How MIT courses inspired path to doctoral program

After completing her master’s degree in 2023, Jazmyne Ross found herself at a crossroads, wondering how she could continue growing academically and professionally. Through MIT Open Learning, she discovered free access to MIT graduate-level courses that would open new possibilities, shape her professional path, and inspire her pursuit of a doctorate degree.

Originally from Liberty, Missouri, Ross earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the nearby William Jewell College, and then continued on to the master’s program at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. During her graduate studies, she explored the critical aspects of drone construction and behavior for social engagement between humans and robots. After graduating with a master’s degree, Ross worked as a technician in a medical lab while considering her next educational and professional steps. She realized she didn’t want to pursue a career in cognitive psychology research and began exploring other paths.

“I wanted to explore educational resources that could meaningfully advance both my intellectual interests and career objectives,” says Ross. “It was through this search that I encountered OpenCourseWare—a resource that proved to be transformative.”

Part of MIT Open Learning, OpenCourseWare offers free, online, open educational resources from more than 2,500 courses that span the MIT undergraduate and graduate curriculum. All of these resources are discoverable on Open Learning’s MIT Learn platform, which connects learners with a comprehensive catalogue of free and open educational resources, professional development programs, and flexible learning opportunities. 

Ross completed  9.13 The Human Brain, taught by Nancy Kanwisher, and took courses from the MIT Sloan School of Management, such as 15.317 Organizational Leadership and Change taught by Janice Klein. She also completed courses in biology, mathematics, and computer science. Considering how she could synthesize these various research interests, Ross ultimately applied to the doctoral program in psychology with a concentration in organizational behavior at Claremont Graduate University in California.

“The opportunity to engage with graduate-level coursework through Open Learning’s OpenCourseWare was significant to me not only intellectually, but personally,” says Ross. “It cultivated the confidence necessary to pursue a doctorate in a field I am deeply committed to, and reinforced my broader professional aspiration: to address complex problems in organizations and, in doing so, to open pathways for the next generation of Black women and girls who dare to do the same.”

She liked the format of OpenCourseWare courses and appreciated that she could balance her studies with her work. She also greatly valued being able to take courses in such a wide variety of disciplines and being able to consider how they might apply to the work she wanted to do in the future.

“I really enjoyed the classes in neuroscience and neural computation, but I also really liked the management classes studying human behavior and how people react within certain spaces in the workplace,” says Ross. “I became curious about combining those interests.”

Currently working on her first-year doctoral research proposal, Ross’s research examines knowledge and information sharing within organizations, with the aim of informing practices that foster more equitable knowledge dissemination among underrepresented employees. 

“Engagement with OpenCourseWare deepened my understanding of human behavior, leadership, organizational management, and entrepreneurship,” says Ross. “I have always been drawn to solving complex problems and to professional roles that allow me to apply my competencies in business analytics, leadership, and consulting. OpenCourseWare at Open Learning helped me determine my research interests.”