Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program

Today’s chief operating officers (COOs), who are increasingly seen as strategic business partners, must oversee operations, foster growth, and lead transformation in a complex digital landscape, driving organizational value and resilience. Skills like digital literacy, visionary thinking, and customer centricity have become essential for future COOs to drive organizational growth agendas in more impactful ways.

The six-month Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program from Wharton Executive Education is designed to empower experienced operations leaders to think strategically, engage effectively with stakeholders, and oversee complex operational dynamics. Through the comprehensive curriculum, you will acquire the skills to successfully take on the responsibilities of a COO, including continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, risk management, and crisis response. At the end of the program, you will possess the strategic skills to navigate the evolving operations landscape, the foresight to identify challenges and opportunities, and the expertise to foster a powerful professional network that will help propel your career to the next level.

Program Highlights:

Comprehensive curriculum — Immerse yourself in a comprehensive curriculum that gives you the momentum to transition to a C-level role
Individualized focus — Cultivate future-ready leadership skills through personalized assessments and evidence-based exercises, webinars, and career workshops
Leadership-development action plan — Create a detailed strategy to evolve your leadership abilities that propels you toward your objective of becoming a COO
Live sessions — Experience real-time learning in live sessions that give depth to key leadership concepts
Expert insights — Acquire rich, real-world insights into operations and social networking through the expertise of world-renowned Wharton faculty
Case studies and industry examples — Experience the power of modern operations strategies and leadership practices as they come to life with real-world examples
Networking opportunities — Expand your professional network through virtual meet-ups, and an on-campus event with a global cohort of peers
Success coach — Optimize your learning journey through weekly check-ins with a success coach assigned to your cohort

PROGRAM DETAILS

Duration: 6 months

Location: Online + On Campus

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The program fee is US$14,000 and covers all program materials. The program fee does not include accommodations for the (optional) networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fee, and more) and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the fees.

Program Format

The Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to navigate the responsibilities of a future COO. You will learn to lead with a strategic mindset while developing a powerful network of connections that will be a valuable resource on your journey to the C-suite.

Core Modules

(14 weeks)

Foundations of Effective Leadership	Leadership-Development Action Plan
Leading through Complexity	Leading for Long-Term Sustainability and Growth

Specialized COO Modules

(Six weeks)

Strategies for Operations Leaders

Specialized COO Modules

(Four weeks)

COO Transformation Imperatives

Two-day on-campus recognition ceremony and networking event

Who Should Attend

The Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program will help mid-level to senior operations leaders enhance their leadership and management skills, enabling them to leverage cutting-edge technologies, innovative solutions, and data-driven decision making to elevate their impact and continue on their paths to becoming COOs.

The program is ideal for:

Mid-career operations leaders seeking to develop the skills and mindset to lead enterprise-wide operations strategy and systems and accelerate their career growth
Senior operations professionals looking to leverage innovative solutions and data-driven decision making to stay ahead of emerging trends and take on new leadership opportunities

Certificate

Earn a Wharton Executive Education digital certificate upon successful completion of the program. Participants of this transformative program get exclusive access to a wide range of professionals, events, and networking opportunities.

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 Emerging Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program (a) will not result in a degree from, alumni status, 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 any other university or institution.

To learn more, please contact:

+1.561.486.7448
wharton_epai@emeritus.org

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Delivered in collaboration with program partner Emeritus:

Marissa King, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor; Professor of Health Care Management; Professor of Management, The Wharton School

Senthil Veeraraghavan, PhDSee Faculty Bio

Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School

Research Interests: Empirical operations management, operations analytics, operations management, operations strategy, pricing and revenue management, service operations management, supply chain management

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