Futurist resources > Foresight programs
Foresight and Futures Studies Degrees and Programs Worldwide
Last updated: September 2026
The disciplines of futures and foresight are long established in the academic arena, with a wide variety of programs around the world ranging from short courses through to Masters and Ph.D. programs.
Choosing your route
Four routes lead into this field. They differ less in prestige than in what they ask of you.
A doctorate suits you if you want to add to what the field knows, or to teach it. Most doctorates here sit inside a broader discipline, so your supervisor matters more than the program title.
A Masters suits you if foresight will be your primary work. This is where the field’s teaching is concentrated.
A postgraduate diploma or specialization suits you if you already have a career and want to bring foresight into it.
A professional certificate or short course suits you if you need working methods now. Several are taught by the same faculty who teach the degrees.
Doctoral programs
Eleven doctorates worldwide supervise candidates working on futures and foresight. Four sit in dedicated futures units, at Stellenbosch, Turku, KAIST and Kerala. The rest are specializations within management, political science, education or design.
| Program | Institution | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD in Futures Studies | Stellenbosch University South Africa |
On campus, 2 years, English | Housed in the Institute for Futures Research, which also runs the MPhil and the diploma below. |
| Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) / PhD in Futures Studies | University of Turku Finland |
On campus, Standard doctorate, English | Attached to the Finland Futures Research Centre. Dissertations completed in 2026 confirm it is actively supervising. |
| PhD / Higher Degree by Research, Institute for Sustainable Futures | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
Hybrid, English | Doctoral candidature through the Institute for Sustainable Futures. Oriented to sustainability and transitions rather than foresight method. Rolling admissions. |
| Doctorado en Administracion (linea Estudios de Futuros) | Universidad Externado de Colombia Colombia |
On campus, 8 semesters, Spanish | A futures studies research line within a doctorate in administration. Cohort-based with monthly immersive sessions. Intakes are periodic rather than annual. |
| Doctorat Sciences de gestion et du management, spécialisation Prospective, innovation, stratégie, organisation | Cnam (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers) France |
Hybrid, Standard doctorate, French | A research specialization in foresight, innovation, strategy and organization within Cnam’s management doctorate. Supervised by its prospective team. |
| Ph.D. in Political Science, Alternative Futures specialization | University of Hawaii at Manoa United States |
On campus, Standard doctorate, English | The Manoa School, founded by Jim Dator and the intellectual home of alternative futures. Sits within political science. |
| 前瞻教育領導與科技管理博士班 | Tamkang University Taiwan |
On campus, Chinese | Created in Tamkang’s 2024 restructuring, when its Graduate Institute of Futures Studies merged into the College of Education. Oriented to educational leadership. |
| Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) – Strategic Foresight | Regent University United States |
Online, 51 credit hours, English | A professional doctorate rather than a research degree. Strategic foresight is a named concentration. Online with required virtual residencies. |
| Future Strategy PhD Program (Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy) | KAIST South Korea |
On campus, Korean and English | The Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, which also runs a professional coursework master’s. Confirmed admitting after several years of ambiguity. |
| Doctorate and master's specialization in Futures Studies | University of Isfahan Iran |
On campus, PhD approx 4 years, Persian | A futures studies specialization within the Department of Industrial Engineering and Futures Studies, formed in 2019. Doctoral admission runs through Iran’s national selection handbook. |
| Ph.D Programme (Futures Studies) | University of Kerala India |
On campus, 3 years minimum, English | India’s only dedicated futures studies department. Admission is by university-wide entrance test rather than departmental application. |
Masters programs
Twenty Masters programs are running. Six are taught in Spanish, in Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru.
| Program | Institution | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Science in Foresight | University of Houston United States |
Online, 1 year, English | The best known program in the field, usually called Houston Foresight. Fully online. One year full-time at its fastest. |
| Master's Degree Programme in Futures Studies (Tulevaisuudentutkimuksen maisteriohjelma) | University of Turku Finland |
On campus, 2 years, English | Taught in English at the Finland Futures Research Centre. Two years, 120 ECTS. |
| MPhil in Futures Studies | Stellenbosch University South Africa |
Hybrid, 2 years, English | Part-time over two years, taught largely at a distance. Africa’s principal route into professional foresight. |
| Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation | OCAD University Canada |
Hybrid, 2 years full-time, English | Design-led rather than social-science-led. Available part-time online over three years. |
| Masterstudiengang Zukunftsforschung | Freie Universität Berlin Germany |
Hybrid, 4 semesters, German | The German-language master’s in Zukunftsforschung. Four semesters, part-time compatible. |
| Global Foresight and Technology Management, M.Sc. | Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) Germany |
On campus, 18 months full-time, English | Taught in English at the interface of technology, economics and sociology. Eighteen months. |
| Urbane Zukunft (Urban Futures), M.A. | Fachhochschule Potsdam (University of Applied Sciences Potsdam) Germany |
On campus, 4 semesters, German | Applies futures methods to cities and urban systems rather than organizations. Taught in German. |
| Master Innovation, entreprise et société, parcours Prospective, innovation et management public | Cnam (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers) France |
Hybrid, 2 years, French | The public management track of Cnam’s foresight master’s. Two years, part-time compatible, in French. |
| Master in Previsione Sociale (Social Foresight) | Università di Trento (University of Trento) Italy |
On campus, 1 year, Italian | One year in Italian, focused on social foresight. Runs an annual admissions cycle. |
| Master Future and Foresight: Methods of Anticipating the Future for Businesses and Institutions | Ca' Foscari University of Venice Italy |
Hybrid, 301 hours, Italian and English | An executive master’s run with the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. 301 taught hours plus a 250-hour project. |
| Maestria en Pensamiento Estrategico y Prospectiva | Universidad Externado de Colombia Colombia |
On campus, 4 periods, Spanish | Four semesters in Spanish, with a double-degree option. The longest-running of Colombia’s foresight masters. |
| Maestria en Prospectiva e Innovacion (profundizacion) | Universidad del Valle Colombia |
On campus, 3 semesters, Spanish | A professional master’s pairing foresight with innovation, at one of Colombia’s major public universities. Three semesters. |
| Maestria en Pensamiento Estrategico, Prospectiva e Innovacion (Virtual) | Politecnico Grancolombiano Colombia |
Online, 3 semesters, Spanish | Fully online in Spanish across three semesters. |
| Maestria en Prospectiva e Innovacion Sostenible | Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD) Colombia |
Online, 4 academic periods, Spanish | Colombia’s open and distance university. Pairs foresight with sustainable innovation. Fully online. |
| Maestria en Pensamiento Estrategico y Prospectiva | Universidad Nacional (UNA) Costa Rica |
Hybrid, 6 trimesters, Spanish | The first master’s of its kind in Costa Rica. Six trimesters, aimed at the public and NGO sectors. |
| Maestria en Prospectiva y Planeacion Estrategica | Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) Peru |
Online, 15 months, Spanish | Fifteen months, fully online, combining foresight with strategic planning. |
| Master of Sustainable Futures (Research) | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
On campus, 2 years full-time, English | A research master’s through the Institute for Sustainable Futures. Research-only, so there is no coursework path into it. |
| Master of Design Futures (MC245) | RMIT University Australia |
Online, 1.5 years full-time, English | Fully online over 1.5 years, design-led and leadership-oriented. Open only to offshore international study, not to students on an Australian visa. |
| Design Futures Course, Graduate School of Design | Kyushu University Japan |
On campus, Japanese and English | A design-led futures course in Kyushu’s Graduate School of Design, with social futures as an explicit curriculum pillar. Also runs at undergraduate and doctoral level. |
| M.A. in Political Science, Alternative Futures option | University of Hawaii at Manoa United States |
On campus, 2-3 years, English | The master’s entry point into the Manoa School’s alternative futures work, taken within political science. |
Postgraduate diplomas and specializations
These run from six months to two years, built for people already working. Several carry credits that transfer into a full Masters.
| Program | Institution | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate Diploma in Futures Studies | Stellenbosch University South Africa |
Hybrid, 2 years, English | One or two years, flexible. Credits carry forward into the MPhil. |
| Especializacion en Estrategia Gerencial y Prospectiva | Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Colombia |
On campus, 2 semesters, Spanish | Two semesters pairing managerial strategy with foresight. Taught in Medellin and Monteria. |
| Diploma de Postitulo en Prospectiva Estrategica y Gobierno | Universidad de Chile Chile |
Online, 216 total hours, Spanish | Aimed at government and public policy. 216 hours delivered online in Spanish. |
| Especialidad en Diseno del Manana: Escenarios y Estrategias | CENTRO (Centro de Diseno, Cine y Television) Mexico |
Hybrid, 3 four-month terms, English | Design-school framing over three four-month terms. Taught in English at Mexico’s leading design university. |
| Studia podyplomowe Trendwatching & Future Studies | AGH University of Krakow Poland |
Hybrid, 210 hours, Polish | Pairs trendwatching with futures studies. 210 hours across fourteen weekend sessions. The only Polish-language option found. |
University certificates and executive courses
Universities also teach foresight to people not enrolled in a degree, in courses running from one day to several weeks.
| Program | Institution | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Certificate in Foresight | University of Houston, Foresight program (Human Development and Consumer Sciences) United States |
Hybrid, 5 days in-person, English | Five days in person or online, run several times a year by the Houston faculty, with cohorts scheduled into late 2026. |
| Graduate Certificate in Foresight | University of Houston United States |
Online, 12 credit hours, English | Twelve credit hours across four core courses, online. Stacks into the master’s. |
| Oxford Scenarios Programme | University of Oxford, Saïd Business School United Kingdom |
On campus, 5 days, English | Five residential days built on Oxford’s scenario planning tradition. Arguably the most prestigious executive program in the field. |
| Strategic Foresight for Sustainability Executive Certificate | EDHEC Business School France |
Online, 5 weeks, English | Five weeks online. Run by Rene Rohrbeck’s Foresight, Innovation and Transformation chair. |
| Strategic Foresight (open executive course) | European University Institute, Florence School of Transnational Governance Italy |
Hybrid, ~25 hours, English | Built for EU institution staff, national civil servants and NGOs. Three online sessions plus three residential days in Brussels. |
| Futures for Public Policy | National University of Singapore Singapore |
On campus, 4 days, English | Four days for policy analysts and government managers. The successor to the Futures Masterclass, which has been retired. |
| Anticipatory Policy Innovation and Decision-Making | National University of Singapore Singapore |
Online, ~2 weeks, English | Four online modules over two weeks, run with the Helsinki think tank Demos. Anticipatory governance rather than scenario method. |
| Futures Thinking (microcredential) | University of Technology Sydney Australia |
Online, 6 weeks, English | A six-week open-enrollment microcredential aligned to a formal UTS subject, so it may count toward recognition of prior learning. |
| Advanced Futures (professional development short course) | Australian National University Australia |
On campus, 3 days, English | Three days for experienced public-sector foresight practitioners. Tradecraft rather than introduction. |
| The Art and The Science of Futures Thinking: Foundations and Frameworks | University of Cambridge (Institute for Sustainability Leadership, via edX) United Kingdom |
Online, English | A multi-week edX course with a verified certificate, from Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Self-paced. |
| 「未来社会協創」国際卓越大学院 (Mirai Shakai Kyoso Kokusai Takuetsu Daigakuin), World-leading Innovative Graduate Study Program Co-designing Future Society (WINGS-CFS) | University of Tokyo Japan |
On campus, Japanese and English | A cross-disciplinary graduate program taken alongside a regular master’s or doctorate. Funded by Japan’s education ministry. Bilingual. |
| Certificat de spécialisation Prospective stratégique | Cnam Hauts-de-France France |
Hybrid, French | A regional short-cycle certificate in strategic foresight, distinct from Cnam’s Paris master’s programs. In French. |
| Strategic Planning and Foresight: Learning from and Managing for the Future | Oxford University United Kingdom |
On campus, 1 day, English | A single day through Oxford Lifelong Learning. Optionally packaged with two related courses. |
| IA & Foresight na Sala do Conselho | Fundacao Dom Cabral (FDC) Brazil |
On campus, 32 hours across 4 days, Portuguese | Thirty-two hours across four days on foresight and AI for board members. In Portuguese, at Brazil’s leading executive school. |
| Foresight-Driven Innovation | HPI School of Design Thinking, Hasso Plattner Institute Germany |
On campus, 2 days, German | Two days on trend analysis, scenario development and backcasting at the Hasso Plattner Institute’s design school in Potsdam. Taught in German, with English on request. |
| Strategic Foresight: Leading in Uncertain Times | HEC Montreal, Ecole des dirigeants Canada |
On campus, 2 days, English and French | Two days on horizon scanning, the Futures Wheel, scenario planning and backcasting. Offered in both English and French, and sold out in every year it has run since 2024. |
| Strategic Foresight Certification Program | McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business Canada |
Hybrid, 30 hours, English | Thirty hours across three weeks, run by DeGroote’s Foresight Lab, with a virtual opening, three residency days in Ontario and two virtual sessions. Co-designed by Candice Chow and Riel Miller, formerly head of foresight and futures literacy at UNESCO. |
Other programs
A large share of serious foresight training now happens outside universities, at independent institutes, professional bodies and government academies.
| Program | Institution | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFTF Foresight Essentials | Institute for the Future (IFTF) United States |
Hybrid, 3 days in-person, English | The flagship training from the most credible independent institute in the field, running since 1968. Three days in person, or 22 hours online across ten weeks. |
| Applied Strategic Foresight / Futures and Foresight with AI / Strategize Like a Futurist (with Hyper Island) / Cultural Foresight Masterclass | Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS) Denmark |
Hybrid, 2 days on-site, English | Short intensive courses from an institute established in 1969 by Thorkil Kristensen. Includes a six-week online course on foresight with AI. |
| Certified Foresight Practitioner (CFP) | TFSX (The Futures School, formerly Kedge Futures) United States |
Hybrid, 3-year, English | Founded in 2015 by Frank Spencer and Yvette Montero Salvatico, built on the Natural Foresight framework from their firm Kedge. A proctored exam and a three-year credential requiring renewal. |
| Metafuture School | Metafuture Global |
Online, self-paced, English | Sohail Inayatullah, the inaugural UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, and Ivana Milojević teach Six Pillars and Causal Layered Analysis. Three courses, with certification through Tamkang University. The most direct route to CLA from the person who created it. |
| International Certified Future Strategist (ICFS) | Kairos Future Sweden |
Hybrid, 6 months, English | Six months and nine contact days from a Swedish foresight firm established in 1994. Built on its TAIDA method, with a capstone project. |
| Futures Thinking Specialization | Institute for the Future, via Coursera United States |
Online, 2 months, English | IFTF’s methods as a five-course specialization. Roughly two months at ten hours a week. |
| Dubai Future Academy open-enrollment courses, including 'Technology Foresight', 'Methods for Scenario Planning', and 'Futures Thinking and Strategy Transformation' | Dubai Future Foundation United Arab Emirates |
On campus, 2-3 days per course, English | Two to three day courses in technology foresight and scenario planning. Published 2026 catalogue and fees. Government-run rather than academic. |
| Dubai Future Experts Program (DEEP) | Dubai Future Foundation United Arab Emirates |
On campus, approx. 6 months, English | A six-month government practitioner certification running April to November, awarding Certified Foresight Practitioner at two levels. Described as the first attempt anywhere to institutionalize foresight across a public sector. |
| Certificate Course on Foresight and Futures Thinking (CC-FFT) | Development Academy of the Philippines Philippines |
Online, English | A recurring public certificate course from a government-chartered graduate academy, now in its fourteenth batch. Five modules, online. |
| APF Full Membership (peer-reviewed competency credential) and Foresight Competency Model | Association of Professional Futurists (APF) United States |
Online, English | The field’s professional body. Full membership is earned by peer review of a portfolio of work, not by examination. |
| WFSF membership, World Futures Day, and Accredited Foresight Programme (institutional accreditation, not an individual credential) | World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) Global |
Hybrid, English | Founded in 1973, affiliated with UNESCO. A scholarly and professional body. Accredits programs rather than individuals. |
| Futures Literacy Laboratories (FLL) and Futures Literacy capacity-building | UNESCO France |
Hybrid, 1-3 day, Multiple | Futures Literacy Laboratories, developed principally by Riel Miller. Delivered with partner institutions worldwide. |
| OECD Policy Foresight Academy / OECD Policy Foresight Training Programme | OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) France |
Hybrid, English | Capacity building for national government officials through the OECD’s Government Foresight Community. Not open enrollment. |
| Blue Book Foresight Hub | European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), with the EU Policy Lab Belgium |
On campus, English | Foresight training for European Commission trainees through the Joint Research Centre. Not open to the public. |
| FutureWISE Institute and FutureWISE Certification | Teach the Future United States |
Online, English | A non-profit bringing futures thinking into schools. An institute and certification track for educators. |
| GIMI Future Foresight Certification (3 levels: Certified Foresight Professional / Leader / Level 3) | Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI) Global |
Online, English | A three-level certification from a multi-discipline innovation certification vendor. Assessed by online exam. |
| Summer School in Futures Studies (Genoa) | FutureSis (Italian Statistical Society) with University of Genoa and The Millennium Project Italy Node Italy |
On campus, 3 days, Italian | A three-day summer school in Genoa, run with the University of Genoa and the Millennium Project’s Italy node. In Italian. |
What a foresight qualification is worth
The field’s own body does not certify by examination. The Association of Professional Futurists awards full membership on peer review of a portfolio of work. The organization best placed to certify practitioners decided that demonstrated work is what counts.
No provider claims employer recognition. Across every provider examined for this page, none asserts that its credential is required or preferentially weighted in hiring. No independent source was found that does either.
The institutional base is fragile. Corvinus no longer teaches futures studies as a program, with a single elective surviving. Tamkang’s Graduate Institute of Futures Studies, one of the most significant in Asia, was merged into a college of education, where it survives as the Department of Education and Futures Design, accredited by the World Futures Studies Federation in 2024. Swinburne’s Australian Foresight Institute, founded by Richard Slaughter in 1999 and later taught by Joseph Voros and Peter Hayward, was taught out around 2016. Programs on this page survive because a particular person keeps them alive.
There is no undergraduate degree in the subject. Both that this page previously listed have closed, in Hungary and in the United States. The closest thing running is Kyushu University’s design school, where futures work sits inside an undergraduate design curriculum rather than standing as a degree of its own. Foresight is a second discipline almost everywhere it is taught.
The credential does count in some places. Government and intergovernmental hiring often requires a formal qualification before it will consider a candidate. An academic career is closed without a doctorate.
What a good program gives you is the methods, a vocabulary precise enough to argue in, a cohort of people who think this way, and supervised time on problems that matter.
Governments, not the profession, are deciding who gets to certify a futurist. Into the space the Association of Professional Futurists has declined to occupy have stepped states. Dubai Future Foundation now awards its own Certified Foresight Practitioner credential through a six-month program. The Development Academy of the Philippines is on the fourteenth batch of a recurring public course. The two most active issuers of foresight credentials in the world today are governments rather than universities.
The qualifications listed here can accelerate your journey to becoming a professional foresight practitioner, giving you access to accumulated expertise and domain leadership. Choose the route that best supports your intentions and aspirations.
