Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program
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What Is MIT xPRO’s COO Program?
The MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program is a 9- to 12-month executive education program that equips senior leaders with the mindset, tools, and frameworks to lead operational excellence with AI readiness.
The program combines live online sessions, case studies, elective pathways, and an actionable strategic playbook to equip participants to excel in strategic partnerships, business transformation, and executive leadership.
What Can You Expect to Learn in the COO Program?
Key Takeaways
Operational strategy: Assess your organization’s current business strategy and priorities to identify opportunities and threats and plan for organizational growth
Systems thinking: Lead enterprise-wide transformation by applying systems thinking to evaluate and integrate global processes, leveraging data-driven insights for complex problem-solving and strategic decision making
Change management: Manage organizational change to align and execute initiatives that support your organization’s goals
Emerging technology: Lead innovation and future-proof the business by leveraging emerging technologies
Team and culture leadership: Build a supportive organizational culture that fosters high-performing, cross-functional teams
Financial and operational alignment: Align financial oversight with operational strategy by using data-backed metrics to guide leadership decisions and drive successful business transformation
MIT xPRO COO Program Learning Journey
What Does the COO Program Curriculum Include?
Phase 1: COO as a Strategic Partner (7 Weeks | Online and Live Online)
This phase centers on the modern COO’s role in shaping, executing, and tracking corporate strategy to produce strong results. You will also examine the organization through a systems lens and explore the COO’s function as a problem solver while addressing how COOs drive innovation, manage uncertainty, and position the business for success.
Organizational and Product Strategy: Build foundational strategic thinking skills and apply them to your own organization’s strategy, identifying where and how products generate value and for whom.
System Thinking, Emergence, and Success: Recognize organizations, built environments, and project work as interconnected systems, and distinguish systems thinking from simply thinking in a systematic way.
Supply Chain and Computational Approaches to System Thinking: Investigate how applying systems thinking to entities and their relationships produces a whole greater than its parts while assessing system performance through form, fit, function, and the interdependencies that drive results.
Radical Innovation: Get introduced to the concept of radical innovation, including the core elements of technical innovation today and the philosophy and tactics organizations need to pursue different forms of innovation.
Urgency and Spirit of Radical Innovation: Identify the root causes of innovation failure and the remedies available while examining the threats that can stall organizational innovation and how to counter them.
Leading with Innovation: Compare project management models, including agile and lean, alongside testing, rapid prototyping, and design through real-world examples, and learn to cultivate a culture where innovation and creativity thrive at every level.
Realities of Technical Projects: Tackle uncertainty in technical project management by analyzing risk, building risk-scoring tools, and choosing mitigation strategies, including a Monte Carlo simulation for risk assessment while examining how organizational culture shapes risk response.
Phase 2: Business Transformation (7 Weeks | Online and Live Online)
This phase turns to the emerging technologies reshaping entire industries, focusing on how businesses adapt and grow in shifting conditions, with the COO functioning as a driver of change.
Robotics: Get introduced to robotics, automation, and related technologies, pinpoint emerging trends and workplace needs, and examine top use cases alongside the impact of robotics on productivity and broader social value.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Understand how VR, AR, and mixed reality relate conceptually and technologically as components of extended reality (XR), covering foundational XR concepts, system characteristics, and applications.
Digital Transformation in Supply Chains: Get introduced to supply chain management, covering core capabilities, complexities, risk factors, resilience, and collaboration within global supply chains.
IoT: Track the expansion of wireless communication protocols, advances in physical device capability, and the growth of cloud technology, building a foundation in core IoT concepts ahead of more advanced material.
Connective Technologies: Survey the leading wireless IoT communication protocols used for data transmission, and learn to identify the right protocol(s) for a given application.
Financial Acumen: Set strategic and investment priorities for a global market organization across three simulation rounds, modeling the market forces every business encounters, including unexpected and often underestimated shifts.
Phase 3: COO as a Leader (6 Weeks | Online and Live Online)
This phase turns to the human dimension of the COO role, covering how to mobilize people and resources and operate as a strategic partner to the CEO while examining how culture shapes change initiatives and how power dynamics play out within organizations.
Leading High-Performance Teams: Develop strategies for building resilient, high-functioning teams, and learn how to structure an organization that enables teams to succeed.
Negotiation: Examine how organizations approach negotiation and why certain methods consistently produce stronger outcomes, building skills to strengthen relationships, resolve conflict, and reach favorable results.
Influence and Power: Distinguish persuasion from influence, explore how each functions in negotiation, and understand how to apply influence and power across decision making, implementation, cross-functional coordination, and crisis response.
Culture: Examine how culture shapes organizations, directly and indirectly, through a real-world case study.
Networks: Get introduced to how culture can both accelerate and limit change, and learn how social networks support more effective culture management during change implementation.
Change Management and Simulation: Explore the factors at play and the strategies organizations can use to limit culture’s negative impact on change or harness culture to reinforce and accelerate it.
Live Online Webinars on Leveraging AI
Engage directly with peers and MIT faculty through these live online sessions, integrated throughout your learning journey:
AI for Strategy — Rethinking Competitive Advantage in the Age of AI: Examine how AI is redefining core strategic elements, including market positioning, resource allocation, and value creation.
Generative AI (Gen AI) and Strategy Reinvention: Explore gen AI’s influence on strategy development, innovation pipelines, and customer value across industries.
Agentic AI — From Theory to Implementation: Discover how agentic AI streamlines operations, automates complex processes, and embeds AI-driven decision making across the enterprise.
Geopolitical Risk Management in Tech Strategy: Build frameworks for managing geopolitical risk, with particular attention to supply chain resilience and regulatory demands.
The Responsible Use of Gen AI: Equip leaders for governance, risk management, ethical deployment, and oversight of innovation in an AI-driven landscape.
Electives (Choose Any 2 | 16 Weeks | Online)
Supply Chain Management: Leading with AI and Digital Transformation (6 Weeks)
Supply Chain Capabilities
Framework for Digital Supply Chain Transformation
End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility
Analytics and Machine Learning in Supply Chains
AI Applications in Supply Chains
Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Management
Designing and Building AI Products and Services (10 Weeks)
Introduction to the Artificial Intelligence Design Process
Artificial Intelligence Technology Fundamentals — Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence Technology Fundamentals — Deep Learning
Designing Artificial Machines to Solve Problems
Gen AI
Designing Intelligent Human–Computer Interaction (HCI)
Superminds: Designing Organizations That Combine Artificial and Human Intelligence
Marketplace Frontiers of AI Design: Research
Marketplace Frontiers of AI Design: Practice
Internet of Things (IoT): Design and Applications
Introduction to IoT
Connections
Data, Privacy, and Security
IoT Mindsets
Applying IoT Mindsets to Product Design
Applying IoT Mindsets to Business Design
Executive Reflection
Apply the program’s insights directly to your organization’s challenges, and work toward practical solutions. Three reflections are built into the program, one at the close of each core phase, and all three are required for completion. Each reflection draws on what you’ve learned, conversations with your success coach, and input from peers to shape strategies for the unique global challenges your organization faces.
Networking Event (2 Days | Optional)
Join an optional two-day networking event on MIT's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Held annually, the event brings together participants across multiple cohorts.
Note: The program duration of 26 weeks excludes two weeks of orientation and break weeks between modules.
The list of topics and session schedule are subject to change.
An MIT xPRO Learning Journey on Business Transformation
Who Is This Learning Journey For?
Newly appointed COOs at mid-level to large organizations | Drive operational improvements through new processes and initiatives that strengthen day-to-day performance. |
Established leaders in high-growth startups or large enterprises | Build a strategic framework for navigating enterprise-level transformation, using technology to connect tactical execution with C-suite priorities. |
Senior decision makers across sectors such as technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and services | Move beyond specialized expertise to lead operations at scale, aligning separate business units into one coordinated system. |
Participants are required to have:
A minimum of 10 years of work experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
International exposure (preferred)
MIT xPRO COO Program Past Participants
Work Experience
Top Industries
Top Job Functions
Testimonials from Past Participants
Where Past Learners Come From
Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of product and company names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the holders.
The list of companies is only indicative and not exhaustive.
How Does MIT xPRO’s COO Program Provide Actionable Learning?
Learning Format | Program Benefit |
Collaborative Leadership Discussions | Pressure-test approaches to change management, automation, and cognitive bias with a global cohort of senior executives, and gain peer-tested strategies you can put into action. |
Live AI Sessions | Assess and oversee gen AI, agentic AI, and emerging technology risk across five live sessions led by MIT faculty, building the executive fluency to make AI-informed decisions that sharpen your organization's competitive edge. |
Electives | Build deeper expertise in AI product management, Internet of Things (IoT), or supply chain AI, and apply those skills directly to your organization’s most pressing transformation needs. |
Executive Reflection | Combine faculty insight, peer input, and coaching feedback into a working operational playbook, and bring a data-backed strategic plan into your role from day one. |
Strategic Case Studies | Apply proven frameworks to strengthen supply chain resilience, anticipate black swan risk, and guide technology transitions using structured problem-solving for your organization’s highest-stakes challenges. |
MIT xPRO COO Program: What Is Included?
Explore AI in Live Online Sessions
Shape AI-Ready Strategies
Reinvent Innovation with Gen AI
Navigate Geopolitical Uncertainty
Lead Confidently in the Boardroom
Accelerate Operations with Agents
Note: Live session schedules are subject to change based on speaker availability. Check the curriculum for the topic list.
Attend On-Campus Networking
Note: A registration fee of USD 250 is applicable. The event will not necessarily be held immediately after program module completion.
Choose Your Electives
Supply Chain Management: Leading with AI and Digital Transformation
Develop the capabilities to lead digital transformation across complex supply chain networks, enabling greater agility, visibility, and resilience across your organization and its partners.
Designing and Building AI Products and Services
Gain the strategic and technical insights needed to turn AI opportunities into practical solutions that drive competitive advantage.
Internet of Things (IoT) — Design and Applications
Learn how to evaluate, implement, and lead IoT initiatives that unlock new efficiencies, enhance operations, and enable innovative business models.
Note: All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of MIT xPRO.
MIT xPRO’s COO Program versus Other COO Programs
MIT xPRO COO Program | Other COO Programs | |
|---|---|---|
Institution brand | MIT holds the #1 global ranking for technology, engineering, and innovation | Strong reputations in their own right, but none carry the same weight in engineering- and innovation-led industries |
More time in program | 9 to 12 months, one of the longest formats available, allowing deeper absorption of the material over time | Usually 6 to 8 months |
Technology and innovation depth | Unmatched depth in emerging technology, including robotics, AR/VR, IoT, digital supply chain analytics, and AI product design, woven directly into core coursework and simulations rather than offered only as electives | Minimal to no coverage of AI or digital transformation, with content focused primarily on strategy and leadership frameworks |
Customization/electives | Two elective modules let you tailor the program to your industry and career trajectory | Rarely offers any opportunity for customizing the learning journey |
Best fit for | COOs in tech-intensive sectors, such as manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, healthcare tech, and software as a service, or those driving digital transformation initiatives | Better suited to strategy- or finance-focused roles |
Meet the COO Program’s Faculty
Faculty Director
DAVID NINO
Senior Lecturer and Senior Program Manager, Daniel J. Riccio Graduate Program in Engineering Leadership
David Niño, PhD, serves as senior lecturer with the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program, where he directs leadership education for graduate students across th...
Program Faculty
Deborah L. Ancona
Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at the MIT School of Management
Hamsa Balakrishnan
William E. Leonhard (1940) Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT
Edward F. Crawley
Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT
D. Fox Harrell
Professor of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence at MIT
John Van Maanen
Erwin H. Schell Professor of Management Emeritus Professor, Organization Studies
Bryan R. Moser
Academic Director and Sr. Lecturer, System Design and Management(SDM). Associate Director, Engineering Systems Lab
Ray Reagans
Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Management. Professor, Work and Organization Studies. Associate Deanfor Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Alberto Rodriguez
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT; Class of 1957 Career Development Professor
Daniela Rus
Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Maria Jesus Saenz
Director, MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab Executive Director, MIT SCM Master's Program
Sanjay Sarma
Fred Fort Flowers (1941) and Daniel Fort Flowers (1941) Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT
Julie Shah
Associate Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT
Lawrence Susskind
Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT
Note: Faculty list is subject to change.
Guest Speakers
George Niño
Industrial Automation General Counsel at Yokogawa
Board Member, Texas General Counsel Forum
Board Member, Stanford Club of Houston
SLS Latinx Alumni Association
Carlos Crespo
Former CEO and COO, Inditex
Executive Advisor to CEOs and Boards
Investor — Direct and Co-Investments
Guest Lecturer, London Business School
Note: Guest speakers are subject to change.
Success Coaches
ALI O’MALLEY
PhD, ACC
Dr. O’Malley has nearly 20 years of experience partnering with senior leaders across industries. Ali specializes in the design and implementation of interventions to help lead...
LAUREN VALENCIA
Certified ICF coach
The bulk of Lauren’s experience has been in tech with over 27 years in the corporate environment. She led several teams at Verizon in her 22 years of service primarily in Prod...
MELISSA NORCROSS
PhD, MBA
Melissa Norcross is an accomplished strategy executive, having held leadership positions at organizations ranging from Fortune 100 to high growth technology companies. Melissa...
Program Credential: Certificate of Completion from MIT xPRO
Participants who successfully complete the MIT xPRO COO Program earn three verified MIT xPRO certificates — one for the core program and one for each of the two electives completed — along with 21.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs are a standardized measure of structured professional learning, widely recognized across industries for continuing education and career development purposes.
Note: All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of MIT xPRO.
Frequently Asked Questions: MIT xPRO COO Program
Program
Is the MIT xPRO COO Program worth it?
Spanning 9 to 12 months, the MIT xPRO COO Program prepares senior operations leaders to lead with confidence across AI-enabled operations, systems thinking, business transformation, and cross-functional leadership. Learners walk away with three verified MIT xPRO certificates and 21.6 CEUs. The program delivers the most value to leaders who want a rigorous, MIT-backed path into or within a COO role.
What education do you need to become a COO?
COOs arrive from a range of academic backgrounds, commonly rooted in:
Business administration or general management
Engineering or technology
Supply chain, finance, or operations management
These foundations are typically built up through practical leadership experience and executive education. The MIT xPRO COO Program adds the strategic frameworks and skill set needed to perform at the C-suite level.
What is the difference between a COO and a CFO?
The chief operating officer (COO) owns operational execution, cross-functional leadership, and enterprise strategy implementation. The chief financial officer (CFO), by contrast, focuses on financial planning, reporting, and capital allocation. To bridge the two, the MIT xPRO COO Program includes a Financial Acumen module that helps operations leaders connect their decisions to financial strategy.
What does a COO do?
A COO drives day-to-day operations, carries out enterprise strategy, and keeps the organization running efficiently across functions. The MIT xPRO COO Program mirrors these responsibilities through three core phases:
COO as a strategic partner
Leading business transformation
COO as a leader
How do I become a chief operating officer (COO)?
Most COOs reach the role by progressing through positions where strategic decision making meets operational execution, including:
Head of Operations or VP of Operations
General Manager or Business Unit Leader
Senior functional leader in supply chain, technology, finance, or product
The MIT xPRO COO Program prepares leaders for this transition, building the frameworks, tools, and executive presence required to operate at the C-suite level.
How should I choose a COO program?
A few factors matter most when comparing COO programs:
Institution: Is the school known for depth in technology, operations, and leadership?
Curriculum breadth: Does it combine operational strategy with emerging technology, including AI and digital transformation?
Duration: Longer formats support deeper learning; MIT xPRO’s COO Program runs 9 to 12 months.
Customization: Are electives available to match your industry or career path?
Credential: Is the certificate globally recognized and institution-backed?
For leaders in technology-driven industries who need both operational rigor and fluency in AI and innovation, the MIT xPRO COO Program stands out as a strong fit.
Is an MIT xPRO certificate valuable?
A verified digital certificate from the MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program carries global recognition as a mark of executive excellence. It signals expertise in operations strategy, leadership development, and the ability to address real-world business challenges.
Learning Experience
What is the time commitment for the MIT xPRO COO Program?
Expect to dedicate three to five hours per week. The program runs 9 to 12 months in total, made up of 19 weeks of core curriculum, two electives, and three Executive Reflection milestones.
Does the MIT xPRO COO Program offer certificates?
Learners earn three verified MIT xPRO certificates, one for the core program and one for each of the two electives, plus 21.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), a widely recognized standard for measuring structured professional learning.
Does the program offer closed-captioning for videos included in the curriculum?
Yes. We provide closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions.
How do the live sessions work?
The MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program includes live online and video online sessions with renowned faculty, industry experts, and global peers. You can take advantage of live sessions and the Slack channel to ask questions and discuss ideas with your success coach and cohort participants. Real-world examples and a debrief of the program learnings are delivered through a combination of recorded video and live online lectures.
Can I take more than the specified electives?
No, the number of electives is fixed and cannot be exceeded. This limit is intentional: electives are structured to build specialized, career-aligned skills, and keeping the focus narrow gives you dedicated time to develop real depth in those areas.
Payment and Policies
How much does the MIT xPRO COO Program cost?
Tuition for the MIT xPRO COO Program is USD 21,200, which includes:
Academic content and all course materials
Access to online coursework and the learning platform
Faculty-led live sessions and AI webinars
Success coach support
Costs not covered by the program fee:
Travel and accommodation for the optional two-day on-campus networking event
A USD 250 registration fee for the networking event
Flexible payment plans and early application incentives may be available.
What is included in the price of the program?
The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic materials, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include accommodations for the two-day on-campus networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fees, and more), and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the fees.
Who will be collecting the payment for the program?
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
What is the program refund and deferral policy?
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the program?
Program fees for Emeritus programs with MIT xPRO may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Connect With a Program Advisor for a 1:1 Session
Email: mit_coo@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 646 713 0918 (U.S.) / +44 1156 471388 (U.K.) / +971 80 0035704133 (U.A.E.) / +52 55965 38957 (LATAM) / 000 8009191979 (India*) / +65 3138 4749 (S.G.)
*If you are dialing the India number, please make sure to include the first three zeros (000).