Stanford is one of the principal educational institutions driving the paradigm shift in the design field today. We teach Design Thinking and innovation methodologies aimed at creating highly leveraged graduates who, acting as change agents, tackle the “wicked problems” of sustainability, renewable energy, technology futures, design-driven behavior change and organizational transformation. Our highly immersive program starts with creative transdisciplinary individuals, and adds unique design methodologies, a hands-on approach, a depth in design thinking, and a rigorous approach to problem solving to produce extraordinary results. Our processes drive a clear distinction between "doing the right thing" and "doing things right". We focus on creating the ability to manage the simultaneous combination of high-level strategic thinking and tangible solution creation, be it products, services or experiences, that have a high impact on human lives. This duality is evidenced in the diversity and complexity of the unique, self-directed Thesis projects that students tackle during their second year in the Program.

We believe that Design needs to step up to the increasingly complex global, social, and business innovation challenges, and so we are leading the world in taking Design Thinking to an entirely new level. We are working to develop new trans-disciplinary methodologies that juxtapose Design Thinking, the behavioral sciences, social economics, technology strategy, business strategy and systems analysis. This convergence is generating new methodologies to effectively target “wicked problems” which lie outside the purview of any one field. We are looking for exceptional people to join us at Stanford and learn how to be thought leaders in creating alternate futures.