Executive Program in Social Innovation Design

We want to hear your story, your goals for society, 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. 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.

The essays are short but extremely important. This is where we learn your goals for the world and the program, and the best way we can assess whether you are at a stage in your venture or career to benefit from participating. We encourage concise, detailed responses.

In the first essay, tell us about the social impact issue area or initiative that you are most passionate about contributing to, and why. Each week of the XSD Program is designed for students to articulate some aspect of this issue, even if they are still ideating. We need to see that you can try ideas out, on paper, concisely and with specifics. You don’t have to pretend that everything is already figured out — actually, we hope you won’t. Instead, share your assumptions about this issue and the things you need to learn in order to take the next step in this work.

In the second essay, help us understand why you think this program is right for you. What aspects do you most look forward to? What do you hope to accomplish professionally or organizationally in the 7 months of the XSD Program? Why is 2025-2026 the right time for you to undertake our program?

In the third essay, describe your prior actions to support a social mission. Volunteer work, sitting on a board, acting as an engaged funder, working in an organization that did good work either as its main business or on the side…there are many ways to help make the world a better place.

If you have questions about admissions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at admissions@csis.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

No. Our program is designed to have the lowest tuition possible without losing the integrity of the educational experience. We’re proud to say we offer the most affordable executive programs that we are aware of. Since the program tuition is already being offered at a discounted rate relative to similar programs, we’re unfortunately unable to offer scholarships. We can, however, offer students who would like additional time to complete their payment the option of an interest-free payment plan over the course of 3 months. Some students have received partial or full tuition from their employers or a donor. Feel free to use this template to calculate the program cost for you and to share with your employer if it is useful in your funding applications.  Please reach out to admissions@csis.upenn.edu to confirm your tuition cost if you are filling out the form.

The $950 tuition deposit is not refundable. Refunds on balances paid will be made consistent with the School of Social Policy and Practice OpenSP2* refund policy.

Refund requests must occur within 14 days of the start of the class or program (the first materials-release date, for on-demand classes or programs, or the orientation date, for structured programs). Programs that include live class sessions require cancellation and refund requests to be made at least 14 days in advance of the course start date.

The school may provide a transfer option to individuals who cancel beyond the limits of this policy, at the discretion of the program leader.

Refund requests will be honored only if less than 25% of course materials have been engaged with (based on course data analytics).

*OpenSP2 is a division of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) which reserves the right to change, alter, adjust this policy. OpenSP2 reserves the right to cancel any program for low enrollment or other extenuating circumstances at any time, before the start of the program. If SP2 cancels a program, all participants will receive a full refund. Please also note programs offered on 3rd party platforms (edX or Coursera) are subject to the policies of that platform.

Official communications may be sent to admissions@csis.upenn.edu.

There are no educational prerequisites to apply for this program — we are looking for leaders across all industries with a variety of perspectives. Applicants should be comfortable learning in the English language, and have the capacity to stream video weekly.  

If you have questions, or if you think you might need a learning accommodation, please don’t hesitate to reach out at admissions@csis.upenn.edu so we can discuss your questions.

You will complete a total of four online courses and attend an in-person convening at the University of Pennsylvania in the XSD Program. Required courses include: Self & Society, Design Thinking for Social Innovation, and Engagement for Impact. You will then select one electives. In the past, these have included: Business Models for Social Enterprise, Performance Management, Social Media, Mobilizing People, and Principles of Inclusive Technology and Ethical Design. Download the viewbook for course descriptions.

Alumni are a critical part of the CSIS family, and they receive lifelong access to the CSIS community. We have a private LinkedIn and Facebook group dedicated to conversations online for anyone in our network to share resources and support one another. We also host a free alumni summit in Philadelphia to bring our diverse community together and offer one another a deep sense of community and connection.

You can join an XSD cohort beginning within 12 months of your scheduled cohort completion date. This will put you in a new cohort and have all the resources of a cohort to complete your requirements. If it’s beyond 12 months of your scheduled completion date, and/or you can’t restart learning within the year, you must pay 1) the balance on tuition rate we are charging during the new cohort, and 2) an additional $1500 administrative fee. This will put you in a new cohort and have all the resources of a cohort to complete your requirements. So, if you paid $5000 and we are charging $6000 in your new cohort year, you will need to pay $1000 + $1500 in order to gain access to the new materials