Executives, managers, and practitioners worldwide come to courses offered by MIT Professional Education's Short Programs to gain crucial knowledge and take home applicable skills.

Let MIT Professional Education's Short Programs help you take the lead in your organization.

More than 50 Short Courses offer MIT Insights

Short Programs offers more than 50 courses in one to five day sessions either on-campus or in a live virtual format, primarily in the summer. These intensive courses combine MIT’s breakthrough research with insights from industry, government, and academic participants. These courses sharpen each participant’s ability to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Featured Courses and Professional Certificate Programs
CourseTopic CategoryDate + LengthLocationLead InstructorsFeesStatus
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Jul 14 - 16, 2025
On Campus
Anthony J. Sinskey
$3600
Open
Jul 14 - 16, 2025
$3600
Jul 28 - 29, 2025
On Campus
Anna Frebel
$2200
Open
Jul 28 - 29, 2025
$2200
Data Modeling & Analytics, Innovation, Leadership & Communication
Jul 30 - Aug 01, 2025
On Campus
Adam Berinsky
$3750
Open
Jul 30 - Aug 01, 2025
$3750
Innovation
On Campus
Matthew Kressy
$3600
Coming Soon
$3600
Computer Science, Data Modeling & Analytics, Leadership & Communication, Systems Engineering
Jul 07 - 11, 2025
On Campus
David Martinez
$4200
Open
Jul 07 - 11, 2025
$4200
Design & Manufacturing
On Campus
Brian Anthony
$3600
Coming Soon
$3600
Computer Science, Data Modeling & Analytics
Jun 04 - 05, 2025
On Campus
Suvrit Sra, Andrew Lawrie
$2500
Open
Jun 04 - 05, 2025
$2500
Computer Science, Data Modeling & Analytics, Leadership & Communication
Jun 02 - 04, 2025
On Campus
Ben Waber, Abdullah Almaatouq
$3750
Open
Jun 02 - 04, 2025
$3750

Details

Time: 2-5 days

Delivery: Classroom or live virtual (synchronous online) teaching by MIT faculty and industry experts

Location: MIT campus, Cambridge, MA or online in a live virtual format

Offerings: More than 50 professional short courses; 5 Professional Certificate Programs

Attendees: 65% U.S., 35% international; mid-career technical, scientific, business, and government professionals; age 20s-50s

Calendar: June, July, and August (and occasional other months); most courses offered once yearly

How

Admission: Open enrollment

Credits: Continuing Education Units and MIT Professional Education Certificate of Completion

Fees: From approximately $900 to $1,000 per day or $1,050 to $5,850 per course (housing and meals not included)

Key features: Learn the fundamentals and industry applications of advanced topics by leading MIT Faculty and Researchers

 

Learning Opportunities

Courses are designed to allow participants to absorb working knowledge fast. Classes may involve lectures, discussions, readings, interactive problem-solving, or laboratory work. Participants learn from leading faculty and collaborate with peers. Some participants come to acquire the fundamentals of topics such as fermentation technology, radar, or tribology. Some come to learn about advances in renewable energy, cyber security, urban mobility, or manufacturing. Others delve into crisis management, data modeling & analysis, or high-speed imaging. All participants can leave Short Programs with new career tools and insights about the impact of evolving technologies.

Some courses offered by Short Programs can be run at company or international sites for groups of 30 or more as part of a Custom Program, taught on campus or an organization’s site to meet company needs, or an International Program. Please complete our inquiry form for further details.

Snapshot

Short Programs, founded in 1949 as the MIT Summer Institute and then called the Professional Institute through 2008, brings more than 1200 participants to campus each year. Recent students have come from Amgen, Biogen Idec., the Canadian DND, Genentech, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Los Alamos National Lab, MITRE, Motorola, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Defense, and Volkswagen of Mexico.

COVID-19 Update

We fully expect to resume on-campus Short Programs courses during the Summer of 2022. However, the possibility remains of ongoing disruption and restrictions due to COVID-19 which may require that the course be delivered via live virtual format. Please read more here.