Overview
Boost your problem-solving skills with thoughtful and innovative approaches
Building your creative, critical and design thinking skills will enhance your ability to solve intricate problems. Equip yourself to succeed with our online Creative, Critical & Design Thinking program.
- Employs the same tools used by leaders in government, healthcare, the arts, technology and more
- Teaches you the systematic and human-centred processes that allow you to:
- Empathize with people
- Identify and frame problems
- Seek different viewpoints
- Identify alternative explanations
- Generate test ideas
- Take actions that add value to others and promote positive outcomes and opportunities
- Earn a Certificate of Professional Learning or a Diploma in Business Administration with a concentration in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking
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Program highlights Learn More
- Innovative, solutions-focused problem solving
- Online courses taught by industry experts
- Earn a certificate of professional learning
- Open enrolment program
Creative, Critical & Design Thinking program features:
- Learn the same reasoning tools and techniques used by leaders in business, government, healthcare, the arts, technology and more
- Opportunities to compile a toolkit of creative thinking techniques to generate, evaluate and develop new ideas and solutions
- Practical activities that include case studies, group discussion and projects to enhance critical thinking skills for working and living in today’s complex world
- Flexible options to complete as a certificate of professional learning or apply courses toward electives or concentration of the Business Administration Diploma
What you'll learn Learn More
- How to leverage a design thinking mindset for problem-solving
- How to acquire a creative thinking, problem-solving toolkit
- Best practices to develop design solutions and construct prototypes
Through our Creative, Critical & Design Thinking program, you’ll learn to:
- Develop competencies in critical, creative and design thinking to investigate an idea and transform it into meaningful action
- Apply divergent and convergent thinking tools to situations within a variety of fields and settings
- Examine principles and models of creative, critical and design thinking to effectively solve problems for users and stakeholders
- Practice using the tools, frameworks and processes needed to develop solutions to industry problems and complex situations
- Construct and execute innovative strategies in relation to problems and situations
- Become aware of, and leverage, the role(s) played in creative processes and teams
- Reflect on and meaningfully communicate your experiences of creating, problem solving and designing
- Recognize how to identify, participate in, and support communities committed to sustainable change
Learn more about the Creative, Critical & Design Thinking program
- Anyone working in business, marketing, government, health care, the arts, technology and more
- New and current managers
- Recent college/university graduates
Earning a Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking demonstrates to employers that you have the skills they are looking for in a wide variety of industries and especially in-demand for the following roles:
- Marketer
- Sales professional
- Customer Service Representative
- Information Technology Professional
- Portfolio Accountant
- Controller
- Financial Analyst
- Team Leader
- Manager
Graduates of the program will be able to:
- Develop competencies in critical, creative, and design thinking to investigate an idea and transform it into meaningful action.
- Apply divergent and convergent thinking tools to situations within a variety of fields and settings.
- Examine principles and models of creative, critical, and design thinking to effectively solve problems for users and stakeholders.
- Practice using the tools, frameworks and processes needed to develop solutions to real-world problems and complex situations.
- Construct and execute innovative strategies for problems and complex situations.
- Become aware of and leverage the role(s) they play in creative processes and teams.
- Reflect on and meaningfully communicate their experiences of creating, problem-solving and designing.
- Recognize how to identify, participate in, and support communities of practice committed to sustainable change.
The following objectives will be threaded within each course:
- Demonstrate an awareness of ethical practices and professional standards applicable to the field of work.
- Exemplify the skills, attitudes and behaviours required to work and collaborate with people and develop personal management skills.
- Employ effective communication practices.
Are you a current McMaster University undergraduate student?
Explore the ElevateYourSkills option to learn how you can earn a Creative, Critical & Design Thinking certificate as part of your degree.
- Use your electives to earn a professional certificate or diploma
- Fully online courses that you can fit into your schedule
- Providing you with real-life career skills and experience before you graduate
Check out our latest Program Preview webinar recording to learn more about the Creative, Critical & Design Thinking program
What our recent graduates say
Tyson
Business Administration - Marketing graduate
The instructors worked in the marketing field and taught us real-life experiences.
Obtaining an education with McMaster Continuing Education helped me reinvent my career. I was a former banker and I wanted a career in marketing. Through this program, I was able to bridge that gap and get into the career that I wanted. The instructors were working in the marketing field, teaching us real-life experiences and that was very valuable to me.
Tyson
Business Administration - Marketing graduate
The instructors worked in the marketing field and taught us real-life experiences.
Obtaining an education with McMaster Continuing Education helped me reinvent my career. I was a former banker and I wanted a career in marketing. Through this program, I was able to bridge that gap and get into the career that I wanted. The instructors were working in the marketing field, teaching us real-life experiences and that was very valuable to me.
Tyson
Business Administration - Marketing graduate
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Certificate in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking
Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking
Pursue your Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking with McMaster Continuing Education
Explore the requirements below and register today!
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Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking Learn More
Earn your Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking by completing all 3 courses listed below. Courses can be taken in any order.
Certificate of Professional Learning in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking Requirements
Academic Credit – 9 units
The Creative, Critical & Design Thinking courses can also be completed as part of the Business Administration Diploma with a concentration in Creative, Critical & Design Thinking
Courses can also be taken as general electives in the Business Administration Diploma
Courses (complete all 3)
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- Creative, Critical & Design Thinking Program
Creative, Critical & Design Thinking Schedule
Creative, Critical & Design Thinking course schedules to help you plan your academic year.
Registration: Fall and Winter terms open in mid-July and Spring term opens in mid-March.
Program Requirements: Review certificate or diploma tab.
Time Zone: Courses run in the Eastern Time (ET) Zone.
Course Fees: A McMaster Part Time Student fee is included in the cost of academic credit courses. There is no tax on courses unless indicated at the bottom of the schedule chart.
Additional Fees: New students pay a one-time, non-refundable $39 activation fee for their first academic-credit course. Not every program or course requires textbooks. Learn more about textbooks.
Learning Formats: Visit Learning Formats to determine the best format for you.
Course Name (Course Code) | Cost | Units | Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring/Summer 2025 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cultivating Creative Thinking (CCD 101) | $744.93 | 3.0 | Sep 9 - Dec 8 Format: Online | Jan 13 - Apr 13 Format: Online | — |
Critical Thinking for Problem Solving (CCD 102) | $744.93 | 3.0 | — | Jan 13 - Apr 13 Format: Online | — |
TBD | 3.0 | — | — | May 5 - Aug 3 Format: Online | |
Design Thinking (CCD 103) | $744.93 | 3.0 | Sep 9 - Dec 8 Format: Online | — | — |
TBD | 3.0 | — | — | May 5 - Aug 3 Format: Online |
The schedule table is subject to change. Please visit the course pages to browse classes currently available for registration and the latest cost information.
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements
This program is open enrolment, which means there is no formal application or admission procedure. To enrol in a course, simply register online. Our courses can be taken as part of a program or individually.
To enrol in McMaster Continuing Education programs, you must:
- Have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent
- Be a mature student as defined in the Undergraduate Calendar of McMaster University or
- Be deemed an exceptional case
To ensure you are successful in your online courses, you are required to have knowledge and skills with general computer applications, such as keyboarding, file management, video conferencing and word processing.
Language Requirements
If your first language is not English, you must meet the University’s English language proficiency requirements. Completion of TOEFL exam with a minimum acceptable score of 20 on each of the four components (reading, writing, speaking and listening), valid for 2 years.
Expandable List
- Visit continuing.mcmaster.ca/programs to find your program of choice
- Click on each tab on the program page to learn about credential options and requirements, schedule and fees, and a list of all courses in the program
- Select a course and then select an available offering, noting important information such as cost, delivery format, and start/end dates; then click ‘add to cart’
- Once you have added your courses, click the shopping cart icon at the top right-hand corner of the page (bottom of the browser screen on mobile)
- Review your cart and, once you’re ready to proceed with enrolment, click ‘proceed to checkout’
- As the next step, you will be redirected to Mosaic – McMaster’s Administrative Information and Enrolment system
- Once you are in Mosaic, select ‘new to McMaster’ or log in with your existing MacID and password (if applicable)
- Complete all required fields and select a program of study when prompted (i.e., a specific program or open studies for standalone courses)
- Finally, payment is required in full to secure a spot in your course(s)
A payment receipt email will be issued to you immediately after registering, and a course confirmation email will be sent to you overnight. Within approximately 24 hours of registering, you will also receive an important email containing credentials used to activate your MacID, which you must do before you can access courses in Avenue to Learn. Please review our Getting Started page to learn more about the next steps for beginning your studies after registration, and our Help Centre for our Refund Policy and other frequently asked questions. Please note that on average, each course requires 6-8 hours of study per week, per course (sometimes more) and some courses may have listed prerequisites. Please plan your schedule accordingly. Most students take 1-2 courses per term across a few different terms and a full-time equivalent course load is typically 3-4 courses per term.
For more information and a walkthrough on how to register, please check out this video.
- Payment must be made in full at the time of enrolment
- Online credit card or debit payments are preferred
- Accepted credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and American Express
- Accepted debit cards: Visa Debit and Debit Mastercard
- Google Pay is available for faster checkout
- Payments can be made from a Canadian Financial Institution and can take 2 to 4 business days to arrive in your McMaster student account. Once payment has arrived, you can register for your course. Please note that if the amount of the course fees owing is more than what was transferred to your student account, you will be dropped from the course.
- Problem processing your payment? Please reach out to your credit card company if your payment was declined. Otherwise, wait two hours before attempting your registration again.
Ready to get started?
Visit the Schedule tab to select your course and proceed with the registration steps.