Online Programs

The Online Experience

Wharton Global Youth Online Programs provide an innovative and interactive approach to business education learning.  

Overview

Academics 

Online programs are designed to mirror the Wharton undergraduate experience, with modifications to ensure interactive activities and peer interaction. Although topics of study will vary from program to program, students can expect a mix of asynchronous pre-work, live lectures and interactive simulations, live seminar style recitations led by Penn Teaching Assistants with 20-30 students, peer project work within small groups, and independent assignments. Students will meet and learn from a number of different faculty and instructors during their course of study. Assignments will serve to connect the material and prepare students for more advanced content. Most programs also incorporate a collaborative small group capstone or final project designed to incorporate lessons learned throughout their academic programming while also encouraging independent thought and innovative thinking. 

*Understanding Your Money is a completely asynchronous, self-paced online course and runs year-round. 


Live Sessions  

We aim to keep live interactions dynamic, collaborative, and condensed, to allow for meaningful participation and maximum flexibility. Any content that can be pre-recorded or provided asynchronously will be made available as independent work. The exact break down of live to asynchronous content delivery will vary by program. All programs will include at least 2 hours of live daily programming, with some programs providing up to 6 hours of live daily programming. Beyond live daily interactions, students will also be presented with independent assignments, asynchronous pre-work, small group work or projects, recitations, office hours, and optional events and challenges within the GYM virtual community.


Benefits of Being Virtual 

The flexibility of online programming allows for a more robust lineup of guest speakers, a more globally diverse student population, and increased summer-long opportunities to network and connect with peers and the Wharton community from any location. Program participants will have the opportunity to interact with high-achieving students from across the world both throughout their academic program and within the extracurricular Wharton Global Youth Meetup (GYM) virtual community. Opportunities are abundant online and students will have the ability to sit in on more guest lectures, alumni panels, and online-only special events and competitions. 


Online Community: Wharton Global Youth Meetup (GYM) 

The Global Youth Meetup (GYM) is an extracurricular, virtual community designed to supplement academic programming for Wharton Online Program participants.* The GYM community is available throughout the summer and will provide opportunities for students to connect with peers, explore new business-focused interests, hear from Penn and Wharton students, and engage with the Wharton community outside of their academic program. Programming will include a combination of live events and opportunities to interact on any schedule that suits the student. Some things to look forward to in the GYM are: a summer long Stock Market Challenge, business communications workshops, individual and group challenges and talks from notable Wharton alumni. For more information, please visit the Wharton GYM page. 

 *Students enrolled in Understanding Your Money do not have access to the GYM. 


Wharton Online Learning Platform 

All Wharton online programs utilize the Wharton Online Canvas platform, which is a learning management system that easily connects students and instructors with course material and resources. The platform incorporates Zoom links, messaging capabilities, a program calendar, discussion boards, announcements, feedback, and all independent assignments, including videos; articles; and quizzes. The platform is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, with customizable user profiles and accessibility features to ensure academic accommodations.         


Time Zones 

Our programs enroll a globally diverse student body with a common thread of academic accomplishment and intellectual curiosity. While all programming is based out of Philadelphia, PA in the Eastern Standard/Daylight Time zone, we recognize not everyone will share the same time zone or scheduling preferences. For students with limiting time zone considerations, we encourage you to consider the Future of the Business World (FBW) online program, which offers the most flexible programming options for students. Within FBW, live programming is repeated twice daily, to allow students from across time zones to participate in their preferred time slots.


Technical or Browser Requirements 

All online programming requires a computer that meets the minimum system requirements for Canvas LMS and Zoom videoconferencing, as well as reliable internet access and a webcam with microphone. We use Canvas as our Learning Management System and Zoom for live sessions. Our courseware works best with current versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari, or with Internet Explorer version 9 and above. For the best possible experience, we recommend switching to an up-to-date version of Google Chrome. If you do not have Chrome installed you can get it for free here. 

At this time, our system does not fully support access with mobile devices. While many components of this course will function on a mobile device, some may not. 

 If you experience any technical difficulties with the course site, including problems viewing videos or other features, please email wgyp-online@wharton.upenn.edu. 

For more information, please contact whartonyouth@wharton.upenn.edu or call +1.516.414.5555.