MIT SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

BIG DATA
AND SOCIAL
ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

Learn to use data to better understand and predict human

networks and behaviors in social structures.
ABOUT
THIS COURSE
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.

WHAT THE science (“social physics”) that have proven their ability

PROGRAM COVERS to deliver behavior change at scale; and engage

This 8-week online certificate course from the MIT with key concepts around the ethics of data, personal

School of Architecture and Planning (MIT SA+P) privacy, and current trends in the field of data science.

will cover the fundamental theory and analysis of

big data to better understand and predict human
networks and behaviors in social structures and US$2,300
business environments. 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 8 weeks,
data analysis. excluding 1 week orientation
You will also have the opportunity to explore the unique
open-source toolkits that MIT Connection Science has
10–12 hours/week of self-
incubated (such as Funf and Bandicoot); discover novel
paced learning, entirely online
applications relating to a new computational social

$101.5 The industries making the largest investments in big data

are predicted to make a total investment of $101.5 billion

BILLION in 2020 alone.*

*idc.com, 2017

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

THIS COURSE
IS FOR YOU IF:

You want to investigate big
data analysis through the
unique lens of social physics,
as pioneered by Alex
“Sandy” Pentland
You want to be able
to conduct preliminary analyses
and draw hypotheses about
data, and design interventions
intended to change behavior
You know the value of
validating your skills and want
to earn a certificate from MIT
as proof of your knowledge**

**Certificates are issued in your legal name upon successfully completing a program according to the program completion criteria outlined during
the course. No certificate will be issued to you if you do not meet the stipulated requirements for the award of a certificate.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?

Considering that the results of big data analysis can be used to not only inform intelligent business decisions, but
also better serve humanity as a whole, the relevance of this course is near universal. Although the course includes
a technical element whereby all students are exposed to tools and methods like Python and Jupyter Notebook,
it is designed to adapt to your level of prior engagement with data knowledge by offering both graded core
activities and optional 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.

Big Data analysis gives us the unprecedented opportunity to better

understand the reality we live and to improve the functionality of our
models. These are the basis for a paradigm shift in both fundamental
research and business applications. The race is open for a new land
to explore and conquer!
– ANDREA LUCARELLI, PAST STUDENT

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

WHAT YOU WHAT IS MIT SA+P?

WILL LEARN
Find out more about

THE MIT SCHOOL

This online short course integrates rich, interactive media such OF ARCHITECTURE
as videos, infographics, and e-learning activities as well as
AND PLANNING
traditional didactic components such as written study guides
(course notes). There are also opportunities for collaborative
learning through discussion forums. The following modules
contribute to the holistic approach your learning path takes:

PREREQUISITES
While a background in statistics and/or Python programming
is not a requirement, it is recommended that you’ve had at least
some basic exposure to the Python programming language,
or similar. All students will engage with the technical elements
of the course but following just the core activities means you will
not be asked to write code from scratch - only to modify pre-
written scripts and examine the effect of those minor adjustments.

ORIENTATION
ONE WEEK
WELCOME TO YOUR ONLINE CAMPUS
You’ll be welcomed with a personal call and get introduced to your
online teaching and technical support network. Begin connecting
with fellow participants while exploring the navigation and tools
of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning
path, and review how your results will be calculated
and distributed.

You’ll be required to complete your participant profile, confirm

your certificate delivery address, and submit a digital copy of your
passport/identity document.

90%+
COURSE COMPLETION RATE
Achieved through a people-driven
support model of online learning,
tailored to individual needs.

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

MODULE 1
FOUNDATIONS OF BIG DATA AND SOCIAL PHYSICS
Learn about the key terms and concepts related to big data
and social physics as you explore the rules, laws, and policies
that apply to the practice of big data analysis.

MODULE 2
PERSONAL SENSORS AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Learn about how humans can be understood by looking
at communication streams, idea flow, social networks, and social
learning, and discover various sources of data collected through
personal sensors.

MODULE 3
FIRST-ORDER ANALYSIS AND DATA EXPLORATION
Explore the basics of data dynamics and data interrogation,
and use basic statistical and visual data interrogation methods
to analyze a data set.

MODULE 4
NETWORK OF PHYSICAL INTERACTIONS
Engage with the basic concepts of peer networks, network theory,
the structure of networks, and graph clustering.

MODULE 5
SECOND-ORDER ANALYSIS AND DATA EXPLORATION
Progress to second-order analysis and discover the difference
between correlation and causation, as well as techniques for

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

differentiating between them.


MODULE 6
USING DATA TO EFFECT BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Understand the concepts of social influence and social incentives,
their impact on behavior change, and the importance of applying
privacy-protecting methods to sensitive data.


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. Combine what
you have learned in Modules 1 to 6 to conduct a full cycle analysis
on a large data set.

MODULE 8
DATA IN ACTION
Examine problem set examples that look at the application of data
in context and showcase data policy in action, and recommend
interventions to be taken as a result of your analysis in Module 7.

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

 WHO YOU’LL
LEARN FROM
YOUR FACULTY DIRECTOR
These subject matter experts from MIT guide the course design and appear in a number of course videos, along
with a variety of industry professionals.

PROF ALEX “SANDY” PENTLAND

Prof Pentland is the founding faculty director of the MIT Connection Science Research Initiative,
which uses network science to access and change real-world human behavior. He also holds a
triple appointment at MIT in Media Arts and Sciences, Engineering Systems Division and with
the Sloan School of Management, and has been called the “Father of Social Physics”.

INDUSTRY EXPERTS
These industry experts impart their knowledge and guide your learning through a series of course videos.

AREK STOPCZYNSKI XIAOWEN DONG

Visiting Researcher, MIT Media Lab Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT Media Lab

YVES-ALEXANDRE DE MONTJOYE CAM KERRY

Visiting Researcher, MIT Media Lab Public Policy Lawyer, Sidley Austin

YOUR
HEAD FACILITATOR
A subject expert who’ll guide you
through content-related challenges

SUCCESS SUCCESS MANAGER

Your one-on-one support available during

TEAM
GetSmarter, with whom MIT SA+P are collaborating
University hours (9am - 5pm EST) to resolve
technical and administrative challenges

to deliver this online course, provide a personalized GLOBAL SUCCESS TEAM

approach to online education that ensures you’re Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related
supported throughout your learning journey. and administrative queries and concerns

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

A POWERFUL Media Lab launched in 1980 at MIT SA+P, and it

COLLABORATION continues to “check traditional disciplines at the

MIT Sloan Executive Education is collaborating door” to empower the invention — and reinvention

with online education provider GetSmarter to — of how humans experience, and can be aided

create a new class of learning experience — one by, technology.

that is higher-touch, intimate, and personalized

for the working professional.
WHAT IS MIT SA+P?
The MIT School of Architecture and Planning is
one of five schools at MIT, and comprises five main
divisions. MIT SA+P hosts the first Department of
Architecture in the US, founded in 1868. It also
contains the oldest, continuous Department of
Urban Studies and Planning, founded in 1933,
which is ranked the top planning school in the
US and Canada, Planetizen. The first university
WHAT IS GETSMARTER?
GetSmarter is an online education company
collaborating with leading universities to present
career-focused online short courses. GetSmarter’s
high-touch, people-driven approach to online
learning — centered around the importance of
human support — has resulted in an aggregate
completion rate consistently above 90% serving
more than 48,000 participants over almost
a decade.

Understanding these human-machine systems is what’s 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. That’s 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.
– ALEX “SANDY” PENTLAND, FOUNDING FACULTY DIRECTOR OF MIT CONNECTION SCIENCE

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

HOW
Installing Adobe Flash Player will give you full
access to certain course content, such as interactive

YOU’LL
infographics. However, you’ll still have access
to this content in the form of a downloadable PDF
transcript if you’d prefer not to use Flash.

LEARN BROWSER REQUIREMENTS

Every course is broken down into manageable, We recommend that you use Google Chrome as

weekly modules, designed to accelerate your your internet browser when accessing the Online

learning process through diverse learning activities: Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we
have found that this browser performs best for ease

• Work through your downloadable and online of access to course material. This browser can be

instructional material downloaded here.

• Access interactive Jupyter notebooks hosted on

Amazon Web Services using the provided login
• Interact with your peers and learning facilitators
through weekly class-wide forums and graded
small group discussions
• Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including
video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
• Investigate rich, real-world case studies
• Apply what you learn each week to quiz
assessments, ongoing project submissions,
and additional enrichment activities
Each module is released weekly, allowing a flexible
but structured approach to learning. You’ll be
supported as you engage in individual activities
and group discussions, ensuring you feel confident
to submit your best work at each weekly deadline.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Certain courses may require additional software and
resources. These additional software and resource
requirements will be communicated to you upon
registration and/or at the beginning of the course.
Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may
be used in our course delivery, and if these services
are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have
difficulty in accessing course content. Please check
with a Course Consultant before registering for this
course if you have any concerns about this affecting
your experience with the Online Campus.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete a course, you’ll need a current
email account and access to a computer and
the internet. You should be familiar with using a
computer and accessing the internet, as you may
need to read documents in Adobe PDF Reader,
view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and
read and create documents in Microsoft Word.

MIT BIG DATA AND SOCIAL ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

 MIT SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

BIG DATA
AND SOCIAL
ANALYTICS ONLINE SHORT COURSE

Learn to use data to better understand and predict human

networks and behaviors in social structures.

REGISTER NOW

CONTACT US
US: +1 224 249 3522 | UK: +44 20 3457 5774 | GLOBAL: +27 21 447 7565
EMAIL: admissions@getsmarter.com