Level up your professional skills with MIT’s online resources

By Katherine Ouellette

Are you ready to launch your career to the next level? Is your team searching for a professional development adventure? Could your university use support boosting your students and faculty to great heights? MIT Open Learning offers courses and programs geared towards working professionals around the world. Following our beginner’s guide to open learning at MIT, this article explores the professional development opportunities that bring MIT knowledge to your fingertips.

For individuals

MITx MicroMasters Programs

MITx MicroMasters Programs provide an affordable and convenient path to accelerate your career or master’s degree. These five programs offer a series of graduate-level online courses taught by MIT instructors, based on the academically rigorous material and robust assessments from their classrooms. Professionals can accelerate any stage of their career by passing proctored exams to earn a credential. Credential earners can also apply for an accelerated master’s degree program at MIT and other pathway schools.

What’s in the catalog?

• Data, Economics, and Design of Policy
• Finance
• Principles of Manufacturing
• Statistics and Data Science
• Supply Chain Management

What are learners doing with these programs?

• After earning their MicroMasters credentials, Mlen-Too Wesley and Diogo da Silva Branco Magalhães were accepted into accelerated master’s programs at MIT and Northwestern University, respectively.
• A quantum scientist, a nurse, and an economist completed the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy so they could join the fight against global poverty.
• The MicroMasters Program in Finance helped Michael Pilgreen pivot careers from the arts world to a financial technology startup.

MIT xPRO

MIT xPRO’s online courses and blended programs are application-focused, helping professionals build their skills on the job. These professional development opportunities are based on cutting-edge research about the neuroscience of learning, content from MIT faculty and other world-renowned industry experts, and decades of experience training technical professionals. Anyone seeking a professional certificate can enroll with MIT xPRO.

What’s in the catalog?

• Designing and Building AI Products and Services
• Driving Innovation with Generative AI
• Predictive Artificial Intelligence
• Professional Certificate in Advanced Project Management
• Professional Certificate in Data Science and Analytics
• Quantum Computing Fundamentals

How do learners benefit from these courses and programs?

• Professionals who completed MIT xPRO’s System Thinking say this course transforms careers through practical skills and fresh perspectives on problem-solving.
• More than 150 professionals reveal how MIT xPRO Quantum Computing Fundamentals affected their professional goals, career growth, and job opportunities.
• After earning MIT xPRO’s Online Systems Engineering Certificate, two-thirds of survey respondents saw positive career impacts within six months.

MIT Emerging Talent

MIT Emerging Talent, part of the MIT Jameel World Education Lab, designs and deploys new academic and professional opportunities for underserved communities around the world, including historically marginalized groups and displaced populations. Emerging Talent’s annual Certificate Program in Computer and Data Science is based on the core pillars of quality academics, soft skills, experiential learning, and networking. Emerging Talent harnesses MIT’s online learning courses and tools, global networks, and entrepreneurial spirit for these talented professionals who are facing challenging economic and social circumstances.

What are learners doing with this program?

• After fleeing the civil war in Sudan, Sujood Eldouma turned adversity into opportunity by deepening her data science career skills.
• Russian asylee Pavel Illin began working as a software engineer at the New York City Mayor’s Office.
• Tahmina was determined to continue her studies after Afghanistan banned women from pursuing education.

For organizations

MIT xPRO

MIT xPRO’s online courses and blended programs are also available for organizational learning and development. These professional development resources can help standardize knowledge and skills across your team, improving communication, consistency, and efficiency. MIT xPRO can also develop customized learning for teams with bespoke courses and programs.

What are teams doing with these courses and programs?

• Organizations are driving innovation with asynchronous learning.
• Systems engineering helped Whirlpool become a global powerhouse.
• Organizations are overcoming barriers to adopting generative AI in the workplace.

Horizon

MIT Horizon’s continuous learning library and stackable training experiences make complex concepts easy to understand for every learning level of your team. Leveraging content grounded in real-world scenarios and cutting-edge research that boosts retention and fluency, these resources enable teams to close critical skill gaps and stay ahead of disruptive technologies. MIT Horizon’s custom pathways are designed to meet unique learning objectives and organizational goals.

What insights can teams gain from these resources?

• Three ways companies are using generative artificial intelligence.
• Industries ranging from manufacturing to medicine are leveraging 3D printing.
• The tech industry is making major advancements in the supply chain.

MIT Jameel World Education Lab

The MIT Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) empowers its global member universities who strive to spur educational innovations on campus and within their communities. From professional development opportunities for faculty to capacity-building for administrators, J-WEL sets institutions up for success with the latest expertise in curriculum design and learning science. Through a mix of in-person and online workshops and events, custom engagements, and thoughtful conversations, J-WEL members are enabled to create educational systems and pathways for everyone to thrive.

What are institutions doing with this membership?

• J-WEL’s member institutions recently discussed what elements — including hands-on learning and community — set students up for successful university experiences that prepare them for the workforce.
• Wadah Foundation built support systems for learners that bridge the gap between education and the workforce.
• Riga Business School created the Education Innovation Laboratory, a strategic initiative to foster innovation within and across Latvian universities.

Learn more about MIT Open Learning and its professional courses and programs.

Does your organization host paid internships with a focus on computer or data science? MIT Emerging Talent wants to work with you! Other experiential learning opportunities such as projects, workshops, hackathons, and networking events are also welcome. Contact emergingtalent@mit.edu.

Level up your professional skills with MIT’s online resources was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.