Executive Education

The School of Design offers various executive education options, from an introduction to design thinking to hands-on immersion into specific design skills and methodologies. The scale of these engagements range from half-day intensives to customized multi-day workshops. We have hosted executive education sessions for such diverse organizations as the United States Air Force, Penske, and Highmark; courses are collaboratively planned to best address the needs of your organization.

Topics for each session can be personalized for your group. Previous courses have included the following modules delivered independently or in combination, with longer courses taking participants through a full cycle of the design process:

  • Introduction to design thinking
  • Human-centered research methodology
  • Drawing and visualization
  • Design concepting
  • Participatory design methods
  • Low-fidelity prototyping
  • Evaluative research methods
  • Critique
  • Communication and presentation skills
  • Introduction to Transition Design

Executive education is taught by faculty in the School of Design. While shorter workshop sessions can be arranged during the Fall and Spring semesters, longer courses are typically scheduled during the Summer. We recommend hosting the course on the Carnegie Mellon University campus in order to immerse participants in a design-focused environment. If travel is not possible, an on-site course at your location may be arranged depending on faculty schedules. 

For the best possible experience we suggest a minimum group size of 15 people with a maximum of 25 attendees. At this time we do not offer executive education for individuals. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more.