MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance
Program Information
Certificate Track
About this Program
The skills and expertise required for a career in finance are in high demand across countless industries. From asset management, to corporations, to official institutions, the career opportunities for qualified finance professionals continue to grow and evolve. For example, demand for financial analysts is predicted to grow at a faster than average rate through 2030 (Source). And according to Glassdoor, the median salary of a quantitative financial analyst was $106,575. (Source)
The MITx MicroMasters® Program in Finance offers recent graduates, early to mid-stage professionals, and other individuals interested in pursuing a career in finance, an opportunity to advance in the finance field or fast-track an MIT Sloan Master of Finance through a rigorous, comprehensive online curriculum, delivered by the world-renowned MIT Sloan School of Management.
Drawn from the STEM-based curriculum taught on campus, all five online courses in this program mirror on-campus graduate-level MIT coursework and cover the following topics: modern finance, financial accounting, mathematical methods for quantitative finance, and derivatives markets. Learners who complete and pass each course in this online program, as well as the proctored Comprehensive Final Exam, may earn a MicroMasters program credential in finance, and are considered affiliate members of the MIT Alumni Association. Those learners are eligible to apply to the MIT Sloan Master of Finance and upon acceptance, earn credit for the work performed online.
What you'll learn
- Comprehend the foundations of modern finance.
- Perform applied computational techniques in R and apply advanced mathematical topics in financial engineering and quantitative finance using linear algebra, optimization, probability, stochastic processes, and statistics.
- Understand the basics of corporate finance, capital budgeting, real and financial options, capital structure, yield curve analysis, and corporate risk management.
- Apply financial decision making, the theory of efficient markets, valuation theory, financial securities, risk analysis, portfolio theory, derivatives pricing, hedging strategies based on duration and convexity, and asset pricing models.
- Identify the basic structure of financial reports and the process of recording transactions. Understand how investors, creditors, and other users analyze financial statements to assess corporate performance.
Courses
To complete this program, you must take 6 required courses.
Required Courses
How you'll learn
Real-World LearningLearn from MIT faculty and experts who ground their teaching in real-world cases rather than mathematical models, making the material approachable for all.
Learn From OthersConnect with an international community of professionals working on real-world projects.
- Learn On Demand
Access all course content online with complete flexibility to study at your own pace.
Meet your instructors
Deborah Lucas
Sloan Distinguished Professor of Finance
Deborah Lucas is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Finance at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and the Director of the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy.
Her recent research has focused on measuring and accounting for the costs and risks of government financial obligations. Her academic publications cover a wide range of topics including the effect of idiosyncratic risk on asset prices and portfolio choice, dynamic models of corporate finance, financial institutions, monetary economics, and valuation of government guarantees. An expert on federal credit programs, Lucas has testified before Congress on budgeting for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, student loans, and on strategically important financial institutions.
Previous appointments include assistant and associate director at the Congressional Budget Office; Donald C. Clark Professor of Finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management; chief economist at the Congressional Budget Office; senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers; and member of two Social Security Technical Advisory Panels. Lucas also has served as a director on several corporate and non-profit boards.
She is on the editorial board of the Annual Review of Financial Economics , a coeditor of AEA-Policy , and a co-organizer of the group Capital Markets and the Economy at the NBER. Lucas is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, a research associate of the NBER, a member of the Advisory Roundtable of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a member of the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee, a member of the Shadow Open Market Committee, and a member of the Academic Research Council for the Urban Institute Housing Finance Policy Center.
Lucas received her BA, MA, and a PhD in economics, all from the University of Chicago.
Current Research Focus: Lucas's current research lies at the intersection of finance and policy, with a focus on economically meaningful cost measurement of government financial activities. Some current projects include measuring the capital subsidies to state-owned enterprises, analyzing the risk-sharing potential of collective defined contribution plans, creating a world atlas of government financial institutions, measuring the subsidies and risks associated with development banks, and analyzing reverse mortgages.
FAQs
This is a graduate-level program for Finance professionals, and those moving into finance, who need both strong finance fundamentals and emerging analytical and technology-enabled skills.
The curriculum mirrors MIT Sloan on-campus graduate coursework, so it suits learners comfortable with a rigorous, math-heavy approach (please see below for prerequisites per course).
Roles that may benefit the most from this program include:
- Financial managers & strategic roles: Organizations will continue to demand leaders who can drive financial strategy, risk management, and data-informed decision-making
- Data- and technology-augmented finance specialists: As finance departments adopt real-time analytics and AI tools, skills in interpreting and applying data will be essential
- Financial analysts and quantitative analysts: Build the valuation, portfolio theory, and derivatives pricing skills these roles rely on, plus the mathematical and computational modeling (optimization, stochastic processes, probability) needed to turn data into investment and strategy insights
- Personal financial advisors: Projected to grow significantly as individuals increasingly seek sophisticated planning support
- Risk managers and derivatives or hedging specialists: Learn risk measurement frameworks and hedging strategies for derivatives and other financial instruments, backed by quantitative methods for modeling, simulation, and risk analysis.
- Corporate finance professionals: Strengthen your command of capital budgeting, capital structure, and real and financial options, and learn to read financial statements to inform investment and management decisions
- Aspiring MIT Sloan Master of Finance Applicants: Get MIT Sloan-level coursework that mirrors on-campus graduate classes, with the option to apply to the Master of Finance program and, if accepted, potentially receive credit for your online work Get MIT Sloan-level coursework that mirrors on-campus graduate classes, with the option to apply to the Master of Finance program and, if accepted, potentially receive credit for your online work.
Each individual course has its own prerequisites, as listed below:
- Foundations of Modern Finance I: Calculus (required), linear algebra (required) and probability and statistics (suggested)
- Foundations of Modern Finance II: successful completion of course 1, Foundations of Modern Finance I, probability and statistics, calculus and linear algebra
- Financial Accounting: Basic math
- Mathematical Methods for Quantitative Finance: Calculus (multivariable), probability and statistics, linear algebra and basic programming skills
- Derivatives Markets: Advanced Modeling and Strategies: Courses 1 and 2 (Foundations of Modern Finance I and II), calculus and basic programming skills
- Comprehensive Final Exam in Finance: You will first need to complete and pass all five courses in the MicroMasters Program in Finance in order to be eligible for the Comprehensive Final Exam
The MicroMasters Program in Finance curriculum mirrors on-campus graduate coursework and prepares learners for strategic roles that leverage quantitative analysis, financial engineering, valuation, and financial decision-making in a world where digital fluency and analytical mastery have become critical. Course content is tied to current professional challenges, and due to the rigorous nature of courses, a MicroMasters credential is a demonstrated achievement you can use with employers to show your expertise. MicroMasters programs serve as both a pathway to a full master’s degree and as a standalone credential.
Additionally, upon completing this program, you will:
- Gain access to an official Infinite Connection account on the MIT Alumni Association website
- Gain access to a private LinkedIn group, ideal for discovering job postings and professional opportunities
- Participate in MIT Alumni Association events and exclusive MITx MicroMasters in SCM credential holder events
- Receive discounted registration for select MIT CTL conferences, bootcamps, and workshops
- Enjoy access to library journals through JSTOR and EBSCO
- Be eligible for a 10% discount on all MIT Press publications (print books and e-books) for continued career development
In your day-to-day, this program will help you:
- Master key principles of modern finance theory, including time value of money, risk–return tradeoffs, and market efficiency.
- Analyze corporate finance decisions, such as capital budgeting, capital structure, and real and financial optionsApply advanced valuation theory, financial securities analysis, and portfolio management concepts.
- Understand risk measurement frameworks and implement hedging strategies for derivatives and other financial instruments.
- Interpret and evaluate financial statements and disclosures to assess corporate performance and inform strategic decisions.
- Integrate insights from financial reporting into investment and management decisions.
- Develop mathematical and statistical models used in quantitative finance, including optimization, stochastic processes, and probability theory.
- In your day-to-day, this prPython, or your preferred language for modeling, simulation, and risk analysis.
This program contains five courses, plus the Comprehensive Exam in Finance. The initial five courses each run for 12 weeks, and the Comprehensive Exam runs for four weeks.
The weekly time commitment estimates for each course are below:
- Foundations of Modern Finance I: 10-14 hours/week
- Foundations of Modern Finance II: 10-14 hours/week
- Financial Accounting: 10-14 hours/week
- Mathematical Methods for Quantitative Finance: 10-14 hours/week
- Derivatives Markets: Advanced Modeling and Strategies: 10-14 hours/week
- Comprehensive Final Exam in Finance: 10-14 hours/week
Courses are self-paced, and are delivered online, asynchronously. Lessons are pre-recorded and released according to a calendar specific to each course. The calendar will be posted at the beginning of each course. This means you can access course materials on-demand once they are released in order to complete assignments when it works best for you. Additionally, there are in-course discussion forums where you can engage in discussions with peers and seek support from the course teaching assistant (TA) team.
Learners who successfully complete a course when enrolled on the upgraded certificate track will receive a verified certificate issued by MIT Open Learning.
Learners who successfully pass the Comprehensive Final Exam will also receive a program credential certificate.
Completing this MicroMasters program makes you eligible to apply to master's programs at MIT and at more than 15 graduate-level programs at universities around the world.
MIT is actively working to expand the list of credit pathway institutions for MicroMasters Program Credentials.
Learners on the audit track can access lessons and practice problems, but not exams. Audit learners are not eligible to earn a certificate nor pursue a full master’s track. There is no cost to participate in the audit track of a course.
Learners on the certificate track have access to exams and are eligible to receive a certificate upon passing the course. There is a fee to participate in the certificate track of a course. Learners who successfully pass all courses in a program on the verified track are eligible to pursue a full master’s program.
Learners wishing to earn a certificate in a course may start on the audit track, but must join the certificate track and pay the course fee prior to the payment deadline in order to be eligible.
You do not need to purchase the full program, and can instead purchase each course individually. However, the bundled program purchase is the best value, as it includes all five courses plus the comprehensive exam for $2964.60 ($329.40 in savings compared to purchasing courses individually). Additionally, we recommend taking the courses in order for the best learning experience, and to ensure you gain the prerequisite knowledge needed for each course.
Yes, Financial Assistance is available to a limited number of eligible learners who need support in covering some of the costs of the Finance MicroMasters courses. Applications for financial assistance must be submitted during the second, third or fourth week of a course session. View these support articles for more information on the application process.
Yes. Most modules in each course include scored assignments that help learners apply and demonstrate their understanding of the material. Because the courses are self-paced, learners complete these assignments according to their own schedule within the course access period.
The final requirement for earning the MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance credential is the Comprehensive Final Exam in Finance (CFx): a series of proctored exams that assess learners’ knowledge across all subject areas covered in the program.
