EdX

edX is an American massive open online course (MOOC) provider created by Harvard and MIT. It hosts online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to a worldwide student body, including some courses at no charge. It also conducts research into learning based on how people use its platform. edX runs on the free Open edX open-source software platform. 2U is the parent company, with edX operating as its global online learning platform and primary brand for products and services. edX was founded in May 2012 by scientists from MIT and Harvard. Gerry Sussman, Anant Agarwal, Chris Terman, and Piotr Mitros taught the first edX course on circuits and electronics from MIT, drawing 155,000 students from 162 countries. In 2013 they partnered with Stanford and in June 2013 they reached 1 million students. edx.org released as open source, creating Open edX. In September 2014 edX announced a high school initiative. In October 2014 edX announced Professional Education courses, and in March 2015 it partnered with Microsoft. In April 2015, edX partnered with Arizona State University to launch the Global Freshman Academy. In September 2016, edX launched 19 MicroMasters programs. In February 2017, edX launched an additional 16 MicroMasters programs. In January 2018, edX partnered with Microsoft and General Electric to provide subsidized online courses and guaranteed job interviews. On January 9, 2018, Tech Mahindra partnered with edX to re-skill workforce on new tech areas. On October 10, 2018, edX introduced nine Master's degrees on the platform. The degree programs can be completed fully online and are offered by universities such as Georgia Institute of Technology and University of California San Diego. On January 10, 2020, edX launched two MicroBachelors programs. The programs offer undergraduate level courses which can lead to university credit for degree seeking students. On June 29, 2021, edX and 2U announced they had entered into a definitive agreement to join. 2U would acquire edX's assets for $800M in cash.