Get fresh perspectives and insights into the actionable approaches needed to build back smarter after inflation. Be inspired to transform your organisation while delivering profits.
Get fresh perspectives and insights into the actionable approaches needed to build back smarter after inflation. Be inspired to transform your organisation while delivering profits.
Get fresh perspectives and insights into the actionable approaches needed to build back smarter after inflation. Be inspired to transform your organisation while delivering profits.
Executive education
Modern leaders. Future skills.
Stay competitive in the workplace with practical, online courses for ambitious professionals.
Gain clarity and insights from experts at The Economist.
Why choose our courses?
Our courses are practical, concise and ready to be applied to your business context. Be confident that you are investing time in learning that is focused and relevant.
Editors from The Economist contribute specialist knowledge, with additional perspectives from world-renowned experts and thought leaders.
Self-paced modules led by experienced tutors are released weekly. Interactive forums enable networking and collaboration with peers across time zones.
Independent and data-driven
The Economist is regarded as one of the world’s most trusted sources of information, analysis and insight. Benefit from a balanced, future-focused worldview—now in educational form.
Course completion rate
Enrolled participants
Participants from 100+ countries
Be inspired by an international set of peers who share local insights into business and global developments.
Our courses
Discover our portfolio of skills-and-insights courses; a trusted guide for resilience and success in a changing world and workplace.
Understanding and applying AI in business
Learn how to harness the power of AI effectively. This online course demystifies large language models, equipping you with practical tools to stay competitive at work.
Business writing and storytelling
The course explores the psychology, craft and purpose of writing with a focus on the choices writers must make—from words, phrases and metaphors to the sentences and paragraphs that make up creative expression.
Data storytelling and visualisation
Do you need to review, analyse or prepare reports and presentations using data, or use numbers for business? Designed by the award-winning data-journalism team at The Economist, this two-week online course will show you how to harness data to make better decisions. You’ll explore data visualisation, develop a “data mindset” and gain the tools to use numbers effectively to solve real problems.
Critical thinking and decision-making
In an algorithm-fuelled world, the ability to interrogate assumptions and reason with rigour is essential, both in business and in life. Designed by The Economist’s journalists and leading critical-thinking experts, this two-week online course will equip you with the tools to avoid cognitive bias, reframe complex problems and capitalise on your human advantage. You’ll gain the practical techniques and skills to use data discerningly and strengthen decisions through self-reflection, with a case study from The Economist’s newsroom.
International relations and the future of geopolitics
Develop the tools to interpret global developments with this course, updated to reflect the invasion of Ukraine. As Russia throws the geopolitical order into disarray and the US-China rivalry intensifies, discover how to interpret the changes in power dynamics and what they mean for you.
Climate change and sustainability in business
Cultivate effective, climate-conscious business strategies in our six-week online course. Get a practical grounding in the science and economics of climate change, examine the business risks and analyse corporate decarbonisation strategies.
Fintech and the future of finance
Do you understand how technological innovation is shaking up finance? Covering subjects such as cryptocurrencies, personal fintech, blockchain and govcoins, you’ll build a clear picture of the disruptions and opportunities affecting the future of finance.
Stay tuned for more
New courses are in development—keep in touch to find out more.
Trusted globally
See how employees from these companies have benefited from our courses:
This course was excellent in helping to better understand the art of writing. The system it uses to help a writer understand planning, structure, delivery and editing is straightforward and packed with tips. My big complaint is why no one told me this approach at university. I wish I had learnt this a decade ago!
Meta
Frequently asked questions
Each course is broken down into manageable, weekly modules, designed to facilitate the learning process with diverse learning activities.
You will work through online instructional materials made up of notes, videos, podcasts, infographics, polls, quizzes, real-world case studies and assessments.
There will be a high level of interaction with peers and the tutor team through weekly class forums and small group discussions.
You will apply what you learn each week to submitted work, some of which is graded.
Each week you will have one or more activity submissions due. All submissions will be shared ahead of time, upon the release of each module, so that you can plan accordingly.
Although we recommend that you stick to the weekly deadlines in order to get the most out of your course, there is an extension request service available for when you need additional time (terms and conditions apply). Your success adviser is also always available to support you with any scheduling challenges.
Our online short courses lead to a certificate of completion upon successfully finishing a course. The course content enables students to gain skills to remain confident, competent and relevant in the workplace.
The courses do not carry any credits towards a university degree or diploma qualification.
Throughout your course you will receive feedback from tutors on assignments and interactive exercises in forums. For our two-week courses, participants will receive an online badge if they successfully complete all course modules and submit all assignments. For our six-week courses, there are four categories of grades, which are explained to participants in the orientation module. Participants who achieve 50% or higher will receive a certificate of completion. Participants who achieve 75% or higher will receive a distinction.
A dedicated success adviser will support you from start to finish. They will be available online during office hours to offer administrative and technical assistance for the duration of the course.
When you need support outside of office hours, there is a team of success advisers available to handle any general queries you may have. The tutor team will provide you with content support via an online discussion forum in the online learning platform.
You can either pay your course fees in full before the course starts or elect to make use of a part-payment option to settle your fees over the duration of the course. Please note that the part payment option incurs an administration fee of 3% of the course cost.
GetSmarter is an online-learning company with more than ten years’ experience in developing premium, online short courses from the world’s leading universities and institutions.
To incorporate a LinkedIn badge into their profile, participants can navigate to the “Licenses & certification” section and simply click the plus button.
All of our courses are taught in English. However, many of our participants are not native English speakers. Our videos have English subtitles, and tutors are available online to clarify the meaning of course materials and support participants as needed. Our courses take a “tools not rules” approach and aim to guide participants to develop their skills and broaden their perspectives, rather than focusing heavily on grammar or spelling.