MIT Media Lab
Cryptocurrency
online short course
Demystify cryptocurrency to discover opportunities.
About
this course
Cryptocurrencies, first launched with Bitcoin, have
brought us private sector, peer-to-peer, digital currencies.
You’ve likely heard lively debates on the actual $ US $3,000
functionality of cryptocurrencies, their long-term viability,
and potential impact. The MIT Media Lab Cryptocurrency
online short course brings you critical reasoning skills and
crypto literacy to demystify the real-world capabilities of
6 weeks,
cryptocurrency, and its economic implications.
excluding orientation
Guided by MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative –
as well as crypto industry experts, economists, financial
regulators and Internet entrepreneurs – you’ll gain the
skills to critically assess the viability of crypto projects,
7–10 hours/week of self-paced
and understand the opportunities and challenges
learning, entirely online
associated with these new technologies. With an
overview of blockchain technology, the history of money,
and insight into how entrepreneurs, incumbents and Each module is released weekly, allowing a flexible but
governments are responding to these innovations, you’ll structured approach to learning. You’ll be supported as
you engage in individual activities and group discussions,
explore cryptocurrency in its broader context.
ensuring you feel confident to submit your best work at
each weekly deadline.
What the program covers
The view of cryptocurrency offered in this course will equip you with ground truths to separate reality
from hype, and the ability to understand both the limitations and capabilities of this peer-to-peer, electronic
cash system. By comparing cryptocurrency to traditional money, modern finance, and competing
technologies, you’ll learn to understand its potential applications and possibilities. With expert guidance
from your Course Conveners and a host of esteemed guest speakers, you’ll gain valuable insight into the
economics and markets for cryptocurrencies and how they function within the economic environment.
You’ll also analyze how financial institutions, big tech, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists are responding
to the emergence of cryptocurrency.
This course
is for you if
you want:
A focused look at cryptocurrency,
its functionality and latest developments
– equipping you with the knowledge
and skills to assess the viability of
crypto projects.
An understanding of the environment in
which cryptocurrency exists, including
response strategies from big tech, big
finance, and regulators and discussions
on possible future trajectories.
Access to the renowned thought
leadership and bold, progressive
culture of the MIT Media Lab’s Digital
Currency Initiative.
Who should take this program?
This course is designed for anyone seeking a
working knowledge of the latest cryptocurrency
developments and the skills to assess the viability
of crypto projects, and is especially applicable
to executives exploring new organizational needs.
The program is relevant to both financial
services and IT professionals aiming to gain
a competitive advantage within their sector by
understanding how crypto is actually being
applied. Professionals and entrepreneurs from
wide-ranging industries, who are seeking future
growth or new opportunities, will also benefit from
a comprehensive understanding of cryptocurrency
and the environment in which it operates.
How you’ll learn
This online course integrates rich, interactive
Module 3
media such as videos, infographics, and
e-learning activities, as well as traditional didactic Cryptocurrency markets, exchanges,
components, such as written study guides and trading
(course notes). There are also opportunities for Learn about the volatile cryptocurrency
collaborative learning through discussion forums. markets, exchanges, types of cryptocurrency
The following modules contribute to the holistic trading, custody solutions, and the regulations
approach your learning path takes: surrounding the cryptocurrency markets.
Orientation module Module 4
Welcome to your Online Campus The viability of crypto projects
One week Learn how to assess the economics and viability of a
You’ll be welcomed to the program and begin crypto project by exploring the payment and platform
connecting with fellow students, while exploring sector and various use cases for cryptocurrencies.
the navigation and tools of your Online Campus.
Be alerted to key milestones in the learning
Module 5
path, and review how your results will be A catalyst for change: responses
calculated and distributed. from finance, tech, and central banks
Discover how incumbents, particularly financial
You’ll be required to complete your student
institutions, big tech, and central banks are
profile, confirm your certificate delivery address,
responding to the emergence of cryptocurrencies
and submit a digital copy of your passport/
and blockchain technology.
identity document.
Module 1 Module 6
Money, the payment riddle, Challenges facing cryptocurrency
and cryptocurrency innovation and the path forward
Explore the technical challenges facing
Explore the origins and evolution of money,
cryptocurrencies, the Internet of Value as
and how Bitcoin and blockchain technology
a new layer built on top of the internet,
solve the riddle of moving value on the internet.
and what the future might hold
Module 2 for cryptocurrencies.
Smart contracts, dapps, and initial
coin offerings (ICOs)
Understand what smart contracts and
decentralized applications are, and explore a What is the MIT Media Lab?
new form of crowdfunding, Initial Coin Offerings MIT MEDIA LAB
(ICOs), as well as the regulatory environment TELL ME MORE
it operates within.
Your Course
Conveners
These subject matter experts from the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative, along with a variety
of guest speakers, guide the course design and appear in a number of course videos
Gary Gensler
Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, MIT Sloan School
of Management
Gary Gensler is professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan
School of Management, co-director of MIT’s FinTech@CSAIL and senior advisor to the director of the
MIT Media Lab advising the Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative and the Ethics and Governance
on AI projects. He conducts research and teaches multiple graduate level courses on blockchain
technology, digital currencies, financial technology and public policy. He was formerly Chairman of
the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Under Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the
Maryland Financial Consumer Protection Commission and a partner at Goldman Sachs. Gensler was
the winner of the MIT Sloan Outstanding Teacher Award, based on student nominations, for the
2018-2019 academic year.
Neha Narula
Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab
Neha Narula is the director of the Digital Currency Initiative, a part of the MIT Media Lab, which
focuses on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. While completing her PhD in computer science
at MIT, she built fast, scalable, distributed systems and databases. Narula is a member of the
World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Blockchain. Previously, Narula was a senior software
engineer at Google, where she co-designed Blobstore – a system for storing and serving petabytes
of immutable data. She has also worked on Native Client, which is a way to run native code securely
through a browser.
Guest Speakers
Sandeep Arora
Jeremy Allaire
Chief Operating Officer at Citi Markets
Co-Founder and CEO of Circle
and Securities
Tadge Dryja
Sheila Bair
Co-Founder and Developer
Former Chair of the U.S. FDIC
of Lightning Network
Rod Garratt Reid Hoffman
Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair Co-Founder and Executive Chairman
in Economics at UC Santa Barbara of LinkedIn
Tom Jessop
Mike Novogratz
Head of Corporate Business
Founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital
Development at Fidelity Investments,
President of Fidelity Digital Assets
Nouriel Roubini Hyun Song Shin
Professor of Economics at NYU’s Stern Economic Adviser and Head of Research
School of Business, CEO of Roubini at Bank for International Settlements
Macro Associates
Jimmy Song
Changpeng Zhao
Crypto Developer, Educator and
Founder and CEO of Binance
Entrepreneur
Your
Head Learning Facilitator
A subject expert from GetSmarter,
approved by the University, will guide you
success
through content-related challenges.
Success Manager
team
Your one-on-one support at GetSmarter,
available during University hours (9am–5pm
EST) to resolve technical and administrative
challenges.
Receive a personalized approach to Global success team
online education that ensures you’re This team from GetSmarter is available
supported by GetSmarter throughout 24/7 to solve your tech-related queries
your learning journey. and concerns.
A powerful
collaboration
The MIT Media Lab is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of
learning experience — one that is higher-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional.
What is the MIT Media Lab? What is GetSmarter?
The MIT Media Lab is an antidisciplinary research GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc, is a digital
laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of education provider that partners with the world’s
Technology, growing out of MIT’s Architecture leading universities to select, design and deliver
Machine Group in the School of Architecture premium online short courses with a data-driven
and Planning. Its research isn’t restricted to fixed focus on learning gain. Technology meets
academic disciplines, but actively promotes a academic rigor in our people-mediated model
unique culture that emboldens unconventional which enables lifelong learners across the globe to
mixing and matching of seemingly disparate obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by
research areas – including but not limited to the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
technology, media, science, art, and design.
The MIT Media Lab Certificate
What is the Digital Assessment is continuous and based on a series
Currency Intiative? of practical assignments completed online.
The Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) is a research In order to be issued with an MIT Media Lab
community at the MIT Media Lab focused on Certificate, you will need to meet the requirements
cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, that outlined in the program handbook. The handbook
supports open source core developers, research will be made available to you as soon as you begin
scientists, and students committed to harnessing the course.
these technologies for the public good.
Your certificate will be issued in your legal name
and couriered to you at no additional cost.
All certificate images are for illustrative purposes
only and may be subject to change at the discretion
of the MIT Media Lab.
How
you’ll learn
Every course is broken down into manageable, Browser requirements
weekly modules, designed to accelerate your We recommend that you use Google Chrome as
learning process through diverse learning activities: your internet browser when accessing the Online
Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we
• Work through your downloadable and online
have found that this browser performs best for
instructional material
ease of access to program material. This browser
• Interact with your peers and learning
can be downloaded here.
facilitators through weekly class-wide forums
and reviewed small group discussions
Additional requirements
• Enjoy a wide range of interactive content,
Certain courses may require additional software
including video lectures, infographics,
and resources. These additional software and
live polls, and more
resource requirements will be communicated to
• Investigate rich, real-world case studies you upon registration and/or at the beginning
• A pply what you learn each week to quizzes of the program. Please note that Google,
and ongoing assignments, culminating in Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our course
comprehensive cryptocurrency knowledge delivery, and if these services are blocked in your
that enables you to assess the viability jurisdiction, you may have difficulty in accessing
of any crypto project course content. Please check with a Course
Consultant before registering for this program if
you have any concerns about this affecting your
Technical requirements experience with the Online Campus.
Basic requirements
In order to complete a course, you’ll need a
current email account and access to a computer
and the internet, as well as a Adobe PDF .You may
need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations,
and read and create documents in Microsoft
Find out what it’s like
Word or Excel. Installing Adobe Flash Player will TAKE A
give you full access to certain course content, TOUR OF YOUR
such as interactive infographics. However, you’ll ONLINE CAMPUS
still have access to this content in the form of a TELL ME MORE
downloadable PDF transcript if you’d prefer not
to use Flash.
MIT Media Lab
Cryptocurrency
online short course
Demystify cryptocurrency to discover opportunities.
REGISTER NOW
Contact us
+1 617 997 4979
[email protected]
