The Penn Chief Learning Officer program prepares corporate and nonprofit learning and talent management leaders.
We cultivate scholar-practitioners who know how to develop and implement evidence-based practices that support formal and informal human capital, leadership, and skills development through on-demand, just-in-time, and longer-term learning and development initiatives.
Our multi-disciplinary executive doctoral program is designed to meet the needs of mid- to senior-level executives and learning leaders from a variety of sectors and institutions. The program provides a rigorous academic environment in which executive students gain knowledge and build the skills necessary to ensure successful learning initiatives that will align with an organization’s strategy and guide employee performance across the organization.
What Sets Us Apart
About the Program
The Penn Chief Learning Officer program offers the rigor of an Ivy League institution and the flexibility of an executive format. Students develop skills necessary to align learning initiatives with their organization’s strategy, while also developing scholarly research skills needed to write a dissertation.
Class meetings10 seminars (Sunday–Friday) plus dissertation classes and meetings
Culminating experienceDissertation
- Executive-Style
In a knowledge economy, developing an organization’s talent is a critical component of its success. It is imperative for those committed to human capital development within organizations to infuse evidence-based practice into the creation and oversight of leadership development, learning, and managerial initiatives. For this reason, in today’s organizations everyone is a learning leader.
The Penn Chief Learning Officer program’s intensive professional learning community meets for two separate weeks each semester (block), the first week in person and the second week virtually. The academic blocks are augmented by a variety of learning modalities: seminars, field projects, academic and practitioner-oriented writing assignments, and group projects.
The Ed.D. degree is conferred by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Curriculum
The Penn Chief Learning Officer program has been designed by University of Pennsylvania faculty and leaders from business, government, NGO, and not-for-profit sectors. The program draws from senior faculty across many of Penn’s world-class graduate schools, including the Wharton School, as well as leading experts from outside the university.
The program includes five academic course blocks that run sequentially over the course of one and one-half years. Three academic blocks are offered per calendar year, and no academic block can be waived. After completion of at least three academic blocks, all students are required to complete the Master’s Thesis and Dissertation Preparation course. The exact timing of this course depends on the academic progress and entry term of the student. This is the final academic requirement before enrollment in the sixth and final course block and entering the Dissertation phase of the program. The sixth block, the Dissertation Block, is taken when students complete their academic requirements and become Ed.D. candidates. It is during this block that students embark on their dissertation research.
Leadership Block:
The Leadership Block advocates that learning leaders play a key role in strategy development and implementation by working closely with CEOs and C-level teams to design growth opportunities for employees. This course is designed to help learning leaders gain a deeper understanding of strategy, build leadership skills, and better communicate the importance of learning to other leaders.
- Developing Emotional Intelligence
- Diversity and Leadership in the Workplace
- Leading, Managing, and Coaching People at Work
- Leading and Managing Organizational Change
- Building and Utilizing Influence and Credibility
- Ethicial Leadership
- Communicating the Value of Learning and Performance
- Aligning and Integrating Learning and Performance with Organizational Goals
- Influencing Senior Leadership to Foster a Learning Environmnet
Learning Block:
The Learning Block explores what it means to be an effective learning and performance leader with a compelling vision for the learning function. This course uses a scientific approach to help learning leaders create informed, purposeful, and dynamic work-based learning environments that can lead to enhanced performance for all employees.
- The Relationship between Leadership and Learning
- Pedagogy and Curriculum in Adult, Work-Based Learning
- Philosophical Underpinnings of Work-Based Learning and Performance
- Implications of Diversity for Work-Based Learning
- Informal Learning
- Work-Based Learning and Learners
- Introduction to Organizational Learning
- Corporate/Higher Education Partnerships and the Structure of Higher Education
- Evaluating Work-Based Performance and Learning
- Developing Performance-Based Assessments for Adults
Business Block:
The Business Block helps students understand the link between learning and organizational outcomes by providing core business knowledge about finance, marketing, leadership, and strategy based on current research and best practices. This knowledge prepares learning leaders to create an environment in which strategy, culture, and human potential are fully intertwined and mutually supportive.
- Leading and Managing the Learning Function
- Knowledge Management
- Managerial Accounting
- Corporate Finance
- Outsourcing and Off-Shoring: The Global Context of Managing Learning
- Strategic Marketing of Work-Based Learning (double module)
- Project Management and Work-Based Learning
- Managing Distributed Learning
Evidence Block:
The Evidence Block provides students with the basic frameworks, skills, and practices needed to critically evaluate research studies and design and conduct their own research. This course prepares students for dissertation research and helps them apply research techniques to their profession.
- Research Ethics
- The Role of Positionality and Subjectivity in Research
- Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Research Design
- Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks
- Designing Researchable Questions
- Research Validity
- Data Collection and Analysis Techniques
- Transforming Themes into Findings
Technology Block:
The Technology Block exposes students to cutting edge technology and learning practices that are increasingly required in today’s global economy. This course advocates that learning leaders need to develop and implement technology strategies for learning in the context of the overall business as well know how to evaluate the effectiveness of the tools and techniques used for learning.
- History of and New Directions in Learning Technologies
- Designing Technology-Enabled Learning Environments
- Managing Learning Technologies
- Using Simulations and Games
- Choosing E-Tools: What is the Correct Tool from the Technology Tool Bag?
- Emerging Technologies
- Security and Privacy in a High-Tech World
Master’s Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Course:
Prior to formally embarking on the dissertation all students are required to complete the Master’s Thesis and Dissertation Preparation course. This course is offered once a year, running from Fall to Spring terms. Classes are held online in both the Fall and the Spring, with the addition of an in-person seminar in the Spring term only.
The exact timing for enrolling in this course is determined by academic progress and entry term. Typically, students enroll in the course either 1) after completion of five academic blocks; or 2) concurrent with enrollment in the fourth or fifth academic block.
This course supports students to write a comprehensive literature review, which serves as the master's thesis requirement. This paper also serves as the foundation for the dissertation literature review and thoroughly prepares students for entry into the Dissertation Block.
Upon successful completion of this course and all academic requirements, students will proceed to the Dissertation Block.
Dissertation Block:
The Dissertation Block uses in-person and virtual sessions to prepare students to conduct doctoral-level research and write a dissertation. Students write papers related to researcher positionality, conceptual and theoretical frameworks, major bodies of literature, and research methods. Students complete the block and earn their degree by planning and conducting a research project and successfully reporting and defending their findings and conclusions.
For more information on courses and requirements, visit the Penn Chief Learning Officer Ed.D. program in the University Catalog.
Schedule
The program’s five academic blocks run sequentially over approximately 18 months. The Penn Chief Learning Officer program’s intensive professional learning community meets for two separate weeks each semester (block), the first week in person and the second week virtually. These academic blocks are augmented by a variety of learning modalities: seminars, field projects, academic and practitioner-oriented writing assignments, and group projects.
When all five academic blocks and the master’s thesis/dissertation preparation are successfully completed, students must pass a comprehensive examination to become candidates for the doctoral degree. Students spend an additional 12 to 18 months crafting and pursuing an independent research project and writing a doctoral dissertation. The entire program, including dissertation, can be completed in approximately three years.
Applicants interested in the Penn Chief Learning Officer program are welcome to visit a class session during the following dates:
Session Schedule for Summer 2025–Fall 2026
On-Campus Sessions | Virtual Sessions | |
Master’s Thesis/ | May 13–16, 2025 |
|
Leadership | June 8–13, 2025 | Jul 13–18, 2025 |
Learning | Sept 28–Oct 3, 2025 | Nov 9–14, 2025 |
Business | Feb. 22–27, 2026 | Mar. 22–27, 2026 |
Dissertation Seminar | May 13–15, 2026 | |
Evidence | June 7–12, 2026 | July 12–17, 2026 |
| Technology | Sept. 27–Oct. 2, 2026 | Nov. 15–20, 2026 |
Welcome to "The Practitioner-Scholar: The PennCLO Podcast" where scholarly insights meet industry demands
The Penn Chief Learning Officer Doctoral Programs Podcast Series: The Practitioner-Scholar showcases and celebrates alumni/student accomplishments and their contributions as global impact makers.
Our Faculty
Learn from professors who understand the connection between research and real-world experience, and appreciate the distance between ideas and implementation. While housed in the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, the Penn Chief Learning Officer program draws from senior faculty across many of Penn's world-class graduate schools, including the Wharton School and Penn Medicine. The program also brings in a small number of leading experts from outside the university, including distinguished alumni.
Affiliated Faculty
Asif Agha
Professor of Anthropology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Michael Baime
Director, Penn Program for Mindfulness
M.D., University of Pennsylvania
Quinn Bauriedel
Co-Artistic Director, Pig Iron Theatre Company
Diploma, Theatre, Ecole Jacques Lecoq
Ben Betts
Chief Executive Officer, HT2 Labs
Eng.D., University of Warwick
Abhijit Bhaduri
General Manager of Learning & Development, Microsoft
Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations, Xavier Labor Relations Institute, India
Nicole Mittenfelner Carl
Director, Urban Teaching Residency Program
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Robbin Chapman
Adjunct Associate Professor
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
James (Jim) Davis
Fire Chief, City of Fort Worth, Texas
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Nathan Ensmenger
Associate Professor, School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Emilie Feldman
Associate Professor of Management, Wharton School
Ph.D., Harvard Business School
Adrianne Flack
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ed.D. University of Pennsylvania
Emily Foote
VP, Talent Engagement and Development, Instructure
M.S., University of Pennsylvania
Manuel S. González Canché
Professor
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Abigail Gray
Chief Innovation & Implementation Officer, TRAILS
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Mark Guzdial
Professor, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Todd Henshaw
Senior Fellow, Center for Leadership and Change Management, The Wharton School
Ph.D., University of Kansas
Frances Hesselbein
President and CEO, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute
B.A., University of Pittsburgh Johnstown Junior College
Peter Himmelman
Musician and Founder, Big Muse
Nick Howe
Chief Learning Officer, Area9 Lyceum
Bachelor in Chemical Engineering, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Don Huesman
Managing Director, Wharton Online
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Martin Ihrig
Adjunct Associate Professor
Ph.D, Technische Universität Berlin
Harold Jarche
Principal, Jarche Consulting
M.Ed., University of New Brunswick
Charles Jennings
Co-Founder, 70:20:10 Institute
University of Southampton
Elliott Masie
CEO, MASIE Productions
B.A., Binghamton University
Mary McDonnell
Assistant Professor of Management, The Wharton School
Ph.D., Northwestern University
James P. Orlando
Chief Graduate Medical Education Officer, St. Luke’s University Health Network
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Bridget N. O’Connor
Professor of Higher Education and Business Education, New York University
Ph.D., Indiana University
Kathy Pearson
President and Founder, Enterprise Learning Solutions
Ph.D., Northwestern University
Rosina Racioppi
President and CEO, Women Unlimited, Inc.
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Chuck Ramsey
Co-Chair, Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Community Policing
Master’s Degree, Lewis University
John Reid-Dodick
Senior Vice President, Culture, WeWork
J.D., Harvard Law School
Garry Ridge
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, WD40 Company
M.S., University of San Diego
Michael Roberts
William H. Lawrence Professor of Finance, The Wharton School
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Ben Sawyer
Design and Production Lead, play2PREVENT Lab, Yale Center for Health and Learning Games
Keith Sawyer
Morgan Distinguished Professor in Educational Innovations, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Scott Schaffter
Founder and Managing Director, Bivee
M.S., American University
Ann E. Schulte
Global Leader of Learning and Leadership Development, Procter and Gamble
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Euan Semple
Author, speaker, business strategist, and facilitator
University of St. Andrews
Gregory Shea
Adjunct Professor of Management, The Wharton School, Aresty Institute of Executive Education
Ph.D., Yale University
Nicolaj Siggelkow
David M. Knott Professor, The Wharton School
Ph.D., Harvard University
Harbir Singh
William and Phyllis Mack Professor of Management, The Wharton School
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Martha Soehren
Chief Talent Development Officer and Senior Vice President, Comcast University and Comcast Cable
Ph.D., Wayne State University
Ramesh Srinivasan
Professor, Department of Information Studies and Design/Media Arts, UCLA
Doctorate, Design Studies, Harvard University
Julian Stodd
Founder, Sea Salt Learning
M.A., Bournemouth University
Greg Urban
Arthur Hobson Quinn Professor of Anthropology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Kevin Werbach
Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School
J.D., Harvard Law School
Jeanette K. Winters
Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer, Igloo Product Corporation
Doctorate of Public Administration, University of Southern California
Program Leadership & Staff
Raghu Krishnamoorthy
Director & Senior Fellow
rkbr8892@upenn.edu
Nicole Guerrero
Associate Director
nicmg@upenn.edu
Jessica Hall
Administrative Coordinator
hallje@upenn.edu
April Coleman
Administrative Assistant
aprilc@gse.upenn.edu
Candice Reimers
Our Graduates
Our graduates serve as chief learning officers, vice presidents of human resources, and training directors in a wide range of industries—as well as other senior-level executives who realize the magnitude of impact created by a well-developed work force.
Alumni Careers
- Chief Legal Talent Officer, Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP
- Director of Leadership Development, Honeywell
- Enterprise Sales Manager, Learning Solutions, LinkedIn
- Founder, Diversity Woman Magazine
- Head of U.S. Learning and Talent Development, Bayer Healthcare
- President & CEO, Women Unlimited, Inc.
- Senior Learning Manager, IBM
- Talent and Organizational Executive Business Lead, Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Vice President - Head of Talent Development, Lincoln Financial Group
- Chief Administrative Officer, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Admissions & Financial Aid
Please visit our Admissions and Financial Aid pages for specific information on the application requirements, as well as information on tuition, fees, financial aid, scholarships, and fellowships.
Contact us if you have any questions about the program.
Financial Aid
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-6415
admissions@gse.upenn.edu
finaid@gse.upenn.edu
Please view information from our Admissions and Financial Aid Office for specific information on the cost of this program.
Most students in this program fund their degree through a combination of personal resources, employer benefits, and student loans.
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