The MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) is an online program designed by MIT’s Department of Economics and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) to equip learners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing developing countries and the world’s poor.
The program consists of online courses offered via MIT Learn. To complete the program and earn the DEDP MicroMasters program credential, a learner must pass and earn the MicroMasters course certificate for five courses corresponding to one of the Program Tracks, as described below.
Two Tracks to Complete the DEDP MicroMasters Program Credential
The DEDP MicroMasters Program offers two different Tracks to complete the Program Credential, the International Development Track and the Public Policy Track.
International Development Track: This Track applies the tools acquired in the core courses to explore issues prevalent in societies experiencing massive and persistent poverty. This track offers the elective courses Challenges of Global Poverty, Foundations of Development Policy, and Political Economy and Economic Development. These courses delve into the key questions asked by scholars studying poverty today, using real-life empirical examples from low- and middle-income countries. They examine topics like determinants of decisions made by low-income households, the value and impact of microfinance, and the relationship between economic development and political institutions.
Public Policy Track: This Track builds upon the tools acquired in the core courses to address a range of public policies. This track offers the elective courses Good Economics for Hard Times, Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy, and Energy Economics and Policy. These courses tackle various policy issues, encompassing local policies—like minimum wage & employment, food stamps & consumer welfare, and the economics of risk & safety regulation; as well as global issues—such as trade, climate change, and immigration. They provide insights into the forefront of public policy debates.
DEDP MicroMasters Program Completion Criteria
To complete the DEDP MicroMasters Program and earn the program credential, learners must earn the course certificate for five DEDP courses, depending on their chosen Program Track.
To earn the course certificate for a DEDP course, a learner must enroll in a session of the course, submit payment of the course fee to upgrade to the verified/certificate (paid) enrollment track, complete the online coursework—comprising lectures, short quizzes, homework assignments, and a comprehensive review—complete the proctored exam at the end of the course session, and earn a passing total course grade. For more information about earning a course certificate, please refer to this FAQ article.
All DEDP learners must pass all three core courses:
Core Courses
- 14.100x Microeconomics
- JPAL102x Designing and Running Randomized Evaluations
- 14.310x Data Analysis for Social Scientists
All learners must also pass two Elective Courses from one of the DEDP Program Tracks. Both Elective Courses must belong to the same Program Track, and at least one Elective Course must be an Advanced Elective.
Elective Courses
International Development Track (choose 2)
- 14.73x The Challenges of Global Poverty (Introductory)
- 14.740x Foundations of Development Policy (Advanced)
- 14.750x Political Economy and Economic Development (Advanced)
Public Policy Track (choose 2)
- 14.009x Good Economics for Hard Times (Introductory)
- 14.444x Energy Economics and Policy (Introductory)
- 14.003x Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy (Advanced)
- 14.194x Frontiers of Applied Economics (Advanced)
Benefits
Learners who successfully complete the DEDP MicroMasters Program will earn a MicroMasters program credential in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy, and may become affiliate members of the MIT Alumni Association.
Learners who earn the MicroMasters program credential may also pursue several pathways to a graduate degree at MIT and other institutions. At MIT, learners are eligible to apply for admission to the MIT Economics Master’s Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy. If accepted, students will be able to pursue an accelerated on-campus Master’s degree at MIT, earning MIT credit for their MicroMasters program courses.
How to Enroll in the DEDP MicroMasters Program
There is no formal application or admission process for the DEDP MicroMasters Program. Instead, learners are encouraged to enroll in individual courses as their schedule permits. MicroMasters courses are offered on the MIT Learn platform. You will need to create an MIT Learn account to enroll if you do not already have one.
You may also visit the MicroMasters program page for the DEDP program for more information about the program, and its courses.
Course Pricing
The Data, Economics, and Design of Policy MicroMasters program offers personalized pricing. The price of courses is determined for each learner based on the learner's ability to pay.
After you have created an MIT Learn account, you can apply for your DEDP MicroMasters personalized price by visiting a DEDP course page and clicking the "Financial assistance available" link.
You will be prompted to enter your financial information, and you may be required to submit financial documentation to calculate your personalized course price. If you calculated your personalized price in the past, and your financial information has changed, please let us know, and we will reset your financial calculator.
A breakdown of course pricing is presented below.
Annual Household Income:
- $0 - $25,000 : $250 USD per course
- $25,000 - $50,000: $350USD per course
- $50,000 - $75,000: $500 USD per course
- Over $75,000: $1,000 USD per course
- A limited number of $100 course price coupons will be awarded by lottery each term to those who earn less than $10,000 USD. For more information please visit our FAQ page.
Start Now and Pay Later
You are also welcome to start by auditing courses for free and upgrade to paid status at a later point. If you plan to sit for a course’s proctored exam at the end of a term, you must submit payment for that course session before the term’s payment deadline, but if you complete a course on the audit track, you can re-enroll in a future session of the course and submit payment to take the Proctored Exam at the end of that session.
When you complete a DEDP course (either on the audit or paid track) the coursework score you earn will be saved for that session. This means that if you miss the payment deadline for a course, or you aren’t able to submit payment during a specific term, you can still complete the coursework, except for the proctored exam.
You can then re-enroll in a future session of that course, submit payment for it, and sit for its proctored exam at the end of the session. If you already earned a coursework score in the past, then you can choose to simply not re-do the coursework. However, if you wish to improve your coursework score, you can choose to re-do all of the coursework. The highest coursework score you earn will be combined with the highest proctored exam score you earn to calculate your total course grade. For more information, please refer to this helpful FAQ article.
Course Availability and Schedule Planning
The MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy offers courses during three terms per year: Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Each course is offered between one and three times per year. Proctored exams occur at the end of each session of a course. For more details, please refer to this helpful FAQ article or DEDP MicroMasters News & Course Dates page.
Course Order and Pre-Requisites
The DEDP MicroMasters courses may be taken in any order. However, the DEDP team recommends that learners without prior academic preparation begin with an introductory elective such as 14.009x or 14.73x; these courses offer an accessible introduction to online learning, reducing initial stress. Conversely, 14.100x and 14.310x are more suitable entry points for learners possessing strong academic backgrounds and relevant interests.
You may take the courses in whatever order or combination works for you—based on your background, schedule, and goals.
- For more information about course order recommendations, please refer to this helpful FAQ article
- For more information about pre-requisites and preparation, please refer to this helpful FAQ article
The DEDP MicroMasters team recommends that learners be prepared in several important topic areas for each course—at an undergraduate or better level—including single- and multi-variable calculus, linear algebra, and probability & statistics. The program team has also prepared a Course Preview for every course, which will help you discover if you are prepared.
For more information relating to the program, please review the DEDP section of our helpful FAQ site. After review, please contact us again if you have any further questions.