The courses in the MITx MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science (SDS) are delivered in an online-only format and Instructor-paced format.
SDS MicroMasters courses have schedules designed by their instruction teams. Course content becomes available only after the start date of the course session. Course sessions have a strict end date, after which it is no longer possible to submit any coursework or earn any course score. Additionally, any live aspects of a course session, such as the discussion forums, close at the end date of the course session—unless specifically noted otherwise within the courseware.
Content Format
To provide for maximum flexibility in our learners' schedules, the video content of MicroMasters courses is pre-recorded. This means that you will be able to view released course content and work on released coursework and assignments at any time of day and day of the week—you will not have to log on at specific times to view the course content.
In general, courses do not feature live lectures or other video events—though some courses may choose to offer optional live events in addition to recorded video content. Any live events will also be recorded and made available to enrolled learners. Please carefully read your course's introductory courseware for more information about its features. To learn more about the benefits of this course structure, please consider this piece from The Curve — Ask MIT Experts: Understanding the Advantages of Asynchronous Learning.
Course Team Communication Channels
In-course discussion forums are available for each course session, and the course TA team monitors these forums regularly, to provide support for learners. The discussion forums are the preferred method of reaching out to the course team with any questions related to the course content. Please carefully read your course's introductory courseware for more information.
Course Pacing: Instructor-Paced
In instructor-paced courses, Course Content is released on a specific schedule—typically weekly. Each Coursework Assignment has a set, strict due date. Assignments cannot be submitted after their due date for any reason. Consequently, it is not possible to earn credit for any coursework whose deadline you miss. This means that enrolling in a course more than a week after its Start Date may cause you to miss one or more Assignment Due Dates.
However, all courses automatically drop a certain number of your lowest-scoring Coursework Assignments—from categories like Homework or Projects—before calculating your Total Course Score. Missing a few assignments may not affect, or may only minimally affect your maximum Total Course Score, depending on the number and type of assignments you miss. To understand how missed assignments may affect your final score, refer to the section of your Courseware that describes its Homework and Grading Policy.
Consequently, if you aren't sure whether you can commit to the schedule for a certain course session, we encourage you to join that session on the Audit track, for free. This will allow you to access and explore the Course Content when it becomes available. Once you become confident about your schedule and commitment, you can submit payment to upgrade your enrollment to the Verified/Certificate (Paid) track, which grants access to additional features and opportunities—including access to the Exams and eligibility to earn the Course Certificate towards the SDS MicroMasters Program Credential.
The deadline to upgrade your enrollment for SDS MicroMasters courses varies, but is typically 2-8 weeks after the course start date. However, the assessment courses—14.310Fx and the Capstone Exam—set earlier Payment Deadlines.