Dates
May 30 – June 12, 2027
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Comprehensive Residential Fee:
$6,399
Commuter Fee:
$4,699
Contact
For more information, please contact: AcademyPrograms@wharton.upenn.edu
Overview
Business Fundamentals invites students to learn the core building blocks of business from the Wharton School, a world leader in business education. This intensive program applies to individuals seeking a career in any area of business, exploring general management, or bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to their future ventures.
Program Learning Goals:
- Analyze business financial statements and apply financial decision-making frameworks.
- Develop and evaluate strategies for building sustainable competitive advantage.
- Understand how organizational culture shapes leadership and workplace dynamics.
- Build communication and negotiation skills essential to leading teams
- Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming businesses.
- Craft and evaluate marketing strategies and brand positioning
- Apply adaptive leadership principles to navigate uncertainty and lead through change.
Business Fundamentals uses an innovative case-driven curriculum developed by Wharton faculty that spans strategy, finance, marketing, leadership, and emerging technology, and promotes the exploration of how these concepts can be applied practically.
Capstone Project:
Students will work in teams to apply program concepts to real-world casework. Teams will:
- Analyze a business case spanning strategy, finance, and organizational dynamics.
- Apply frameworks from across the program, from competitive strategy to negotiation and AI accountability, to develop recommendations.
- Assess leadership and cultural considerations relevant to executing their recommendations.
- Present their findings in a final team presentation.
At the program’s conclusion, teams will showcase their casework, demonstrating their understanding of business strategy, leadership, and cross-functional decision-making.
Details
Sample Classes & Immersive Experiences
Throughout the program, you’ll explore essential business concepts and develop practical leadership and decision-making skills.
Core Business Fundamentals:
- Business Strategy and Scaling
- Financial Decision-Making
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Marketing Strategy in the Digital Economy
Leadership & Professional Skills:
- Organizational Culture
- Team and Workplace Dynamics
- Leadership
- Personal Branding
- Executive Negotiation
AI in Business:
- Business Applications of AI
- AI Accountability
- AI Ethics and Regulations
- Network Effects
Business Fundamentals students will:
- Earn a Wharton Academy certificate of completion with a digital badge
- Join visiting undergraduates and recent graduates from around the world to build a network of emerging business professionals
- Engage in a 70-hour in-person learning program in Wharton classrooms
- Enjoy housing & meals in the residence halls at the University of Pennsylvania
Eligibility
Qualifications for Participation
- Current Undergraduate student or recent college graduate
- Highest English proficiency – TOEFL 100+ IELTS-Band 7 or higher. If TOEFL or IELTS scores are unavailable, applicants may submit Duolingo, PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores as an alternate. The minimum Duolingo score required is 130.
- Strong quantitative skills
Admission
Admission to Business Fundamentals is selective. Participants are selected based on demonstrated academic excellence and a strong commitment to developing a broad foundation in core business disciplines, including leadership, finance, marketing, negotiation, and management.
Please note that participation in the Wharton Academy Business Fundamentals program does not guarantee admission into Penn.
Instructional Team
Academic Director: Rahul Kapoor, PhD
Professor Kapoor is the David W. Hauck Professor and Chairperson of the Management Department at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In his research, he focuses on the management of industry disruption and business ecosystems related to new technologies and business models, publishing widely in leading peer-reviewed and practitioner journals from the perspective of both established organizations and start-ups. He is a past chair of the Technology and Innovation Management Division of the Academy of Management, and also serves as an Associate Editor of the Strategic Management Journal and a Contributing Editor of Strategy Science.
At Wharton, Professor Kapoor teaches undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and Ph.D. courses on technology and innovation strategy, and is an active contributor to Wharton Executive Education, teaching in both customized and open-enrollment programs. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the inaugural Academy of Management (Technology and Innovation Management Division) Emerging Scholar Award, the Strategic Management Journal Best Paper Prize, and the Wharton Teaching Excellence Award across multiple years.
Prior to joining academia, Professor Kapoor spent more than seven years in the high-tech industry, working at Texas Instruments and taking part in two start-ups, one of which he co-founded.