BLOCKCHAIN AND CRYPTO APPLICATIONS: FROM DECENTRALIZED FINANCE TO WEB 3

Ready to capitalize on the potential crypto and blockchain offer?
Develop an early stage project idea in DeFi, Web 3, or the NFT space

Duration

8 weeks,
excluding orientation

Effort

6–8 hours per week,
self-paced learning online

Learning Format

Weekly modules,
flexible learning

Other Detail

Earn a digital MIT Sloan certificate

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

1

The skills to capitalize on every wave of crypto technologies, with the tools to navigate regulation and policy.

2

Insight into decentralized finance (DeFi), its potential use-cases, and the issues standing in the way of widespread adoption.

3

An understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and costs of Web 3, its governance and DAOs.

4

The knowledge to create an early stage crypto or blockchain project idea suited to your business context.

COURSE CURRICULUM

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

MODULE 1 The Crypto Ecosystem: From Bitcoin to Web 3
Explore the fundamental trends that characterize the cryptocurrency space.

MODULE 2 Forming Your Perspective on Crypto
Explore the differing views of investors, academics, developers and journalists within the crypto ecosystem.

MODULE 3 Scaling Crypto Applications: The Future of Payments
Explore the role of stablecoins and public sector infrastructure in the payments space.

MODULE 4 DeFi and the Future of Finance
Discover the opportunities and the regulatory challenges of decentralized finance (DeFi).

MODULE 5 NFTs: The Future of Digital Platforms and the Metaverse
Explore the economics of Web 3, digital ownership, and tokens, as well as the associated costs.

MODULE 6 Designing for Web 3: Network Effects
Learn about the last mile frictions and challenges in Web 3.

MODULE 7 Key Challenges for Crypto: Privacy, Governance, and Regulation
Explore the battle for regulation and the complexities of governance in the crypto space.

MODULE 8 Building on the Crypto Frontier
Discover the possibilities that lie ahead in the crypto space from finance to the metaverse.

Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.

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.

“For markets to thrive, buyers and sellers need to be able to trust the information they use to decide when and with whom to transact. Whenever the asymmetry of information between buyers and sellers is too large, markets unravel, and beneficial trades do not take place. Blockchain technology, by lowering the cost of verification, can make markets more secure and efficient, and expand the types of transactions we are willing to engage in.”
– Christian Catalini, Research Scientist, MIT Sloan School of Management

Forbes (Oct, 2017).

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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