Acquire the knowledge, skills, and networks you need to create new schools, launch edtech ventures, and drive innovation in educational organizations and corporations around the world.
Empowering you to create innovative solutions that drive global change through the power of education.
The Education Entrepreneurship, M.S.Ed. program understands the urgency of addressing the world's most pressing challenges. This one-year, executive program will equip you with the tools to design, test, and implement forward-thinking solutions in an ever-evolving global landscape. Here, education is the catalyst for transformative impact, and through our innovative approach, you’ll not only tackle critical issues but also contribute to the greater good.
Rolling Application Deadline
Summer Entry Term
Executive Enrollment Format
10 Course Units
1 Year Duration
On Campus Modality
Through its unique design at the intersection of education, innovation, business, and entrepreneurship, the Master's in Education Entrepreneurship program empowers current and aspiring leaders with the critical academic knowledge, cross-sector tools, business skills, and entrepreneurial mindset necessary to create innovative solutions in education.
Built for working professionals seeking to innovate within an existing organization and for education and business leaders, entrepreneurs, and others interested in building and accelerating new ventures, students develop expertise in three key domains: Education Foundations, Business Essentials, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. This curriculum is complemented with premier access to Penn GSE and Wharton startup resources and clubs, education and ed tech networks, school design labs, and professional development across the innovation ecosystem.
Across the program, students work with renowned faculty from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, The Wharton Business School, Weitzman School of Design, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science to identify emerging opportunities and create the next generation of high-impact education programs, products, and services. In the 12-month Capstone project, students work with industry leaders and entrepreneurs to identify a new opportunity for education innovation based on their own personal mission and professional goals.
Application Requirements and Deadlines Tuition and Fees Financial Aid
Jenny Zapf, Ph.D., Program Director and Penn GSE Senior Fellow in Education
Jenny Zapf, Ph.D., Program Director and Penn GSE Senior Fellow in Education
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Location: Online
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Location: Online
Students learn and apply new knowledge, theory, and skills in three domains: Education Foundations, Business Essentials, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. For a full list of courses in the Education Entrepreneurship program, visit the Education Entrepreneurship, M.S.Ed. program in the University Catalog.
The Education Entrepreneurship, M.S.Ed. program also offers a dual-degree option for students in the Wharton M.B.A. to tailor their career goals. Learn more about the M.B.A./M.S.Ed. Dual-Degree option between Wharton and Penn GSE.
We are here to help! Contact the program Assistant Director, Kaajal Vyas, gse-edent@gse.upenn.edu.
In the culminating capstone project, students identify a new opportunity—either for an existing entity or for the creation of a new venture—and implement the skills they have built in the program to launch their own education program, service, or product. Students build a business case, executing experiments that validate or invalidate key hypotheses governing the opportunity. The capstone culminates with a demo day where students pitch their ventures to a distinguished panel of judges.
The exploratory work for the capstone project begins on day one, with discovery-driven planning, ideation, and pitch practice. The second stage includes design thinking, market research, and rapid validation testing using lean methods. Designing learning environments, building venture financial models, and developing marketing plans are key elements in the third stage. In the final stage, students build integrated businesses cases for their education ventures, including financial models and pitch decks. Throughout the 12-month project, students pitch, test, iterate, pivot, and refine venture ideas through meetings with a team of mentors—including ed tech and school entrepreneurs, education intrapreneurs, business leaders, researchers, practitioners, and investors.
At the completion of capstone project, students develop a strong business case for a real-world education solution or innovation that allows them to showcase their entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to potential employers, partners, and investors.
New ventures(*) and existing entities that students strengthened through their programmatic work as both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs:
Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership: Prepares students to change the world through an entrepreneurial mindset—a mindset of curiosity and courageous creativity.
Nomad Minds*: Creates experiences which promote dialogue, understanding, and appreciation among globally interconnected local cultures.
Raise.me: Expands access to higher education, especially among low-income and first generation students, so that every student has a shot at the American Dream.
GYE Zone: Brings real-world challenges to global high school students and prepares them for college and career readiness through youth entrepreneurship education.
The Education Entrepreneurship program is designed to fit the schedule of full-time working professionals. The program meets eight times over 12 months: seven times onsite and once virtually, and includes virtual supplemental learning opportunities between onsite sessions. The format and schedule allow students to continue residing in their home communities and maintaining their full-time employment.
The program will provide hotel accommodations (single rooms) and meals during on-campus sessions.
| Term | Dates |
|---|---|
| Summer 2025 | July 27 - August 4 |
| Fall 2025 | September 26-28 |
| October 31 - November 2 | |
| December 5-7 | |
| Spring 2026 | January 9-11 |
| February 13-15 (Virtual Intensive) | |
| March 27-29 | |
| Summer 2026 | June 13-18 |
Graduates of this unique program leave with the tools necessary to create new schools and initiatives, launch education startups, fund and manage technology ventures, scale leading-edge programs, and drive innovation in educational organizations and corporations.
A graduate degree from Penn GSE opens up whole new worlds, intellectually as well as professionally. If you are a passionate, innovative, impactful leader—or aspire to be one—Penn GSE is the place for you.
Do you have questions about the application, financial aid, or requirements? We're happy to help!
On May 17, in the Palestra, Penn GSE commemorated the achievements of the roughly 600 master’s and doctoral graduates at this year’s Commencement ceremony.
The newly named office in Catalyst @ Penn GSE merges the expertise and expands the impact of two offices: the Penn Literacy Network and the Center for Professional Learning.
From first-time presenters to seasoned scholars, the Penn GSE community showed up big at AERA 2025 with fresh ideas and powerful conversations.
The latest issue of Social Innovations Journal is an outgrowth of the center for global education innovation’s expertise and mission, capitalizing on their deep network of researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders.
Two teams of education master’s students were finalists in the co-curricular program at the business school, which brought together students from across the University with varying levels of experience in artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems in just one week.
This spring, those honors include three Spencer Foundation grants, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and more.
Lorea Peterson Rodondo will graduate in May with a dual degree from Penn GSE and Wharton. She discusses her ambition to apply lessons learned to education in her hometown of Mexico City and reflects on her experience at Penn.
The Project-Based Learning for Global Climate Justice certificate program is a collaboration between Penn GSE and 70 educators around Asia, Africa, and Europe working together on a K–12 education program that emphasizes climate change and social inequalities.
Funded by the NSF, the Create AI workshop aimed to empower students and teachers to build, not just use, AI.
