Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program

In the second phase of the program, you will explore important new and emerging technologies, which are transforming entire industries. This phase focuses on how businesses can adapt and thrive in evolving environments with the COO acting as a change agent.

• Robotics: Get an introduction to robotics, automation, and associated technologies. Consider the emerging trends, and identify a business need in your workplace. Also, explore best use cases and the impact of robotics on business productivity and social benefits.

• Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Understand the conceptual and technological relationships between VR, AR, and mixed reality, all of which fall under the category of extended reality (XR). Learn fundamental XR concepts and the characteristics of XR systems and their applications.

• Digital Transformation in Supply Chains: Get an introduction to supply chain management. Explore supply chain capabilities, complexities, and risks as well as resilience in global supply chains and supply chain collaboration.

• IoT: Examine the growth of wireless communication protocols, the enhancement of physical devices, and the rise of cloud technology. Get introduced to core concepts related to IoT, and prepare for more advanced concepts covered in the next module.

• Connective Technologies: Get an overview of the most important wireless IoT communication protocols for data transmission. Learn to select the most suitable communication protocol(s) for a given application.

• Financial Acumen: Determine the strategic and investment initiatives for a global market organization over the course of three rounds. This simulation replicates market factors that every business experiences and includes some often overlooked and unexpected shifts.

In the third phase, the program delves into the human side of the COO role. You will learn how to mobilize and energize people and resources and be a strategic partner to the CEO. This phase also explores the importance of cultures in implementing changes and effectively managing power dynamics within organizations.

• Leading High-Performance Teams: Gain strategies to create highly effective, resilient teams. Learn to create an effective organization that supports teams and enables them to succeed.

• Negotiation: Explore how organizations conduct negotiations and how certain approaches can and often do deliver better results. Learn to employ negotiation skills to build relationships, resolve conflicts, and achieve positive outcomes.

• Influence and Power: Understand the difference between persuasion and influence. Explore how they can be applied and the role each plays in negotiations. Additionally, understand the use of influence and power in the art of negotiation to apply them during decision making, implementation of those decisions, cross-functional coordination, and crisis management when unexpected challenges arise.

• Culture: Discuss the ways in which culture can, directly and indirectly, impact organizations through a real-world case.

• Networks: Get an introduction on how culture can accelerate and constrain change. Learn how social networks can help implement change by managing culture more effectively.

• Change Management and Simulation: Explore factors and discuss ways organizations can not only mitigate the impact of culture on organizational change but also leverage culture to reinforce or accelerate organizational change.

Get the opportunity to engage with your peers and MIT faculty during these live online sessions, which are woven throughout your learning journey:

• AI for Strategy — Rethinking Competitive Advantage in the Age of AI: Understand how AI is reshaping strategy fundamentals, including market positioning, resource allocation, and value creation

• Generative AI (Gen AI) and Strategy Reinvention: Examine how gen AI influences strategy formulation, innovation pipelines, and customer value across industries

• Agentic AI — From Theory to Implementation: Learn how agentic AI can streamline operations, automate complex processes, and embed AI-driven decision making within enterprises

• Geopolitical Risk Management in Tech Strategy: Gain frameworks for navigating geopolitical risks, with a focus on supply chain resilience and regulatory requirements 

• The Responsible Use of Gen AI: Prepare leaders for governance, risk management, ethical deployment, and innovation oversight in an AI-driven era

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

You will have the opportunity to apply program insights to your organization’s challenges and develop potential solutions. There are three reflections in the program, placed at the end of each phase of the core module journey — and they are essential for program completion. The reflections are designed to help you take all you have learned in the program curriculum, interact with the success coach, and discuss with peers to strategize for your organization’s unique global challenges.

Attend an optional two-day networking event on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The event is held once a year and brings together participants from multiple cohorts.

A typical chief operating officer (COO) salary varies depending on industry, geography, and experience. For today’s chief operating officers, compensation packages often reflect the responsibility of driving operational excellence, executing operational strategy, and leading cross-functional teams. While the MIT xPRO’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program does not guarantee salary outcomes, it equips operational leaders with the tools and frameworks to tackle real world business challenges and accelerate career growth, contributing to higher earning potential and enhanced leadership roles.

The highest salaries for chief operating officers (COOs) are typically found in large, complex organizations where leadership in operations management and strategic operations is critical to enterprise success. COOs who demonstrate expertise in operational efficiency, business acumen, and executive leadership can command compensation packages that reflect their strategic influence. The MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program helps senior leaders develop these capabilities, preparing them for high-impact roles that support organizational growth and business excellence at the highest levels.

COO stands for Chief Operating Officer, a senior executive role responsible for overseeing operations management, implementing strategic vision, and ensuring operational efficiency across an organization. The MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program provides a structured learning experience that equips operations leaders and senior executives with the mindset, tools, and frameworks needed to align organizational structure with enterprise goals and lead teams toward sustainable growth.

The COO and CFO are both C-suite roles with distinct responsibilities. While the chief financial officer (CFO) focuses on financial planning and reporting, the chief operating officer (COO) drives operations management, execution, and strategic operations across the organization. Whether one role is “higher” depends on the company’s leadership structure. The MIT xPRO Chief Operating Officer (COO) Program helps senior operations leaders and global executives strengthen their leadership capabilities, aligning their efforts with the broader enterprise strategy for business excellence and long-term success.

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. For emerging COOs and experienced operational leaders, the MIT xPRO credential validates readiness to lead at scale, drive enterprise transformation, and contribute to business excellence across industries.

The MIT xPRO COO Program has been designed with your busy schedule in mind. You will be required to commit not more than three to five hours per week, enabling you to benefit from this transformative program while fulfilling your day to day work responsibilities. The impactful program offers a blend of self-paced modules and live interaction.

The 9- to 12-month learning journey 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. The program concludes with a two-day on-campus networking event on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The program fee covers teaching fees, all academic material, and access to online coursework. The fee does not include accommodations for the two-day on-campus networking event, travel expenses (domestic, international, visa fee, and more), and other expenses not specifically mentioned in the fees.

You can pay the full program fee upfront or pay in easy installments. If you apply well in advance of the program start date, you can receive a tuition fee benefit. If you would like to approach your company with a sponsorship request for this program, here is a customizable template that you can use.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to take any more electives than the specified number. The electives are designed to help you gain specialized skills in areas that are aligned with your career so that you can dedicate focused time for learning and honing those skills.

Yes. We provide closed-captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded videos as well as closed-captioning for recordings of live sessions.

Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.

For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.

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.

To become a COO, you need a strong foundation in leadership, operational expertise, and a strategic mindset. A structured learning experience, such as MIT xPRO’s Chief Operating Officer Program, can help you build these core competencies.

The path to becoming a COO often involves building experience in managing teams, improving processes, and aligning enterprise-wide operations with business goals. Formal COO training, including the MIT xPRO COO Program, can support that growth with targeted executive development.

This program is ideal for any senior executive who aspires to become a COO in the near future or strengthen their executive presence. It is also suitable for current COOs seeking to stay ahead of evolving business demands.

Succeeding as a COO requires the ability to lead teams, manage complex operations, and align strategy with execution. MIT xPRO’s Chief Operating Officer Program offers expert insights, hands-on learning, and strategic leadership frameworks to help you develop those critical skills.

The program’s curriculum covers strategy execution, business transformation, financial decision making, and organizational leadership. The learning journey is designed and delivered by renowned MIT faculty and industry practitioners.

This COO training program equips you with frameworks, tools, and leadership insights to take on broader operational responsibilities and stand out as a high-impact leader within your organization.

Absolutely. The program helps current COOs sharpen their strategic thinking, optimize business operations, and stay current with innovation and operational leadership trends.

No. This COO training program is designed for experienced executives across industries who want to grow into or within a COO role. However, participants are required to have a minimum of 10 years of work experience.