ak96

I'd suggest taking a look at the launchpad schematic - there are probably a couple different places you can find it - but here's one - http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slau318g/slau318g.pdf (Page 15)
Pay attention to filter caps on the power lines (10uf and 100nf), as well as the reset pin (I usually just add the the 47k pull-up - although I think the cap is recommended as it prevents problems with power supplies that are slow to start up).  
For programming - you just need GND, TST and RST - I usually break out a 4 pin header - VCC/TST/RST/GND - for programming/debugging.  Pull all of the jumpers from the Launchpad, pull out the chip, and connect GND/TST/RST from the emulator side of the LP and you can program/debug the board.  I've connected jumpers from the boosterpack headers - but the 47k pull-up on the launchpad can cause problems (I've had a few aggravated troubleshooting sessions caused by that).  Connecting from the emulator side should avoid that.
FWIW - unless you need 9v for a peripheral - you're going to put off a lot of heat dropping 9v -> 3v, and 9v batteries drain fairly quickly.  You could, however, run straight off of 2xAA or 2xAAA batteries for quite some time with an MSP430, depending on what else is in your circuit. I've even run an MSP430 with an LED and wireless transmitter for months off of a CR2032 by staying in sleep mode as much as possible and using the transmitter infrequently.

@@chicken
 
I am new to programming micro controllers. I only started a couple of days ago. I'm kind of uncomfortable using that energia library because it feels like...cheating. The project i'm working on is a heartbeat sensor with a physical circuit and micro controller to count the beats. I want to make this project from scratch as a learning experience, and using a library that does all of the work for me defeats that purpose I think. 
 
Also, that is not my code. I found it on an instructable.
 
So far, I've just learned how to blink LED's in different patterns at different speeds using interrupts and timers. What should I focus on learning to be able to make the heart rate monitor? Is there anything in particular I should look into?

@@chicken
 
I am new to programming micro controllers. I only started a couple of days ago. I'm kind of uncomfortable using that energia library because it feels like...cheating. The project i'm working on is a heartbeat sensor with a physical circuit and micro controller to count the beats. I want to make this project from scratch as a learning experience, and using a library that does all of the work for me defeats that purpose I think. 
 
Also, that is not my code. I found it on an instructable.
 
So far, I've just learned how to blink LED's in different patterns at different speeds using interrupts and timers. What should I focus on learning to be able to make the heart rate monitor? Is there anything in particular I should look into?

@@cubeberg
 
Yep, that's right. After I set all pins to 0 it started working. The bits are assigned random states every time I run it, and whenever the two LEDs start with the same state it works fine, but when they start with different states they blink synchronously. 
 
Thanks!

@@cubeberg
 
Yep, that's right. After I set all pins to 0 it started working. The bits are assigned random states every time I run it, and whenever the two LEDs start with the same state it works fine, but when they start with different states they blink synchronously. 
 
Thanks!

Just "MSP ultra low power MCU" is what you need for the MSP430.  You can leave the rest of the options at their default (the normal debugger option is usually greyed out - you don't need any of the optional debuggers).  
You don't have to install any of the app center tools - if anything seems interesting you can install - but you can always install those later as well.