificate. 60 Hours.

Emory University Goizueta Business School (Atlanta) - Certificate in Design Thinking for Business Innovation. 2 Days 16 Hours.

UC San Diego - 5 day Bootcamp

HEC Paris - Managing Innovation and Design Thinking Specialization, 4 courses offered by Coursera

INSEAD - Design Thinking and Creativity for Business. 5 week online Certificate Course Starting April 10.

University of Sydney

Grand Valley State University (MI), Design Thinking Academy

University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) - Design Thinking Essentials. 6 days full time over the summer from June to September.

University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. Design Thinking: unleash organizational potential. 2 day certificate course.

University of Delaware. Design Thinking Workshop. 2 days in April.

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good. NEW - Starting 2021.

Northwestern University.  Master of Product Design and Development Management Program (mpd²) at the Segal Design Institute within the McCormick School of Engineering.

Radford University (Virginia). MFA in Design Thinking (2 years full time 4 years part-time) and a Certificate Program in Design Thinking (1 year).

University of Cape Town. Becoming a changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation. 6 week free course with a certificate.

Design Schools Offering Design Thinking Courses

Design Community College (DCC) - Design Thinking Training Courses

California College of the Arts - two year full time, low residency MBA in Design Strategy program.

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Design Leadership (MA/MBA), 2 years full time. Earns you dual degrees from MICA and Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Design Thinking MicroMasters courses, 5 Courses, 6 weeks per course 8-12 hours per week per course

Kendall College of Art and Design (Ferris State University - Grand Rapids, MI) - Certificate in Design and Innovation Management, 1 semester

Other Design Thinking Courses

American Nursing Association (ANA) - Creating a Culture of Innovation: Design Thinking & Why it Matters to Nurses, 2 hour continuing education Credit

Cooper Professional Education - Cooper Crash Course: Designing Thinking in 3 Steps (Udemy), 1.5 hours

Dartmouth - Creativity, Innovation and Design Certificate for High School Students. 3 Days, 3 Hours per day.

IBM Design Thinking Courses - Online introduction and in-situ company training.

IDEO U - Design Thinking Courses

IDEO and Acumen - Introduction to Human Centered Design for Social Change. 4 hours/week. 9 weeks.

LinkedIn Learning - Learning Design Thinking, 2 hours

Spanish Language Courses - Design Thinking.  1 hour introductory course in Spanish.