Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Program
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Program overview: Chief Strategy Officer Program
The Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Program from Wharton Executive Education prepares senior executives and aspiring strategy leaders to design, execute, and sustain corporate strategy in an environment defined by disruptive forces, emerging technologies, and organizational transformation. Today’s chief strategy officer must provide visionary leadership, integrating strategic formulation with innovation management to drive growth, shape business transformation, and secure long-term competitive advantage.
Led by world-renowned Wharton faculty, this 10-month* program integrates strategic frameworks, competitive strategy, and real-world case studies with electives tailored to your goals. You will build leadership skills, sharpen your strategic mindset, and gain the tools to execute strategies, align stakeholders, and elevate organizational performance, emerging as an influential strategic architect prepared to deliver sustained business excellence.
81%
63%
*The provided duration is an estimate based on the timeline for the required short courses.
Learning outcomes
The Chief Strategy Officer Program will enable you to:
Evaluate an organization's existing strategic initiatives and strengths in marketplace positioning to identify areas of improvement and potential competitive advantages
Analyze an organization's readiness and preparedness to undergo transformative changes while evaluating the building blocks necessary to create a sustainable long-term strategic growth plan
Apply proven approaches and models to facilitate successful expansion into foreign markets and industries
Recognize, plan for, and incorporate disruptive trends in technology to drive competitive advantage and identify transformational opportunities within the organization
Apply effective frameworks and key metrics to evaluate an organization's readiness to scale its operations, considering factors such as resources, infrastructure, and market demand
Examine the essential leadership qualities and organizational considerations required to effectively orchestrate and execute strategic initiatives, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration
Inside Wharton: Where ambitious leaders become strategic visionaries
Hear from Wharton faculty and past participants as they share how the senior executive programs transform ambition into lasting impact, combining depth, rigor, global perspective, and high-caliber networking opportunities that define learning at the highest level.
What past participants say about the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Program
Past participant profiles
The Wharton Executive Education CSO Program attracts individuals who have diverse backgrounds, come from different industries, and bring unique experiences. The inclusive nature of the cohort ensures that you engage with like-minded peers and gain valuable insights to address the challenges faced by your organization.
Work experience
Top industries
Top countries
Top roles
Customized design for your success
The Chief Strategy Officer Program is designed with the needs of busy executives in mind. You will learn through online and interactive sessions and guest lectures from global industry leaders. The flexible nature of the program allows you to customize your learning journey for maximum career and business impact.
Flexible
The self-paced modules provide the flexibility to accommodate learning around your busy work schedule.
Interactive
A community learning experience with a limited cohort size facilitates interactive discussions with peers, faculty, and industry speakers.
Transformative
The multimodular learning journey allows you to grow as an executive while developing business strategies.
Program highlights
Live sessions
Experience live online sessions with Wharton faculty and your cohort success coach, along with periodic guest lectures from industry leaders.
Self-paced learning
Learn at your own pace with a weekly commitment of three to five hours of sessions and activities.
Success coach
Craft your learning journey in line with your career goals with a success coach assigned to your cohort.
Try-it activities
Learn from real-world case studies and try-it activities, bridging theory with practice to elevate your strategic impact.
World-renowned faculty
Glean insights on key concepts from renowned faculty and industry experts who are at the cutting edge of innovation.
On-campus networking
Meet multiple cohort peers, industry experts, and faculty during a two-day on-campus networking event.
Global peer group
Network with accomplished peers from around the globe and gain new approaches to leadership and strategic decision making.
Capstone project
Work on a capstone project to refine your skills by applying program learnings to a challenge, strengthen strategy formulation, and enhance organizational performance.
Pathway to alumni status
Following successful completion of the program and subsequent open-enrollment programs, subject to further qualification criteria and additional tuition, you have a pathway to apply for Wharton alumni status.
"In the fiercely competitive and rapidly evolving business landscape, senior strategy executives grapple with the complex task of sustaining long-term success. These challenges are magnified by the need to align varied stakeholder interests, anticipate disruptive trends, and maintain a sharp focus on future strategic goals. Within this intricate landscape, the executive's own desire for leadership evolution, mastering complex strategic decisions, and contributing to global business dynamics emerges as a key driving force. The CSO Program is uniquely tailored to equip these executives with critical skills, paving the way for them to confidently and competently step into larger, global leadership roles."
— Nicolaj Siggelkow
Academic Director of the CSO Program; David M. Knott Professor; Professor of Management; Vice Dean, MBA Program; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management, The Wharton School
What you will learn in the Chief Strategy Officer Program
The Chief Strategy Officer Program provides a flexible learning journey designed for existing and aspiring strategy leaders. You will learn through online and interactive sessions, fireside chats, and guest lectures led by Wharton faculty and global industry leaders.
Through a blend of comprehensive curriculum, topical case studies, a capstone project, and try-it activities, the program will strengthen your expertise in strategy execution and strategic management. You will sharpen your ability to set and align strategic priorities and be prepared to lead your organization toward sustained organizational success.
Recognition ceremony and networking event (two days | on campus)
Meet your cohort peers and faculty in person on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia at an optional two-day recognition ceremony and networking event*. This event enables you to network with not just your peers but also professionals from other cohorts and to create a lifelong community of global executives. The networking event takes place once every four cohorts and is generally held within six months after completion of the program.
Note: *A registration fee of US$250 is applicable.
AI for Enterprise Leaders
Assess how AI systems and autonomous agents interpret information, shape discovery, and influence decisions.
Gain practical tools for ethical and compliant AI adoption to assess risks, design oversight, and navigate global regulatory expectations.
Engage in live session focused on AI-mediated markets and responsible AI governance. Assess how AI systems research, recommend, and transact.
Explore AEO and AAO, and prepare data, processes, and customer functions for environments in which AI acts as an intermediary between research, evaluation, and decision-making.
Capstone project
The capstone project presents an opportunity for you to synthesize the knowledge and insights gained throughout the program and apply them directly to a real-world challenge you are currently facing. Through a systematic and strategic leadership approach, you will leverage the program's learnings to develop a comprehensive road map that strengthens your organization's strategy. This hands-on experience enables you to build a deep understanding of critical issues, translate theory into practice. By applying these insights, you will be positioned to drive organizational success and deliver meaningful impact.
Who is the Chief Strategy Officer Program for?
The Wharton Chief Strategy Officer Program is designed for executives who shape and execute strategy at the enterprise or functional level. It is particularly suited for leaders who want to expand their impact from strategy development at the functional level to driving organizational transformation at the enterprise level. It is ideal for:
Experienced strategy executives, including aspiring, new, and existing CSOs, looking to sharpen their strategic and leadership skills
Business-function heads determined to enhance their strategy and leadership capabilities to join the ranks of decision-making leadership
C-suite officers in small to mid-sized organizations aiming to transition into the role of the chief strategy officer or integrate strategic planning into their decisions
Participants are required to have:
A minimum of 10 years of work experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
Meet the faculty
Wharton’s world-renowned faculty, along with acclaimed industry thought leaders, will prepare you to face a wide array of challenges. You will leverage their insights and domain expertise to better understand corporate strategy and leadership and immediately implement the learnings.
Academic Director of the CSO Program; David M. Knott Professor; Professor of Management; Vice Dean, MBA Program; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management, The Wharton School
Associate Professor of Management
Max and Bernice Garchik Family Presidential Associate Professor
Miers-Busch, W’1885 Professor; Professor of Marketing; Faculty Director of Innovation, Experiential Learning and Research Initiatives, Analytics at Wharton
David W. Hauck Professor; Professor of Management; Chairperson, Management Department
Andrew M. Heller Professor; Department Chairperson and Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions; Co-Director, Mack Institute of Innovation Management, The Wharton School; Professor of Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine
CIBC Endowed Professor; Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions; Professor of Management; Advisor on Asia Strategy
Pathway to Wharton alumni status
For more than 135 years, Wharton has been the place where visionaries, inventors, and trailblazers get their start. After completing the Chief Strategy Officer Program and subsequent open-enrollment programs, subject to further qualification criteria and additional tuition, you have a pathway to apply for Wharton alumni status.
Executives who successfully complete the CSO Program have the option of applying to the General Management Program (GMP). The GMP provides further opportunity to enhance your leadership skills and business acumen with a flexible curriculum. The CSO Program provides one credit toward the six required to complete the GMP and earn alumni status. More details on the GMP are available at Wharton Executive Education.
Upon qualifying for Wharton alumni status, you will be eligible to receive:
Full access to become a member of 77+ Wharton alumni clubs
Invitation to attend future Wharton global alumni forums
A Wharton email address
Certificate
Earn a Wharton Executive Education digital certificate upon successful completion of the Chief Strategy Officer Program. As a past participant of this transformative program, you get exclusive access to a wide range of professionals, events, and networking opportunities. Furthermore, you can also benefit from additional tuition assistance upon enrolling in further online electives from Wharton Executive Education.
Note: After successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.
Please also note that participation in the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Program (a) will not result in a degree from, alumni status with, or earned credit at the University of Pennsylvania or the Wharton School (or, to Wharton’s knowledge, any other institution); (b) will not be recorded on a University of Pennsylvania or Wharton transcript; and (c) does not guarantee or suggest that a participant will be admitted to the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, or to any other university or institution.
FAQs
Connect with a program advisor for a 1:1 session
Our program advisors have helped senior executives across the world choose the right program for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding on why the CSO Program is the right fit for you.
Email: wharton_cso@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 561 486 7448 (U.S.) / +44 1135 191350 (U.K.) / +971 80 0088601095 (U.A.E.) / +52 55970 90243 (LATAM)
Please note that our team is away from December 24, 2025 to January 2, 2026 for the year-end holidays. We look forward to addressing your queries when we resume operations in the new year.
Early applications are encouraged. Admissions are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Flexible payment options available.
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