Design for social impact

Undergraduate Certificate
Online
delivery
$409 Based on current tuition rates. No additional charge for nonresident students. Does not include course materials and associated fees and expenses.†
per credit
4
start terms

Are you enthusiastic about design and entrepreneurship? Motivated by prototyping and making? Driven to tackle society’s big challenges, but not sure where to start? Earning an Undergraduate Certificate in Design for Social Impact online from Oregon State will give you practical skills to help turn your knowledge and enthusiasm into meaningful action and results.

Through this certificate program, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of design thinking and principles and use design processes to solve problems across disciplines and industries. Additionally, you’ll learn how to build and lead inclusive and collaborative teams, integrate social justice perspectives, communicate effectively, and offer solutions that engage with diverse audiences.

Skills you’ll gain in OSU’s online design for social impact certificate program

As a student in Oregon State’s online design for social impact certificate program, you’ll gain the in-demand skills you need to stand out in the job market and level up your career. You’ll learn from expert Oregon State faculty who have real-world industry experience.

  • Project management
  • Problem solving & innovation
  • Visualization skills
  • Communicating in a professional context
  • Designing solutions for equity & inclusion
  • Team leadership
  • User experience
A woman looks engaged in a conference room with colorful sticky notes on a whiteboard in the background. Her laptop is open and she has a pen in her hand.
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Program details

The online coursework in Oregon State’s design for social impact certificate will deepen your creative problem-solving and collaboration skills. The program is built around hands-on project experiences that bridge theory with practice, and — alongside facility mentors — you’ll dive into impactful projects that promote sustainability and improve lives.

The online design for social impact undergraduate certificate program is offered by Oregon State’s Honors College.

Certificate requirements

A total of 27 quarter credits are required to earn your design for social impact certificate. Curriculum details and certificate requirements are available on Oregon State’s academic catalog.

Additional program features

The DSI certificate enables you to choose from four focus areas, which highlight the program’s interdisciplinary nature:

  • Design for sustainability
  • Design for social change
  • Design for technological innovation in the arts
  • Transdisciplinary design in society

As part of your online coursework, you’ll participate in a required capstone course, in which you’ll collaborate with students from a variety of academic and lived experiences to create a solutions-based project for real clients.

Depending on your educational background, you may need to complete additional coursework prior to enrolling in this program and taking the required certificate courses. We recommend that you evaluate this prior to applying for admission.

You can gain highly specialized skills that are in demand by employers — and do it with less of a time and financial commitment — when you earn a microcredential online from Oregon State. Choose from a large and growing collection of these short-form offerings that can help you upskill quickly.