Design Thinking Courses: in India, Top Institutes, Fee details, Jobs and Salary 2026

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Ishika Ray

Updated 3+ months ago

Design Thinking Courses provide an innovative approach to address intractable problems that businesses face. It is both an ideology and a process, concerned with solving complex problems in a highly user-centric way. 

Checkout: Top Design Engineering Colleges in India

Design Thinking Courses are mostly offered in online mode. However, there are certain colleges as well which offer different types of courses in Design Thinking. The courses are offered at various levels and each of them will lead you towards a highly successful career.

Certificate Programs
  • Certificate Design Thinking Courses are short-term courses.
  • These courses are preliminary courses which are also professional courses.
  • Design Thinking Courses are studied both online and offline.
Diploma & PG Diploma Courses
  • The diploma and PG diploma Design Thinking courses are usually of 1-year duration.
  • These courses will cover all the basic concepts related to Design Thinking.
  • The diploma courses will also provide practical knowledge of design thinking to the students.
Bachelor Design Thinking Courses
  • Bachelor of Design Thinking courses are very popular among students.
  • These courses are opted for by thousands of candidates every year.
  • The Bachelor Design Thinking courses have a duration of 3 to 4 years.
Master Design Thinking Courses
  • The Master Design Thinking courses are advanced courses in the field of Design Thinking.
  • The duration of a Master Design Thinking course is 2 years.
  • Most students apply for these courses after completing their graduation in design thinking.

Design Thinking Courses have a duration of 1 to 2 years. Some of the courses are of longer durations. The certificate courses have short duration and they are mostly of 2 to 3 months. The diploma courses are of 1 to 2 years while the degree courses are of 2 to 3 years.

The course fee is around INR 2,000 and INR 2,00,000. Some of the private colleges charge a higher fee. After completing your course, you will get a lot of job opportunities at reputed organizations. Your average salary would be around INR 3 LPA to INR 8 LPA.

Design Thinking Courses: Highlights

Design Thinking Courses are offered at numerous levels. The highlights for some of the popular Design Thinking Courses have been listed below:

Popular Courses
  • Certificate: Design Thinking Workshop for Software Developers Training Course
  • Diploma & PG Diploma: Diploma in Design Thinking, Postgraduate Program in Design and Innovation
  • UG: B.Tech, B.Sc
  • PG: M.Sc.
Duration
  • Certificate: 6 months to 1 year
  • Diploma & PG Diploma: 1 year
  • UG: 3 years to 4 years
  • PG: 2 years
Eligibility
  • Certificate: Passed 10+2
  • Diploma: Passed 10+2
  • UG: Passed 10+2
  • PG: Passed undergraduate course in Design Thinking.
Average Fees
  • Certificate: INR 500 to INR 5,00,000
  • Diploma: INR 10,000 to INR 1,00,000
  • UG: INR 2,000 to INR 2,00,000
  • PG: INR 30,000 to INR 3,00,0000
Online Courses Available
Types of Online Courses Udemy, edX, Coursera, Lynda.
Top Job Prospects Software Engineer, Fashion Designer, Architect, etc.
Average Salary
  • Certificate: INR 3,00,000 to INR 4,00,000
  • Diploma: INR 3,00,000 to INR 5,00,000
  • UG: INR 4,00,000 to INR 8,00,000
  • PG: INR 5,00,000 to INR 8,00,0000

Now let us discuss each of the Design Thinking Courses in details: 

Certificate Design Thinking Courses

Certificate Design Thinking Courses

Certificate Design Thinking courses are really popular online courses. A variety of such courses are available for interested students.

  • Design Thinking certificate courses will give you the scope to design and innovative new problem-solving techniques.
  • In Certificate Design Thinking courses, you will get to know all the core concepts of Design Thinking.
  • After completing your certification Design Thinking course, you will earn an annual salary of INR 3 to 4 LPA.

The Design Thinking certificate courses are best suited for those candidates who wish to do something innovative in their lives.

Online Design Thinking Course Certificates

As we have already discussed, a huge variety of online Design Courses are available for the students. Given below are some of the best Design Thinking online certificate courses:

Certificate Name Provider Duration Fees
Cooper Crash Course: Designing Thinking in 3 Steps Udemy 1 hour 30 minutes INR 12,480
Design Thinking Certification for Business Strategy & Entrepreneurship Coursera  5 weeks Free
Agile Meets Design Thinking by University of Virginia Coursera 5 weeks Free
Learning Design Thinking LinkedIn Learning 2 hours 8 minutes Free
Design Thinking Certification Program by Rochester Institute edX 6 weeks INR 99,272

Offline Design Thinking Course Certificates

A few offline certificate Design Thinking courses are also offered to the students. Few such courses have been listed for you.

Certificate Name Institute Offering Duration Average Fees
Certificate Course in Internet of Things (IoT) Training 360 digiTMG 3 months INR 10,000
Postgraduate certification program in IoT BITs Pilani 11 months INR 2,45,000

How are Admissions in Certificate Programs of Design Thinking Courses Done?

The admission process for Certificate Design Thinking courses is a simple one. Most of these courses do not have any definite prerequisites.

  • Anyone who is interested to learn Design Thinking will be able to enroll themselves in any of the popular Design Thinking certificate courses.
  • You need to visit the official website of the university or the course provider and fill up the application form.
  • For offline courses, you may complete the application process either online or in offline mode.

Top Colleges for Design Thinking Course Certificates

There aren’t a lot of universities or colleges which offer Design Thinking courses in offline mode. Most of these courses are taught online.

College Name Location Fees
BITS Pilani INR 2,45,000
360 digiTMG - INR 10,000
Top Diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking Courses

Top Diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking Courses

Diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking Courses are full-time undergraduate courses for students who wish to study Design Thinking.

  • The diploma courses in Design Thinking will help you to master the Design Thinking process in detail.
  • You will get to know how you can use your design thinking skills to solve managerial problems.
  • The duration of the diploma and PG diploma Design Thinking Courses is around 1 to 2 years.

These courses are meant for those candidates who are about to start a career in the field of Design and Innovation.

Top Diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking Courses

Below given are some of the most popular courses which are studied by a lot of students.

Diploma Name Colleges Offering Duration Average Fees
Diploma in Design Thinking KCLAS, Kumaraguru Campus 6 months INR 45,000
Postgraduate Program in Design and Innovation ISDI School of Design and Innovation 11 months INR 20,000

How are the Admission in Diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking Courses Done?

The admission process is mostly the same for all diploma and PG Diploma Design Thinking courses.

  • You need to fill up the application form and apply for the course of your choice. 
  • In most of the colleges, the admission process is merit-based. You will have to clear the minimum cut-off to get admission to the college of your choice.
  • Students who have already completed a certification course in Design Thinking will be given an added advantage.
Bachelor Design Thinking Courses

Bachelor Design Thinking Courses

A bachelor's degree course in Design Thinking is extremely popular among the candidates.

  • There are no such courses dedicated to design thinking but you will get to learn about design thinking from the bachelor of design courses.
  • The duration of the bachelor's Design Thinking Course is around 3 years. These courses will help you to understand the importance of Design Thinking in the world of designing.
  • After completing a bachelor's degree course in Design Thinking, most students opt for a master's degree course.

The Bachelor's degree courses are mainly opted by those students who are about to start a professional career in design.

Top Undergraduate (UG) Design Thinking Courses

If you wish to study design thinking at undergraduate courses, then these are some of the most popular courses that you must watch out for:

Course Name Top Colleges Duration Average Fees
B.Tech in Engineering Design Sharda University Galaxy Educational Services GLA University 4 years INR 2,00,000
B.Sc in IoT Techno India University 3 years INR 3,00,000

How is Admission in Bachelor Design Thinking Courses Done?

The admission process for the Bachelor Design Thinking courses is mostly done on the basis of your performance in the 10+2 examination.

  • You will have to fill up your application form and submit it before the deadline.
  • There are certain institutions that also conduct an admission test for admitting the students to the college.
  • The admission test process is different from the normal admission process as your design skills are tested here.

Colleges for Bachelor Design Thinking Courses

Given below are some of the supreme colleges for a bachelor degree course in Design Thinking:

College Name Location Average Fees
Techno India University Salt Lake INR 2.71 lakh
GLA University Mathura INR 2.71 lakh
Sharda University New Delhi INR 4.2 lakh
Master Design Thinking Courses

Master Design Thinking Courses

The Master Design Thinking courses are full-time postgraduate courses that deal with the advanced concepts of Design Thinking.

  • The Master's degree course in Design Thinking is of 2 years. Most students opt for these courses after completing their undergraduate course in Design Thinking.
  • The master's Design Thinking courses have different specializations. Each of these specializations is widely popular among the candidates.
  • The average salary for the Master Design Thinking students is around INR 5 LPA to INR 8 LPA. 

The Master Design Thinking Courses are studied by those candidates who wish to opt for a professional career in Design Thinking.

Top Postgraduate (PG) Design Thinking Courses

A number of Design Thinking courses are available at the master's degree level. Let us have a look at some of the most popular courses:

Course Name Top Colleges Duration Average Fees
M.Tech in Design Engineering IITDelhi IIT Chennai College of Engineering Pune 2 years INR 2,00,000

How are Admissions in Master Design Thinking Courses Done?

For master Design Thinking courses, the admission will be done on the basis of the marks acquired by you in the entrance examination.

  • Start with completing the admission form. After that, you may have to appear for an entrance examination.
  • You need to acquire a good rank in the entrance test in order to get admitted to a college of your choice.
  • Some colleges also conduct an interview process prior to the final stage of the admission process.

Colleges for Master Design Thinking Courses

Master design thinking courses are offered by a number of colleges. The table below lists some of the top-notch institutes for studying Master Design Thinking courses:

College Name Location Average Fees
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi INR 2.71 lakh
Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai INR 14 lakhs
What are the Top Job Options After Design Thinking Courses?

What are the Top Job Options After Design Thinking Courses?

There are a large number of job options available for the Design Thinking students. Let us have a look at some of the best job options available for the suitable students:

App Developer

After studying design thinking, you may end up becoming an app developer where you can use your innovative skills to create new apps. You can also discover new ideas and methods of developing new and advanced apps.

Starting Salary: INR 5.5 lakhs to INR 6.5 lakhs

Skills Required:

  • Innovativeness
  • Thinking skills
  • Visualization skill

Software Engineer

Design Thinking skills are extremely important for software engineering. Using their design thinking skills, they will be able to develop different types of software for the users. Being a software engineer, you will also have to take care of testing and maintenance of existing software.

Starting Salary: INR 4.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs

Skills Required:

  • Basic computer skills
  • Design thinking skills.
  • Explanatory skills

Game Designer

After completing your design thinking course, you can become a game designer. You can become either a 2D game designer or a 3D game designer and you start designing innovative and interactive games for the gaming enthusiasts.

Starting Salary: INR 5.5 lakhs to INR 8 lakhs

Skills Required:

  • Programming skills
  • Artistic vision
  • Innovativeness

Graphic Designer

A graphic designer designs different types of graphics for companies and large organizations. To become a successful graphic designer, it is really important that you have really good design thinking skills. Only then will you be able to put your imaginations into being.

Starting Salary: INR 3.5 lakhs to INR 8 lakhs

Skills Required:

  • Innovativeness 
  • Attentiveness
  • Creativity

The following chart shows the salaries of the top job profiles for Design Thinking students:

Average Salary
What Skills are Required in Design Thinking Courses?

What Skills are Required in Design Thinking Courses?

To be really good at Design Thinking, you need to be a really skilled individual. So, here we have mentioned few of the skills which are required by the Design Thinking students:

Communication Skills

To express your ideas, you need to have good communication skills. Only then will be able to convey what exactly is going on in your head. You will find a huge variety of courses in communication skills to suit all your requirements. Some of the best online courses are available on platforms like Coursera, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning.

Top Communication Skill Courses

A few courses in Communication Skills have been listed below:

Course Provider Duration Fees
Improve Your English Communication Skills Coursera 5 months Free
Business English Communication Skills Specialization Coursera 6 months Free
How to speak to anyone and be fearless in less than 55 min Udemy 1 hour Free
Effective communications skills for business Udemy 37 minutes Free
Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization Coursera 13 hours Free

Communication Skills Course Syllabus

The Communication skills course syllabus is:

Listening skills Conversation skills
Pronunciations Phonetics
Presenting skills Body language
Flow of conversation Basic grammar
Simple writing skills Speech

Communication Skills Job Profiles

  • Journalist
  • Manager
  • Interviewer
Design Thinking Courses Online Fees and Rating Comparison

Design Thinking Courses Online Fees and Rating Comparison

Here we have drawn a comparison between some of the best online courses for the Design Thinking enthusiasts

Course Provider Duration Rating Fee
Agile Meets Design Thinking by University of Virginia Coursera 5 weeks 4.7 Free
Design Thinking Certification for Business Strategy & Entrepreneurship Coursera  5 weeks 4.6 Free
Design Thinking Certification Program by Rochester Institute edX 6 weeks 4.6 INR 99,000
Learning Design Thinking LinkedIn Learning 2 hours 8 minutes 4.5 Free
Cooper Crash Course: Designing Thinking in 3 Steps Udemy 1 hour 30 minutes 4.5 INR 12,000
Comparison of Online Platforms Offering Design Thinking Courses

Comparison of Online Platforms Offering Design Thinking Courses

Here we have compared Udemy and Coursera, two popular course providers:

Parameters Udemy Coursera
Student Rating 4.5 4.6
Fees INR 360 INR 3,600
Enrollment 30,000 20,000
Duration 3 to 5 hours 3 to 4 weeks
Created by In house In house
Design Thinking Courses: FAQs

Design Thinking Courses: FAQs

Ques. Why should I study Design Thinking?

Ans. A course in design thinking will help you to learn in an innovative way. These courses are helpful for all other courses.

Ques. Are Design Thinking courses available online?

Ans. Yes, there are multiple Design Thinking courses available on popular online platforms like Udemy and Coursera.

Ques. Which is the most popular Design Thinking course available for the students?

Ans. The most popular courses in Design Thinking are the certification courses. You may study them in both offline and online mode.

Ques. What is the average tuition fee for the Design Thinking courses?

Ans. The average tuition fee is around INR 2,000 to INR 2,00,000.

Ques. Which is the best institute to study Design Thinking in India?

Ans. In India, design thinking courses are mostly offered in online mode.

Ques. Do I need to study Science in 10+2 to take up a Design Thinking course?

Ans. No, Design Thinking courses have no definite prerequisites. You may study design thinking even after studying arts or Science in 10+2.

Ques. Is choosing Design Thinking a good career choice for the students of India?

Ans. Yes, studying Design Thinking will open up multiple career opportunities for you.

Ques. What are the best online design thinking courses available?

Ans. The best online design thinking courses are available on platforms like Coursera.

Ques. What is the average salary of Design Thinking students?

Ans.  The average starting salary for a Design Thinking student is around INR 4 LPA to INR 10 LPA.

Ques. What is the best book on design thinking?

Ans. Some of the best books are Hidden in Plain Sight by Jan Chipchase, The Moment of Clarity and Sensemaking by Christian Madsbjerg, Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation by Idris Mootee.

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