Crypto vs Higher Education

According to research provided by Coinbase:

• 42 percent of the world’s top 50 universities now offer at least one course on crypto or blockchain
• Students from a range of majors are interested in crypto and blockchain courses — and universities are adding courses across a variety of departments

As of 2018, there has been a significant increase in the number of students at top universities around the world enrolling in classes on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Students are flocking to classes on blockchain — a distributed ledger technology that makes decentralized financial systems work — motivated in part by a hot job market for graduates with with this specific field of knowledge.

In response, universities have been adding more courses related to cryptocurrency, in some cases establishing research centers, and viewing it as a subject worthy of academic study.

To gain a better understanding of the current state of cryptocurrency in higher education, Coinbase conducted a study of courses at the top 50 universities as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. The study focused on classes available to undergraduate students in the fall semester of 2018 or the most recent semester for which information was available online. The results showed that 42% of these top 50 universities offer at least one class on blockchain or cryptocurrency, with 22% offering more than one. When including foundational classes on cryptography, the number rises to 70%.

It is worth noting that blockchain and cryptocurrency courses are more prevalent in the United States. Out of the 18 international universities on the list, only 27% offer at least one class on these subjects, with only two — the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and the National University of Singapore — offering more than one.

Colleges are broadening their horizons

Johns Hopkins University offers a course on blockchain for business students, where they can learn about the security features and potential benefits or weaknesses of its structure as applied to businesses and organizations.

Princeton offers an information-security class focused on secure computing systems, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and related economics, ethics, and legal issues.

Cornell offers the most classes on cryptography, cryptocurrency, and blockchain, with 28 courses including “Anthropology of Money” and “Introduction to Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies, and Smart Contracts,” which covers bitcoin and the technological landscape it has inspired.

Stanford recently launched its Center for Blockchain Research, which brings together students and faculty from various departments to work on cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Dan Boneh, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford and co-director of the center, stated that every time he meets with a new team at the center, he walks away with three new research ideas inspired by the technical questions raised by blockchain projects.

Other universities known for their engineering programs, such as the University of Waterloo, Georgetown University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are also expanding their research and course offerings in blockchain.

What does the future hold?

Online learning platforms such as Udemy and Udacity offer hundreds of courses on cryptography, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, with experts including professors from top global universities and industry practitioners.

As the adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency by businesses and other groups has increased in recent years, universities are beginning to take them seriously and offer relevant courses to prepare students for the future.

But we all know that academia isn’t known for moving quickly, ever. Professors understand that the maturation of blockchain, adoption by businesses, and the potential for wide-ranging impact is causing universities to take it seriously.

Blockchain is not going away!

Zein Zaioud — Reshaping music streaming

Founder @ Verse.audio