Microeconomics

14.100x is MITx's microeconomics course, taught by Jonathan Gruber and offered through MITx Online as part of the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP). It asks what is produced in an economy, how, and who gets it, and teaches you to analyse mathematical models of consumer and firm behaviour while exploring empirical results and policy implications. The topic list runs from supply and demand and consumer choice through applying consumer theory, firms, production and costs, competitive firms and markets, applying the competitive model and monopolies, oligopoly and monopolistic competition, international trade and uncertainty, capital markets, equity, and behavioural and health economics, with hands-on exercises drawn from healthcare, sports, finance and sustainability. Elementary calculus is listed as helpful background. The course is instructor-paced over 14 weeks at an estimated 12 to 14 hours per week.

It is free to audit, with access to the course and its materials. Learners who want a certificate can take a proctored exam and pay a fee that MIT says varies by ability to pay: the page shows a certificate track of $250 to $1,000 with financial aid, and the help centre explains that the price is set by annual household income. MIT's help centre also says audit learners see the same course material, coursework and assessments as paid learners apart from the proctored final exam, and that everyone keeps archived access after the session ends. The certificate can count toward the DEDP MicroMasters and the related MIT master's pathway.