Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Program
Command the tools, mindset, and strategy of a transformative CTO
- Trusted by 1,900+ tech leaders
- Join a high-caliber network
- Attend cutting-edge AI/ML live sessions
- Secure your pathway to Wharton alumni privileges
Build the strategy behind tomorrow's technology with the CTO Program
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Program from Wharton Executive Education prepares senior technology leaders and aspiring CTOs to align innovation with strategy and drive enterprise-wide transformation. In today’s fast-changing economy shaped by emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, this 9- to 12-month program led by Wharton faculty combines technology strategy, emerging trends, and execution frameworks with electives, equipping participants with the insight, mindset, and tools to scale innovation and shape the future of their enterprises.
Insights from the Academic Director
CTO Program: a transformative learning journey
The CTO Program is designed to equip forward-thinking executives with the knowledge and skills to drive organizational innovation and technology leadership. The program combines a structured format with flexibility to ensure maximum learning and business impact.
The curriculum is divided into two main components — a foundational 18-week core module phase followed by three online electives of six weeks each. Participants will have the opportunity to attend an optional on-campus event for experiential learning and networking engagements.
Gain a comprehensive understanding of technology leadership through the following topics:
CTO Strategic Mindset: Responding to Change and Creating Change - Gain an overview of the CTO's roles and responsibilities, focusing on the strategic mindset needed to drive change. Learn why some organizations thrive while others fail, and how to manage the essential changes for success.
Frameworks and Building Blocks - Explore how an organization’s strategy impacts its success in creating value. Analyze the effects of technological changes on existing organizations and new market entrants, and highlight the role of social networks in driving innovation and achieving goals.
Generating and Evaluating Commercial Ideas - Dive into ideation, scaling, hypothesis formulation, and judo strategy while exploring the implementation of AI in your organization.
Entry Strategies - Learn the core market entry strategies — value chain cooperation, disruptive, and blue ocean — and how the speed and depth of market penetration impact the success or failure of a product launch.
Strategic Adaptation and Renewal - Explore how disruptive technologies threaten existing market players while creating new opportunities. Discuss how organizations can adapt, manage disruptions, and even become creators of disruptive technologies.
Ecosystems - Explore the role and dynamics of ecosystems in successful organizations. Learn how disruptive technologies emerge within ecosystems, how they impact innovation, and how to leverage them for organizational success.
Note: Module topics are subject to change.
Explore emerging technologies, AI/ML advancements, blockchain, and global technology trends that are shaping industries.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - Explore the value of machine learning (ML) and its potential to disrupt industries. Discuss data, algorithmic predictions, and how to teach algorithms to improve decisions, gaining insights to leverage ML for innovation and disruption.
The AI Stack and Competitive Implications - Gain insights into strategically implementing AI to achieve organizational goals, considering competitive and economic impacts. Explore the evolving AI industry and how organizations can navigate challenges for a competitive edge.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies - Understand blockchain technology and its link to cryptocurrencies. Explore how organizations can leverage these to innovate, disrupt, and add value, while also considering their challenges and limitations.
Technology Policy - Explore the evolving role of big tech in society, focusing on data privacy, regulation, and compliance. Learn effective strategies to mitigate risks and adopt best practices to navigate global data laws. Gain insights into cyber law and key compliance issues for technology leaders.
Global Technology Trends - Understand how global technology trends impact organizational strategy and competitiveness. Assess the role of intellectual property, talent clusters, and migration patterns in driving innovation and attracting investment.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Essentials for a New Business Era - Examine how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors shape an organization's trajectory and the risks of misalignment. Learn how to assess, implement, and integrate ESG strategies for long-term success and sustainability.
Note: Module topics are subject to change.
Gain practical insights into implementing technology strategies, managing innovation, and scaling your organization’s technological infrastructure.
Scaling - Discuss how early-stage organizations face limitations as they grow and need more structure. Assess readiness for scaling, focusing on aligning the market and product. Gain tools to manage scaling challenges and make informed decisions for long-term growth.
Metrics - Discuss the framework for assessing an organization’s readiness to scale and the key metrics needed before and after scaling to ensure sustainable success.
Leading Innovation - Explore how organizations harness innovation to create value and the strategic decisions involved in entering new markets or developing new solutions, aligned with innovation horizons.
Process View of Innovation and Innovation Tournaments - Discuss how organizations innovate their processes to create repeatable sequences while introducing novel approaches. Learn about innovation tournaments, in which ideas are tested and rated to identify the most promising innovations.
The CTO Perspective: Balancing External and Internal Modes of Innovation - Explore the relationship between innovation, competition, and collaboration, and how organizations balance internal innovation with external partnerships for sustainable growth.
Accessing New Technologies and Platforms Through Acquisition - Delve into how acquisitions help organizations access new technologies and expand their market presence, while understanding the impact on both the acquiring and acquired organizations.
Note: Session topics are subject to change.
Participants can choose three electives to customize their learning path. Each elective runs for six weeks:
Technology Acceleration Program - Explore emerging technologies such as AI and ML and their implications across industries.
Driving Strategic Innovation: Leading Complex Initiatives for Impact - Develop and execute an innovation strategy to overcome complex challenges.
Product Management and Strategy - Master modern product management techniques and competitive strategies.
Leading a Technology-Driven Organization - Adopt a customer-centric leadership approach to meet market demands.
Executive Presence and Influence: Persuasive Leadership Development - Enhance leadership impact through strategic persuasion and personal style development.
Corporate Governance: Maximize Your Effectiveness in the Boardroom - Maximize boardroom effectiveness by understanding governance roles and structures
M&A and Corporate Development Strategies: Gain the skills to tackle the entire life cycle of a deal-making process, including corporate development strategy, M&A decisions, due diligence, divestitures, and negotiation strategies.
Note: Electives are subject to change.
Join an optional two-day recognition ceremony and networking event held on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. This event, conducted once every four cohorts and generally held within six months after completion of the program, provides a unique opportunity to:
Connect with Peers: Meet your cohort members and faculty in person.
Expand Your Network: Engage with professionals from other cohorts, fostering cross-cohort collaboration and learning.
Note: A registration fee of US$250 is applicable for the optional two-day on-campus recognition ceremony and networking event.
In addition to the core curriculum, this program features a series of live webinars dedicated to the latest trends in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). With a special focus on emerging technologies like generative AI (genAI), these webinars provide cutting-edge insights and practical applications to help you leverage these technologies effectively in your organization.
Join industry leaders and experienced faculty for in-depth discussions and thought-provoking lectures on how AI/genAI is enhancing productivity and customer experience and how ML is transforming industries by enabling strategic decision making, automating complex processes, fostering responsible innovation, and driving ethical governance. Stay ahead in the fast-evolving technological landscape and gain practical AI/ML skills by attending these live webinars.
Generative AI: Capabilities, Risks, and Use Cases
Explore how AI and ML can drive strategic decision making, optimize business processes, and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Agentic AI and the Future of Autonomous Technology
Understand how professionals are leveraging emerging technologies like AI, genAI, and ML to reshape workforce dynamics, adapt to big data-driven processes, and foster innovation, redefining the human-AI collaboration frontier.
Responsible AI: Ethics, Regulation, and Governance
Dive into the evolving regulatory landscape of AI, discussing key laws, governance frameworks, and strategies for implementing responsible AI practices.
The AI Stack Ecosystems
Explore how chips, cloud infrastructure, foundation models, and applications form the AI stack, shaping the opportunities and constraints of generative AI. Gain strategic insights into the interdependencies driving innovation and the leadership strategies needed to stay competitive.
AI Strategy and Enterprise Integration
Align AI initiatives with business goals and human–AI collaboration. Mitigate risks such as hallucination and deskilling while bridging AI’s technical potential with practical implementation.
Note: Topics and the schedule are subject to change.
Participate in case study discussions and explore real-world applications of cutting-edge research in live online sessions led by Academic Director Lori Rosenkopf. Gain valuable insights into industry challenges and opportunities, with a focus on emerging technologies, digital transformation, and innovation.
Case Study 1: Deloitte Pixel -
Discuss ambidextrous organizations, disruption, and change management as key to unlocking technology's value.
Case Study 2: Online Education in Elite Business Schools -
Understand approach to buy, borrow, or build when it comes to entering new markets/implementing new technologies.
Research Applications Deep Dive -
Explore the impact of networks, mobility, and influence in tech-driven industries.
Over the course of the CTO Program, you will work on a reflection journal by leveraging program insights and apply them to analyze challenges in your current or previous organization. For the executive reflection, you will select an issue currently confronting your organization and develop a set of potential solutions to remedy the situation. You can take advantage of weekly live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your success coach and cohort peers. At the end of the program, you will make a final presentation, which will be a valuable asset when proposing initiatives to decision makers in your organization.
Recognized for impact by 1,900+ learners
Built for business relevance
95% of past learners have rated the content of the program as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’
Focused learning design
93% of past learners have rated the content-applicability of the program as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’
Expertise you engage with
83% of past learners have rated the faculty live sessions as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’
Source: Emeritus Learning Survey
Certificate
Earn a Wharton Executive Education digital certificate upon successful completion of the program. As a participant of the Chief Technology Officer 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 CTO 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
Establish valuable connections with your peers
Live online interactions
Throughout the program, live online sessions foster real-time engagement with a global cohort, allowing for in-depth discussions that broaden your perspective. These interactive sessions enhance learning and ensure that you remain connected with industry peers worldwide.
Networking
The on-campus event provides a unique platform for networking across cohorts. It offers the opportunity to exchange experiences, build connections, and strengthen relationships with peers, creating a robust network that extends beyond the program.
Pathway to earning Wharton alumni status
For more than 135 years, Wharton has been the place where visionaries, inventors, and trailblazers get their start. After completing the CTO 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 CTO 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 CTO Program provides one credit towards 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 more than 77 Wharton alumni clubs
Invitation to attend future Wharton global alumni forums
A Wharton email address
About Wharton
In 1881, Joseph Wharton, the American industrialist and entrepreneur, founded the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, marking the establishment of the world’s first collegiate business school. A pioneer in its field, Wharton has long been at the forefront of innovation in business education. The school not only introduced the first MBA program in 1921 but also launched groundbreaking initiatives, including the nation’s first business school research center and, more recently, cutting-edge programs in alternative investments and neuroscience.
As it continues to evolve, Wharton remains committed to shaping future business leaders, fostering transformative ideas, and setting new benchmarks in global business education. Its legacy is one of consistent adaptation to the changing needs of the business world, with an emphasis on equipping students with the skills to lead in an increasingly complex global economy.
Meet the faculty
Success coach
Who is the CTO Program for?
The Wharton Executive Education CTO Program is designed for senior technology leaders aiming to elevate their strategic technology leadership and expand their influence from technical oversight to enterprise-wide strategy. It is ideal for:
Current and aspiring CTOs seeking to strengthen their strategic technology leadership capacity and drive business transformation
Senior technology executives, including VPs of engineering or heads of architecture, responsible for shaping and executing technology strategy
Senior technology leaders tasked with evaluating, adopting, and scaling emerging innovations to deliver enterprise growth
Participants are required to have:
A minimum of 10 years of work experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
Past participant profiles
The CTO 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.
The CTO Program has 1,900+ past participants till date.
Consulting- Manufacturing
- Engineering & IT
- Financial Services
- Consumer Products / Retail
- Banking & Insurance
- Energy / Utilities
- Health Care / Services
Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of product and company names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the holders.
The list of companies is only indicative and not exhaustive.
Participant testimonials from the CTO Program
Application details
FAQs
The Wharton Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Program is an executive learning journey that helps senior technology leaders move beyond technical oversight into enterprise technology strategy. The CTO Program blends trends and strategies on emerging technology, as well as execution frameworks to prepare leaders for enterprise-wide impact.
Whether a CTO program is worth it depends on your career stage, leadership aspirations, and organizational responsibilities. For senior technology executives seeking to drive emerging technology strategies, scale innovation, innovation management and lead digital transformation, Wharton’s Chief Technology Officer Program offers structured frameworks, faculty expertise, and a global peer network to accelerate enterprise leadership.
A chief technology officer typically advances through senior roles where technology and business strategy intersect, such as product leadership, engineering, or enterprise innovation. Success requires leadership skills, strategic insight, and cross-functional influence. Senior tech leaders can solidify their experience by enrolling in an executive education program. The Wharton CTO Program helps senior technology leaders transition from oversight to enterprise-wide strategy and impact.
The best CTO course will vary depending on your career goals, course design, and the outcomes you value most. You can choose a relevant course by considering factors such as faculty reputation, curriculum focus, and networking opportunities. Wharton’s Chief Technology Officer Program is built around strategy, emerging technology, and execution, combining world-class faculty with a cohort of global leaders to drive enterprise technology and digital transformation. While not a training course in the conventional sense, it offers industry examples, case studies, and interactive discussions that provide training-like preparation for senior technology leadership roles.
The value of the Wharton Chief Technology Officer Program depends on your career stage and the impact you want to create. For senior technology leaders seeking to move from operational oversight to enterprise-wide strategy, the program’s 9- to12-month curriculum, taught by Wharton faculty, blends strategy, emerging technologies, and leadership development with a global peer cohort—delivering both immediate application and long-term career relevance.
The fee for the Wharton Chief Technology Officer Program can be found on the program page. This fee covers academic content, online coursework, and faculty interaction. Travel, accommodation, and the optional on-campus networking event fee are additional. Flexible payment options and early application benefits may also be available for participants.
A CTO course can speed up your progression by adding strategic frameworks, perspective, and a strong network to your on-the-job experience. Many CTOs transition from senior engineering or product roles over time. Taking a course like Wharton’s Chief Technology Officer Program can help accelerate this path, equipping you with strategic frameworks, global networks, and practical training through case studies and industry applications that prepare you for enterprise-level responsibilities.
A chief technology officer can come from diverse educational paths, often with foundations in engineering, computer science, or related disciplines, paired with business or leadership training. What matters most is the ability to align technology with enterprise goals. The Wharton CTO Program builds the strategic and leadership expertise to excel in this role.
Choosing a chief technology officer program depends on your career goals, leadership responsibilities, and the scale of transformation you want to lead. Important factors include faculty expertise, curriculum depth, program flexibility, and peer learning opportunities. The Wharton CTO Program spans 9–12 months with world-renowned faculty, modular learning, electives, and a senior global cohort, equipping leaders to align innovation with enterprise strategy and drive measurable impact.
While experience is critical for becoming a chief technology officer, a CTO course can accelerate your readiness by giving you structured insights, exposure to global leaders, and a network of peers. Wharton’s Chief Technology Officer Program complements on-the-job experience with case-based learning and interactive sessions that provide training-like understanding of enterprise-wide leadership, without being a traditional training program.
The CTO Program has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit not more than three to five hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this transformative program while fulfilling your day to day work responsibilities. The impactful program offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.
The 9- to 12-month learning journey of the CTO Program includes live online and video online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts, and global peers. You can take advantage of weekly live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your success coach and cohort participants. Real world technology challenges and examples and a debrief of the program learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures. The program concludes with a two-day on-campus graduation and networking event on the Wharton Executive Education campus in Philadelphia.
While the CTO Program does not grant alumni status or alumni benefits, it opens up a unique pathway to apply for the prestigious Wharton alumni status upon further qualification criteria and additional tuition. As an alum of this transformative program, you get exclusive access to a wide range of professionals, events, and networking opportunities. You can also benefit from additional tuition assistance upon enrolling in further online electives from Wharton Executive Education.
The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic material, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include the registration fee of US$250 for the optional two-day on-campus networking and recognition ceremony, accommodation expenses for the on-campus event, travel expenses (domestic and international, including visa fees), and any other expenses not specifically mentioned in the program fees.
You can pay the full program fee upfront or pay in easy installments. If you apply well in advance of the program start date, you can receive a tuition fee benefit. If you would like to approach your company with a sponsorship request for this program, here is a customizable template that you can use.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to take any more electives than the specified number. The electives are designed to help you gain specialized skills in areas that are aligned with your career so that you can dedicate focused time for learning and honing those skills.
Yes. We provide closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions.
Program fees for Emeritus programs with Wharton Executive Education may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Connect with a Learning Advisor for a 1:1 Session
Our learning 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 CTO Program is the right fit for you.
Email: wharton_cto@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 567 587 1541 (U.S.) / +44 1313 812895 (U.K.) / +971 80 00321209 (U.A.E.) / +52 55930 20507 (LATAM)
Flexible payment options available.
Provide your details and access the program brochure
A learning advisor will connect with you to provide additional information.
When you are ready, you can send in your application for the program.