There are two distinct ways to learn at IDEO U—cohort courses and self-paced. Each has a different structure and schedule:　

Cohort courses

Cohort courses run on a set calendar, with fixed start and end dates. Course learning is self-paced within those dates and requires approximately 4-5 hours per week over 5 weeks. Courses consist of videos, activities, assignments, access to course teaching teams, and feedback from a global community of learners.

Cohort courses also provide optional 1-hour video Community Conversations, held weekly by the teaching team. They occur during set times, which are released during the first week of the course, and set to accommodate as many time zones as possible.

Self-paced courses

Self-paced courses take between 1-8 hours to complete. We provide 90 days of access from the date of purchase, so you may spread your learning over multiple weeks, or refer back to it multiple times during your access period. Courses consist of a series of videos, activities, and small assignments.

Certificate programs are comprised of multiple courses and typically take 3-6 months to complete. Once you complete all required courses, you will be awarded a certificate of completion. There is no deadline for the completion of the programs and you do not have to purchase all required courses at the same time to be eligible for a certificate.

Explore different ways to deepen your learning and broaden your professional impact through our certificate programs here.

While you can enroll in multiple courses concurrently, we strongly advise that you do so only if you are able to commit to a minimum of 5 hrs/week for each course (i.e. 10 hrs/week for 2 courses) to ensure the most valuable learning experience. If that does not feel feasible, we recommend taking the courses separately and exploring future dates on our course calendar.

Please make sure to select your desired cohort date for each course from the dropdown menu during checkout.

All of our courses are fully online and self-paced, so you can take them from any time zone, anywhere in the world.

During 5-week cohort courses, your course teaching team will host scheduled virtual community conversations which are optional. Timing will be announced during the first week of the course and is set to accommodate as many time zones as possible. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to make it, as these are purely optional.

Great question! We offer an array of courses covering different topics and choosing one really comes down to what you want to learn at this point. 

That said, the best place for most people to begin at IDEO U is our Foundations in Design Thinking Certificate program. This program includes 2 cohort courses that will enable you to gain a foundational and practical understanding of essential design thinking skills and empower you to create innovative solutions that are human-centered.

You can also take a quick quiz to find the course that best meets your specific needs.

Absolutely! We have had many teams go through our courses together with great success. For those taking our courses as a team, we provide a couple of additional benefits:

1. A Team Learning Guide, developed to provide your team with resources to facilitate offline discussion to complement the in-course experience.

2. A Manage Learners function, which provides visibility into your team's progress within the course.

3. The ability to create a private Learning Circle, which is a closed space for discussion on the learning platform specifically for your team.

For more information, visit our Team Learning page.

We offer a discount when you enroll in multiple courses at the same time through some of our certificate programs, including Foundations in Design Thinking, Business Innovation, Human-Centered Strategy, and Communicating for Impact. 

You can also enter your email address at the bottom of this page in order to receive updates on future offers or possible discounts. 

We also offer financial assistance for teachers, students, nonprofit workers, and those in need of government assistance – check out the financial aid application for more information and to apply for financial support. Please allow some time for the verification to process, so plan ahead if you are looking to join a course soon.

You can purchase your course on our website using a credit card, PayPal, or Shop Pay. 

We also offer installment plans which you can select at checkout if you use the Shop Pay method of payment. Available for U.S. learners at the moment.