diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/course_home_api/outline/views.py b/lms/djangoapps/course_home_api/outline/views.py
index c9c88c52ca..6f059ee598 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/course_home_api/outline/views.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/course_home_api/outline/views.py
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ class OutlineTabView(RetrieveAPIView):
 
             # course_blocks is a reference to the root of the course, so we go
             # through the chapters (sections) to look for sequences to remove.
-            for chapter_data in course_blocks['children']:
+            for chapter_data in course_blocks.get('children', []):
                 chapter_data['children'] = [
                     seq_data
                     for seq_data in chapter_data['children']