Wharton Online launches self-guided entrepreneurship certificate program

The Wharton School’s digital learning platform launched a self-paced, three-course sequence to teach entrepreneurship and executive execution.

The Entrepreneurship Certificate was released on Jan. 21 to help professionals develop an “entrepreneurial mindset, identify high-potential opportunities, and execute ideas that create real-world impact.” The Wharton Online courses are taught by Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship Lori Rosenkopf, along with Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch, Karl Ulrich, and Henning Piezunka. 

In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Eric Hamberger — the managing director of Wharton Online — wrote that the program will make it “easier for professionals to access practical, research-backed tools that help turn entrepreneurial ambition into real progress.”

According to Hamberger, participants will enroll in “short faculty-led lessons, guided exercises, and hands-on assignments they can apply to their own ideas or work challenges.”

The series features an “end-to-end learning experience" that earns participants a verified Wharton credential upon completion. While the program was designed as a three-part sequence, each course is also offered individually.

The three courses — titled “Becoming Entrepreneurial: Purpose, Paths, and Inspiration,” “From Idea to Impact: Entrepreneurial Opportunity Identification,” and “From Plan to Performance: Venture Implementation” — correspond to different stages of the entrepreneurial process and focus on mindset development, opportunity evaluation, and venture execution.

Each course requires approximately 12 to 18 hours of coursework and can be completed asynchronously. Participants will receive a digital badge and education units for each completed course, and those who complete all three earn the Entrepreneurship Certificate.

“Entrepreneurship is not limited to founding a startup,” Rosenkopf wrote in the press release. “This certificate meets learners where they are and gives them evidence-based tools to move forward with confidence.”

The program requires no experience in entrepreneurship and is meant to serve “aspiring entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, career changers, founders, and leaders across industries.” 

Wharton’s Executive Education website also includes information on how the program will equip participants with “both the strategic frameworks and the practical discipline needed to move from inspiration to action, empowering you to create value wherever you choose to lead.” 

The certificate costs $3,850, with participants also able to enroll in individual courses for a separate cost. Wharton Executive Education additionally offers group enrollment options for organizations that enroll multiple participants into the program. The courses are now open for enrollment.

“The certificate follows a clear journey,” Hamberger wrote. “Participants move from shaping opportunities to testing assumptions, understanding customers, and building a plan to execute, using Wharton School faculty frameworks.”

In November 2025, Wharton Online launched the Innovation Strategy and Design Thinking Certificate. In December 2024, the learning platform released a course on the implementation of ChatGPT in education with the goal of teaching participants how best to utilize the technology.

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