MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Big Data and Social

Analytics certificate course
Online and part-time

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology | School of Architecture + Planning

Ninety percent of all currently available data, globally, has been generated over the last two years.1
By simply moving through the daily motions of our modern lives, we are all producing digital
traces about our interactions with both technology and each other - making it possible for
large-scale, high-impact social research to be conducted by those equipped with the skills
and expertise needed to dissect that data. Personal privacy can be preserved in a fashion that
nonetheless allows data to be harnessed for better commutes to work, better management of
health, better access to financial resources, and other positive societal improvements.
Businesses worldwide have realized that harnessing, processing, and analyzing the digital
information produced by individuals, organizations and institutions should be a fundamental
starting point for intelligent decision-making.
Considering that only 0.5% of all currently available data is analyzed and used, theres a
massive opportunity waiting to be taken.

MIT Big Data and Social Analytics certificate course

This 8-week online certificate course from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will
cover the fundamental theory and analysis of big data to better understand and predict human
networks and behaviours in social structures. Over the course of eight weeks, you will be guided
in how to use the technical tools, data sets and code scripts associated with big data analysis.
You will also have the opportunity to explore the unique open-source toolkits that MIT
Connection Science has incubated (such as Funf and Bandicoot); discover novel applications
relating to a new computational social science (social physics) that have proven ability to
deliver behavior change at scale; and engage with key concepts around the ethics of data,
personal privacy, and current trends in the field of data science.

Who should take this course?

Given the fact that by the year 2020, about 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every
second for every person on the planet, and over 73% of organizations have already invested or plan
to invest in big data by the end of 2016, the relevance of this course is near universal.2
The course is designed to adapt to your level of prior engagement with data knowledge by offering
both core and extension activities. The course is suitable for technically-minded graduates and
working professionals in any role, across any industry. Specific roles that would benefit include, but
are not limited to: Analysts and Analytics Managers; Consultants; Software Engineers, Developers and
Programmers; Enterprise Architects and other systems specialists; Directors with data-intensive
portfolios and CEOs, especially those in the IT industry; Data Scientists and Engineers looking to
transition into such a role; and Researchers and Project Managers who work with large datasets.
1
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At a glance: the MIT Big Data and Social Analytics online

certificate course fact sheet

8 weeks,

8 - 12 hours

online

per week

Starts

$2,300

11 July 2016

Payment options:
PAY IN FULL:

3-PART PAYMENT PLAN:

$2,300

First installment:

$1,500

Second installment: $500

Final installment: $500
Please note that an admin fee is charged on the 3-part payment plan

Prerequisites:
While a background in statistics and/or Python programming will be beneficial, it is not a
requirement, as this course offers both core and extension activities that cater to entrylevel and more advanced students.

Recommended reading:
Social Physics: How Social Networks Can Make Us Smarter, Alex Pentland

Outcome:
Students who achieve a final mark of over 70% will earn an MIT certificate in
Computational Data Analysis.

Key focus areas:

Social science influence and application

Data processing and analysis

Data ethics and personal privacy

Practical application of big data insights

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MIT instructors on this course

Alex Sandy Pentland
Founding faculty director of the MIT Connection Science Research
Initiative, which uses network science to access and change real-world
human behavior, and holds a triple appointment at MIT in Media Arts
and Sciences, Engineering Systems Division and with the Sloan School
of Management. Currently advises on data/analytics to the UN Secretary
General and the boards of AT&T, Google, Telefonica and others.

Dave Shrier
Managing Director of MIT Connection Science. Dave leads other new
initiatives for MIT, advises the European Commission on commercializing
innovation and building regional innovation capacity, and counsels
leadership at private and public companies on growth strategies. He has
also driven over $8.5 billion of growth initiatives for various Fortune 1000
companies, and has served as CEO or COO/CFO for 6 privately funded
companies.

Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye
Postdoctoral researcher in computational privacy at Harvard IQSS
currently working with Professor Latanya Sweeney and Professor Gary
King. Yves-Alexandre received his PhD at the MIT Media Lab under the
supervision of Prof. Alex SandyPentland, and his research aims at
understanding how the unicity of human behavior impacts the privacy of
individuals in large-scale metadata datasets.

Xiaowen Dong
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Human Dynamics Group at MIT Media
Lab. Xiaowens research focuses on emerging signal processing and
machine learning techniques on graphs, and their applications to the
understanding of human behavior, decision making and societal changes.
Prior to joining MIT, he received his PhD degree in Signal Processing from
the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Cam Kerry
Public policy lawyer at Sidley Austin, and speaker and writer on Public
Policy & Technology at Brookings Institution and MIT, where he applies
his experience as a government thought leader on technology and public
policy to current issues in these areas. He is the former General Counsel
for the U.S. Department of Commerce. His work focuses especially on
privacy and information security, and the application of privacy principles
to fast-changing global business and technology.

Arek Stopczynski
Data Scientist currently working in People Analytics, and a Postdoctoral
Fellow at both the Technical University of Denmark and at MIT Media
Lab (Human Dynamics Group). Arek is particularly interested in mobile
technologies, and how they can be used to learn more about human
beings.

Over and above your video lectures from these MIT instructors, youll also engage with
your course material and fellow students via intensive, tutor-led small groups and your
online discussion forum. Youll receive support from your dedicated Performance Coach
throughout to keep you on track with your studies.

Understanding these human-machine systems is whats going to make our future

social systems stable and safe. We are getting beyond complexity, data science and
web science, because we are including people as a key part of these systems. Thats
the promise of Big Data, to really understand the systems that make our technological
society. As you begin to understand them, then you can build systems that are better.
A L E X S A N DY PE N TLA N D - F OUN DIN G F A CU LTY D I R ECTOR OF MI T CONNECTI ON SCI ENCE; COU R SE I NSTR U C T O R
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What you will learn on this course

Find out more about the learning outcomes you will achieve as you progress through the 8
modules of this course:

ORIENTATION MODULE:

MODULE 3:

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT

FIRST-ORDER ANALYSIS AND DATA

EXPLORATION

Get to grips with your new online classroom.

Investigate key concepts relating to data quality,

data hygiene and data dynamics.

Meet your Course Teaching Team and get to

know your fellow classmates.

R
 evisit basic statistical modelling and analysis
methods, and receive an introduction to visual
data interrogation methods.

MODULE 1:

P
 ractically manipulate and explore data using
Python as a simple first-cut analysis.

BIG DATA AND SOCIAL PHYSICS

Learn about groundbreaking theories relating to
social physics and their use for predicting and
influencing human networks and behaviors.

MODULE 4:
PEER NETWORKS

Explore the fundamental theories related to big

data processing, machine learning and statistics.

E
 ngage with basic concepts of peer networks
and network theory.

Understand the typical sources of data, as well

as the basics of data quality, data hygiene and
data dynamics.

D
 emonstrate the ability to visually represent and
measure peer networks.
A
 pply graph partitioning algorithms to real world
data sets.

Learn how to navigate the virtual analysis

environment.

MODULE 5:

MODULE 2:
SOURCES OF DATA

SECOND-ORDER ANALYSIS AND DATA

EXPLORATION

Understand human interactions and social

physics through the lens of communication
streams, social cues and Sandy Pentlands
pioneering work on honest signals.

P
 rogress to second-order analysis and
discover the difference between correlation
and causation, as well as techniques for
differentiating between them.

Discover the types of data that can be collected

through personal sensors and how data can be
processed to create high-level features of human
behavior.

Investigate concepts such as data deserts, data

mirages and the data deluge, and discover
how these concepts can assist in understanding
the challenges of tackling big data.

Explore the Funf Open Sensing Framework

engage with practical learning exercises in data
visualization.

F
 ind out about the different phases in the
analytical approach.
E
 xplore the Bandicoot open source Python
toolbox and discover how to leverage Bandicoot
behavioral indicators.
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MODULE 8:

MODULE 6:

DATA IN ACTION

USING DATA TO EFFECT BEHAVIOR

CHANGE

E
 xamine problem set examples that look
at the application of data in context and
showcase data policy in action.

Explore data ethics and considerations

around identity, security and privacy.

Investigate the concept of a living lab as an

experiential environment for exploring the
use of big data.

Understand the basics of data protection,

along with historical data protection models,
legal requirements, as well as newlyestablished data protection models, with a
focus on location and transactional data.

R
 ecommend interventions to be taken
as a result of your analysis in module
7, and present your final analysis and
recommendations in an appropriate format.

Design interventions to be taken as a result

of big data analysis, and execute data
masking practices.

MODULE 7:
APPLICATION OF BIG DATA IN
INDUSTRY
Investigate problem set examples that
cover application of big data insights in
Healthcare, HR tech, Telco and Marketing.
Learn about fascinating use case examples,
such as:
> research from MIT that was able to
predict within 70% accuracy whether
a specific area in London would be
a crime hotspot using anonymized
human behavioral data;
> the use of mobile phone data to model
the spread of malaria, and
> using mobility patterns of purchasing
behavior to predict financial behavior
and risk profiles.
Combine what you have learned in modules
1 to 6 to conduct a full cycle analysis on a
large data set.

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A scaffolded, streamlined approach to speak to all

levels of experience
The course offers core activities and extension activities: the core activities can be
completed by students with little to no Python programming experience. The extension
activities are aimed at students with proficiency in Python programming, allowing for
exploration of more sophisticated methods of big data analysis.

This scaffolded experience will support non-technical students to answer research

questions, test hypotheses, and generate results that can be interpreted for strategic
application. Students with more advanced proficiency in Python programming and
handling large data sets will have the opportunity to explore more sophisticated
methods of big data analysis.

Analysis of Big Data is increasingly about finding connections: connections with the
people around you, and connections between peoples behavior and outcomes. You
can see this in all sorts of places. For instance, one type of Big Data and connection
analysis concerns financial data. Not just the flash crash or the Great Recession, but
also all the other sorts of bubbles that occur. What these are, are systems of people,
communications, and decisions that go badly awry. Big Data shows us the connections
that cause these events. Big data gives us the possibility of understanding how these
systems of people and machines work, and whether theyre stable.
A L E X S A N DY PE N TLA N D - F OUN DIN G F A CU LTY D I R ECTOR OF MI T CONNECTI ON SCI ENCE; COU R SE I NSTR U C T O R

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What is MIT Experimental Learning?

MIT Experimental Learning (MIT XL) is a new program within MITs School of Architecture
+ Planning (home of the world famous MIT Media Lab). MIT XL is dedicated to providing
actionable insights and hands-on capabilities enhancement for the working professional,
incorporating MITs latest thinking on computational social science and applied cognitive
science to enhance the learning experience. Drawing from MITs rich resources in
innovation, technology research, design thinking, and systems thinking, MIT XL seeks to
deliver a world-class learning experience to a global community. MIT XL incorporates
tools and content from MIT Connection Science, a research-led initiative that uses
data/analytics to build better organizations and better societies. The MIT School of
Architecture + Planning is collaborating with GetSmarter to design, develop and deliver
non-credit-bearing online certificate courses in both Future Commerce and Big Data and
Social Analytics.

Who is GetSmarter?
GetSmarter is an online education company that collaborates with top-tier universities
to present career-focused online short courses. Their people-driven approach to
online learning has resulted in an average course completion rate of over 90% across a
portfolio of over 60 university-approved short courses, over 8 years.

How youll learn

Every course is broken down into manageable, weekly modules, designed to accelerate
your learning process through diverse learning activities:
Work through your instructional material online.
Collaborate with your classmates on your projects via the discussion forum and
online hangouts.
Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, live polls,
scenario simulations, and more.
Investigate current, real-world case studies.

Apply what you learn each week in quiz assessments, collaborate activities, and
capstone project work.
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MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Big Data and Social Analytics

certificate course
REGISTER NOW

Contact us
Call: +1 224 249 3522 | Email: getsmarteronline@mit.edu

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology | School of Architecture + Planning