DAAP to offer new online micro-credential starting fall 2026

The Design Strategy micro-credential will focus on research and practical strategies to help create products, services and systems that are easier to use, more inclusive, more appealing and more meaningful. It will be fully online, offering students a flexible option to work through two three credit hour classes in six weeks. Students will complete the six credit hours of coursework completely in their own time.

The new micro-credential in Design Strategy is the first micro-credential offered in DAAP and will serve as a trial run, with the potential to add more in the near future. The two required courses are Design Strategy (DSGN 7021) and Research Methods (DSGN 7041).

"We wanted to create a different offering for students," Associate Director of Academic Student Advising Lora Alberto said. "It's a low commitment. You don't have to be enrolled in a full-time program. It's one of the first online offerings of its kind for DAAP."

The Design Strategy course will cover topics such as strategic thinking, trend analysis, trend forecasting and how to work through those topics with a design lens. The Design Research course will then cover the approach to design strategy, giving students information and practice with a wide range of specific methods.

Claudia B. Rebola DAAP Senior Associate Dean

The two courses each span six weeks and are asynchronous, giving students the flexibility to complete their coursework when and where it best fits their schedules throughout the week.

"It's a student-centric format," Senior Associate Dean Claudia Rebola said. "We wanted this micro-credential to have around six-week courses, be asynchronous and online to integrate with everyone's schedule and responsibilities."

Graduate students and professionals with backgrounds outside of design are encouraged to pursue the micro-credential to strengthen their ability to think strategically through design. The courses will be geared toward those in the Lindner College of Business, but they will be open to anyone with a bachelor's degree looking to learn more about design strategy.

DAAP worked alongside some of the leading companies in the design industry to develop a curriculum aimed at preparing professionals looking to incorporate design strategy into their work. Rebola conducted a series of interviews with practitioners in the field to gain their perspectives and learn how they approach these topics. Combined with additional research, those insights helped shape the micro-credential.

"This micro-credential is packed with well-known individuals from the industry practicing as leaders from companies including Pinterest, Kroger, Lippincott, Kolar Design and Kaleidoscope Innovation," Rebola said. "Our students will learn from high-profile experts in the field."

The practitioners' participation in developing the coursework separates these two courses from others. The classes are also modeled after those in the Master of Design program, and those behind the creation of the micro-credential hope it can serve as a gateway for students to pursue a master's degree in design.

One of the main goals is having courses for current professionals wanting to upgrade their skills and build their leadership potential," Alberto said. "It also follows the curricular model of our Master of Design courses, inviting students outside the College of DAAP."

The leaders in DAAP believe this micro-credential is a valuable opportunity for those looking to add design experience to their professional lives. With some of the industry's leading experts helping create the courses, the Design Strategy micro-credential aims to enhance participants' abilities across a wide range of careers.

"It's just two six-week courses, and it's all online, so the barrier to entry is really minimal," PhD student Henry Levesque said. "You won't get this kind of information from anywhere else."

"I think it's exciting for DAAP to be offering this micro-credential where the content is coming from the industry and what works in the industry in terms of design research methods and strategy to inform the careers of our students and professionals," Rebola said. "We're bringing the industry to the students and supplementing with reading materials, and I think that is very exciting."

Learn more about the design strategy micro-credential.

Learn more about UC's micro-credentials.

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Interview conducted and article written by Austin Bass.

Photos from UC online.

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