New York University (NYU) has reportedly become the first college in the United States to offer students the opportunity to major in blockchain technology, as Cointelegraph notes (via CBS New York).
The program will be offered by NYU Stern School of Business, which also became the country’s first business school to offer an MBA in fintech. Cointelegraph notes that Stern has additionally been a “pioneer in offering undergraduate courses in cryptocurrencies and blockchain.”
“We hope to establish a groundwork so that the students can understand what’s really happening under the hood, so that they can understand both the legal and the business implications, and prepare them to go out and tackle this new market,” NYU Professor Andrew Hinkes told CBS New York.
Over a hundred students have reportedly registered for the university’s blockchain program this far.
“In the environment we live in today, it’s become especially relevant to get a hold of how new technologies work and how they interact with the legal system,” Mustafa Khan, a student at NYU, said in an interview with CBS New York.
NYU’s blockchain program is part of a larger movement by universities across the globe to begin offering their students courses in cutting-edge fintech sectors. According to a study released last month by Coinbase, 42 percent of the world’s top 50 universities now offer at least one course in either cryptocurrencies or blockchain.
Coinbase noted how NYU’s Stern School of Business has seen a shift in interest among its students in these new courses.
When David Yermack, the finance department chair at New York University Stern School of Business, first offered his course on blockchain and financial services in 2014, 35 students signed up, eight fewer than the school’s typical elective.
By spring 2018, the number of enrolled students climbed to 230, forcing Stern to move the class to its largest auditorium. This academic year, Yermack will teach the blockchain course both semesters to meet interest from students.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given its status as having been an incubator for some of Silicon Valley’s leading innovators over the past couple of decades, Stanford University offers 10 course in cryptocurrency and blockchain – more than any other university in the U.S., according to Coinbase.