How to Take Graduate Courses at MIT Without Enrolling in a Degree Program

According to the MIT Graduate Admissions Department, all graduate students taking for-credit classes must enroll in a graduate program. If you want to take classes without enrolling in a degree program, MIT offers more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate-level course materials for free through the Open Courseware project. These are non-credit classes that anyone can work through at his or her own pace. Classes from each discipline are offered and may include the course syllabus, readings, assignments, labs and audio or video lectures. Textbooks may be purchased online from Amazon.com.

Things You'll Need

  • Windows, Mac or Unix computer operating system
  • High-speed computer Internet access, preferred
  • Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox browser
  • Required textbooks, optional
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Instructions

    • 1

      Navigate to MIT's Open Courseware website at ocw.mit.edu/index.htm.

    • 2

      Click on the "Getting Started with OCW" link at the top of the left sidebar. This will take you to a page with a video that explains the program. A text explanation is also available on the same page.

    • 3

      Watch the two-minute video or read through the FAQs in the left sidebar.

    • 4

      Using the navigation bar or your back button, go to the MIT Open Courseware home page.

    • 5

      Browse or search for classes that interest you. You can browse all 2,000 courses, search for a graduate class using the search bar in the upper right-hand corner of the page or find a class by browsing classes offered by specific departments. Almost every class offered on the MIT campus is available through the Open Courseware program.

    • 6

      Find classes containing mostly audio or video content by clicking on the link in the left sidebar of the home page. Links to popular classes and editor-recommended classes may also be found in the left sidebar.

    • 7

      Translations of some courses are offered in simplified and traditional Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Thai and Persian. If a course is not translated into the language you are looking for, the Creative Commons license allows you to translate the course yourself, if desired. Any courses you translate must have a disclaimer from ocw.mit.edu/courses/translated-courses/ attached.

    • 8

      Select the class you want to take by clicking on the appropriate link. The link will take you to a page with detailed information about the class. You will find the course number, title, graduate or undergraduate level and instructor at the top of the page. The course description, features and techology requirements are also listed. Courses are generally compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

    • 9

      Registration is not required to take the course and courses are free. There are no prerequisite requirements for any class. The syllabus, readings, assignments, projects, study materials and lecture notes may be found by clicking the appropriate link in the left sidebar on the course's information page. Some reading materials are provided. Textbooks may be purchased by clicking on the Amazon icon on the "Readings" page; the icon is just before the book's title.

    • 10

      Work through the materials at your own pace. You will not have access to MIT faculty during the course, and you will not receive graduate credit or a certificate from MIT once you complete the course. The courses are provided as a public service and may not include all of the information covered in a paid, for-credit class offered at MIT.

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