Manhattanville College to Offer Certificate in Design Thinking
PURCHASE, NY – Manhattanville College will offer a certificate in Design Thinking
beginning in the fall semester, giving its undergraduate students the opportunity
to gain the top skills employers today are seeking. This new Manhattanville offering
is unique as very few undergraduate liberal arts colleges offer such a certificate.
Non-matriculated students can also enroll in the certificate program, allowing working
professionals and high school students to develop these skills at Manhattanville.
Design thinking is a systematic approach to solving problems that has gained popularity in recent years among business leaders and others because of its emphasis on innovative solutions to complex issues. A Design thinking approach fosters the development of skills that are useful in any environment, including adaptability and empathy.
“Design thinking is an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, with collaboration and empathy at its core,” said Michael Geisler, Ph.D., President of Manhattanville College. “It fits with the values of the liberal arts and our mission to educate ethical and socially responsible leaders. Design thinking skills are in high demand in today’s workplace in large part because they train students in focusing on customer-friendly solutions, thus giving humans an advantage in the marketplace compared to software solutions that rely solely on artificial intelligence.”
The Center for Design Thinking at Manhattanville College brings a sharp focus to the methods and mindsets of design thinking, integrating and amplifying many of the skill sets that are already developed through a strong liberal arts education. The Center provides opportunities for the application of these skills through real-world problem solving. The certificate program can be completed alongside any of Manhattanville’s undergraduate majors, allowing students to apply design thinking methodology and mindsets to disciplinary challenges, developing real-world experience in the process. Those in the program will learn to use design thinking to identify and test innovative solutions to the most difficult problems in a real-world setting with an emphasis on team creation, project management, collaboration, and professionalism. Students will conduct research using design thinking and develop oral and visual communication skills.
“Design thinking skills distinguish innovators from others in the workplace,” said Alison Carson, Ph.D., associate provost for academic innovation and design thinking at Manhattanville. “This certificate allows our students entering the workforce to set themselves apart from the pack. It signals to employers that this is a person who knows how to think and solve problems creatively and with empathy.” Carson directs the Center for Design Thinking at Manhattanville which opened in 2019 and is among the first of its kind on a liberal arts college campus.
Students in the program will complete six-courses – four required courses and two electives – for a total of 18 credits to earn a certificate in Design Thinking. There will be opportunities to participate in a design thinking internship which can substitute for an elective with approval by the program administrators. For more information or to apply, visit www.mville.edu/dt.
About Manhattanville College: Manhattanville College is a small, private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social justice. Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of bustling Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to robust entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its primarily residential and diverse student body. The College serves more than 1,500 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the College offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from over 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 45 clubs and 20 NCAA Division III teams. To learn more, visit www.mville.edu.
Contact: Cara Cea, cara.cea@mville.edu, 914-323-1278 or 914-906-9680.
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