EdX, THE ONLINE educational platform developed
by Harvard University in Boston and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
Cambridge, has added a new master’s degree
in supply chain management, which it will
deliver in partnership with MIT and Arizona
State University in Tempe.
To earn the degree, students must first
complete the MicroMasters program in supply
chain management offered through the MIT
Center for Transportation and Logistics; those
who wish to continue must apply and be admitted
to complete the full master’s degree in
ASU’s online program. Learners can transition
from the short program to ASU’s online master’s
program without leaving the edX platform.
The new degree option joins ten other
master’s degree programs that students can
pursue after completing one of edX’s stackable
credentials, called MicroMasters. Each
MicroMasters program comprises a series of
graduate-level courses. This particular offering,
however, is the first time that two separate
institutions have partnered to deliver a stackable
degree program available entirely on the
edX platform, according to coordinators.
Students pay US$1,080 to enroll in the
MicroMasters program. They then pay an additional
$18,000 to continue into ASU’s online
master’s program.
“We believe there will be many students who
are eager to dive deeper after their MicroMasters
program,” says Amy Hillman, dean of the
W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU.
The MIT Supply Chain Management
MicroMasters program now offers learners
pathways to completing a master’s degree at
21 institutions. The addition reflects a growing
trend in higher ed, says Krishna Rajagopal,
dean for digital learning at MIT Open Learning.
It is a trend in which educational providers are
creating program options that offer learners
“increased access to higher education and
career advancement opportunities in a flexible,
affordable manner.”