MicroMasters programs are a series of online graduate level courses launched by edX that one can take to develop standalone skills for career advancement or earn graduate level credentials from its respective universities, equivalent to a semester of a full master's degree. It was designed to be the bridge between a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, allowing employees to continue advancing their education without affecting their employment and personal commitments.
First launched in September 2016 with 19 MicroMasters programs as an extension of its MOOC, edX eventually expanded to include 17 additional programs in February 2017. As of September 2018, 50 different MicroMasters programs are being offered. Each MicroMasters program is sponsored by at least one industry partner, including GE, Microsoft, IBM, Hootsuite, Fidelity, Bloomberg, Walmart, PWC, Booz-Allen Hamilton, and Ford. These programs are designed to bridge the gap between job candidates with a bachelor's degree and companies that want employees with an advanced degree by offering credentials that are equivalent to 25 to 50 percent of a master's degree or 20 to 30 ECTS in Europe.
Unlike other existing microcredentials, the MicroMasters programs offer both the benefit of gaining relevant skills in a particular field that can support career development and a pathway to advanced credits in the respective universities offering the course. This includes many of the top universities in the world such as MIT, Columbia University, Delft University of Technology, and Indian Institute of Management. The idea of the MicroMasters program started out as an iteration of the existing MOOC model when Coursera first started offering specializations for its various disciplines and a response to the changing nature of work as well as the major skills shortage currently impacting businesses around the world.
Video MicroMasters
Program Structure
Prerequisites
All MicroMasters programs are currently running on the edX MOOC platform, where learners are free to audit any of the courses. Depending on the program, there are prerequisites ranging from graduate level understanding of various specific disciplines or work experienced. However, these prerequisites serve as recommended guidelines for the learners rather than a strictly enforced rule so there are no specific degree requirements for any of the courses. However, learners will have to pay if they wish to pursue a verified certificate.
Certification
To qualify for a certificate for successfully completing a MicroMasters Program, all learners are required to complete a series of interactive courses as specified in the respective MicroMasters program and achieve a minimum grade according to the institution awarding the certification.
For learners interested in developing skills for professional advancement, the certificate for completing a MicroMasters Program may be sufficient.
Continuing Education
For learners interested in academic credit, the learner must be admitted into the university's respective master's program. Some programs, such as the MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management by MIT also operate on a blended learning model which include a timed examination as well as a final proctored examination. Admission requirements for its on-campus blended learning program differ from its traditional residential admission requirements as applicants are not required to submit scores in a GRE or GMAT as performance in the Micromasters program will be taken as a substitute for it. Some other programs still follow usual admission guidelines and the MicroMasters program has little to no impact on their application apart from receiving advanced credits upon admission into its respective programs. Generally, most courses include practice exercises which are ungraded as well as graded assignments with limited attempts.
The following is a list of the current MicroMasters programs offered as well as the respective graduate degree options available for each program upon graduation of the MicroMasters program.
Maps MicroMasters
Recent developments
2014
Georgia Institute launched its online master's in computer science to emulate its residential program as much as possible. Later, in 2017, with edX it also started a MicroMasters program for analytics, which would allow advanced credits for its online master's in analytics (for admitted learners) and also support learners interested in the subject matter and for whom the MicroMasters program certificate met career needs.
2016
edX applied for a trademark for "MicroMasters" in response to Udacity registering "nanodegree" as its trademark in 2014. The Rocheter Institute of Technology launched its MicroMasters in project management, allowing learners to use it to fulfil the prerequisite of project management education for the PMP certification.
2017
General Electric has promised to interview any Massachusetts resident who completed a MicroMasters program in supply chain management, cybersecurity, cloud computing, or artificial intelligence.
2018
MIT admitted its first batch of 40 students into its blended supply chain management program from graduates of its MicroMasters program, reducing its usual 10-month program to 5 months. This pilot also saw 200,000 people signing up, 19,000 earning certificates and 800 sitting for the final proctored examination. It was reported in July 2018 that the students who were admitted into the blended program had better than average scores across the board than those who were in the residential program. The MIT Statistics and Data Science Center has also announced the launch of its MicroMasters program in Statistics and Data Science slated for the fall of 2018.
In July 2018, the University of Maryland announced a MicroMasters program for a MBA core curriculum, offering graduates transferable credits to a full MBA degree. In September 2018, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority provided its employees with the opportunity to join the MicroMasters program in data, economics, and development policy led by Esther Duflo as part of a strategy to develop the capabilities of young Emiratis.
References
External links
- MITx MicroMasters page
- edX MicroMasters
Source of article : Wikipedia
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