Wharton’s Product Design Academy is a three-week deep dive into design thinking and product development. Through this studio-based program, students will identify customer needs, generate product concepts, prototype, and design a physical product for showcase.

Non-credit

Residential

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

Final project

Application fee waiver

This three week hands-on program is designed for students to research, brainstorm, prototype, and design a new to the world product through the lens of the Design Thinking process. Students will gain technical prototyping skills utilizing the Studios@Venture Labs, a collection of workspaces and labs that house digital and analog fabrication technologies that empower students to make their ideas a reality. Students will also be introduced to entrepreneurial concepts on how to launch their idea and create a business around their product.

Throughout the program, students will utilize the Design Thinking process to conduct user research to develop ideas for new to the world products – there is no requirement to already have an idea for a product in mind. Students will then work in teams around promising ideas to further develop and prototype the ideas into products as the keystone project for this course.

In parallel, students will work on a series of individual prototyping skills building exercises and mini-projects to learn CAD design to utilize laser cutting and 3D printing services.

Each summer, Product Design students:
- Gain technical prototyping skills through the use of fabrication technologies
- Challenge assumptions by identifying and redefining problems in order to create innovative solutions
- Conduct user research to aid in developing new products
- Create physical prototypes that test and validate ideas
- Learn CAD design and human-centered design solutions
- Explore historic Philadelphia and experience college life on Penn’s Ivy League campus.

All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.

A typical day includes:
9:00-10:30am – Topics lecture / CAD Demonstration
10:30-10:45am – Mid-morning break
10:45-12:00pm – Small group activity
12:00-1:30pm – Lunch
1:30-3:00pm – Prototyping Skills Activities
3:00-3:15pm – Afternoon break
3:15-4:30pm – Group Work Time in Studio

Session topics may include:
User Research Techniques
Synthesizing Qualitative Data
Brainstorming Techniques
Analog Prototyping
Digital Fabrication Prototyping
Large Scale Manufacturing Processes
Product Launch Strategy

In the evening, students will have a number of extracurricular activities to choose from. Students can also opt to work on their final project with their group, meet with the program TAs, and/or relax at the dorm. 

Product Design Academy

Jul 09 - Jul 29

3 weeks

Residential

9099 USD

ON-CAMPUS PROGRAM FEES INCLUDE:
Full academic and term fees, use of Penn academic facilities, on-campus housing, two meals a day Monday-Friday, two meals on Sunday (no meals Saturday due to excursions/activities), extracurricular activities and trips, student supervision.
ON-CAMPUS PROGRAM FEES DO NOT INCLUDE:
Non-refundable $100 application fee, travel to/from campus, airport transfers, gym access (may be available for additional fee); linens; class materials; meals eaten off campus; medical expenses; laundry; souvenirs; and personal spending money.

Financial Aid

The Wharton Global Youth Program is committed to supporting academically ambitious students with demonstrated financial need. Through a variety of need-based scholarships and financial awards, we are able to provide full or partial funding for a select number of eligible program participants.