BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES:
BUSINESS INNOVATION AND APPLICATION

Discover the transformative potential of blockchain technology for your business

Duration

6 weeks, excluding
orientation

Effort

5-8 hours per week,
entirely online

Learning Format

Weekly modules,
flexible learning

Other Detail

Earn an MIT Sloan
digital certificate

ON COMPLETION OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU’LL WALK AWAY WITH:

1

A deeper understanding of the capabilities and limitations of blockchain technology, enabling you to assess which business problems it can solve.

2

A framework for a blockchain-based strategy that addresses a challenge within your own business context.

3

Knowledge of how blockchain powers applications like bitcoin and other token-based initiatives, guided by cryptoeconomics expert Christian Catalini.

“[W]ith pioneering enterprises reaping business benefits, more companies are ready to explore what blockchain can do for them..”*

*MIT Sloan Management Review (Feb, 2021).

EARN A DIGITAL CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
FROM MIT SLOAN

Get recognized for your knowledge when you earn a digital certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management, one of the world's leading business schools.1 This program also counts toward an MIT Sloan Executive Certificate, which you can earn upon completion of four programs: three from your chosen certificate track and one completed in-person.

1 QS Top Universities (Aug, 2021).

40 mill.

The number of jobs that will be affected by blockchain globally by 2030.

PwC (Jun, 2022).

COURSE CURRICULUM

Over the duration of this online program, you’ll work through the following modules:

Module 1 An Introduction to Blockchain Technology
Test hypotheses for business problems that may require blockchain technology.

Module 2 Bitcoin and the Curse of the Double-Spending Problem
Evaluate bitcoin (and its consensus model) as a specific application of blockchain technology that solves a meaningful problem.

Module 3 Costless Verification: Blockchain Technology and the Last Mile Problem
Recommend solutions to the last mile problem using blockchain technology and suitable, complementary technology.

Module 4 Bootstrapping Network Effects Through Blockchain Technology and Cryptoeconomics
Deduce the economic consequences of a reduction in two key costs enabled by blockchain technology.

Module 5 Using Tokens to Design New Types of Digital Platforms
Counterbalance benefits and costs for a business adding a token to its ecosystem.

Module 6 The Future of Blockchain Technology, AI, and Digital Privacy
Propose a blockchain-based solution to address a business problem within your own context.

FACULTY DIRECTOR

Christian Catalini

Founder, MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab and Research Scientist, MIT Sloan School of Management

Catalini's main areas of interest are the economics of digitization, entrepreneurship, and science. His research focuses on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, and the economics of equity crowdfunding and start-up growth. Catalini is one of the principal investigators of the MIT Digital Currencies Research Study, which gave MIT undergraduate students access to Bitcoin in the fall of 2014. He is also part of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and the Digital Currency Initiative; and was previously the Theodore T. Miller Career Development Professor at MIT; and Associate Professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management at the MIT Sloan School. He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto (Rotman School of Management), and an MSc (summa cum laude) in economics and management of new technologies from Bocconi University, Milan. In 2009-10, he was a visiting student at Harvard University.

His work has been featured in Nature, Science, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, WIRED, NPR, Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post among others. He has presented his research at a variety of institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, the Wharton School, Yale University, London Business School, New York University, UC Berkeley, the Federal Reserve Bank, the SEC, the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Department of Defense, the World Bank, and the White House OSTP.

COURSE TRAILER

PAST PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIAL image

Carl Pietrzak
Vice President, The Building Group, Inc

“This was my first experience with an online course and the platform exceeded my expectations. As the topic was completely new to me, all of the content was valuable and very challenging. The class discussions were terrific and substantially increased the value of the course for me. I took this course to facilitate a career change and I have high expectations that it will open doors. The support network was very helpful.”

PAST PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIAL

AN ONLINE EDUCATION THAT SETS YOU APART

This MIT Sloan online program is delivered in collaboration with online education provider GetSmarter. Join a growing community of global professionals, and benefit from the opportunity to:

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Develop new competencies and earn valuable recognition from an international selection of universities and institutions, entirely online and on your own time frame.

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Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience that supports you every step of the way.

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Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.

GET MORE INFORMATION

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