Imagine being able to attend a college or university and taking blockchain courses. This is becoming a stronger reality every day, as more and more universities and higher education systems across the globe are offering courses for students to better understand crypto and the technology behind it.
Going to School for Blockchain
Per a new report issued by Coinbase, more students are showing greater interest in blockchain. The industry is slated to reach $25 billion by the year 2023, and students want to be prepared for the future. It is alleged that most companies will integrate the technology into their operations, thus allowing jobs within the market to explode, and students want to make sure they can land work in the coming years.
The report suggests that roughly 42 percent of the world’s top universities are now offering courses in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The highest concentration of such universities is in the United States.
Stanford University, for example, just launched a program it’s calling the “Center for Blockchain Research” that gives students a chance to experiment with blockchain technology and digital assets. In addition, students also have the chance to build their own blockchain products.
It is alleged to be the largest center devoted to blockchain technology of any school. Stanford is also believed to offer more cryptocurrency-based courses than any other higher education institute in the United States.
After Stanford is Cornell University. An Ivy League institution, the school presently offers nearly 30 different classes relating to digital currencies and their technology. Among the classes presently offered at Cornell are “Anthropology of Money” and “introduction to Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts.”
Coinbase also says that most students, not just those focused on computer science or math degrees, are interested in blockchain. So far, students in degree programs such as law, social sciences and business have also expressed interest in taking crypto courses.
Despite being the leading nation when it comes to crypto education, the U.S. is not alone in its delivery of blockchain or crypto-based coursework. In China, for example, Fudan University in Shanghai – long considered one of the best universities in the nation – recently opened its blockchain research center three months ago with the goal of “cultivating high-level blockchain engineering and technology talent.”
Can’t China Decide What It Wants?
This is very interesting given the nation’s love-hate relationship with crypto. Bitcoin mining, for example, accounts for serious revenue in China, yet a new report suggests that officials are considering a ban on bitcoin mining considering the allegedly negative effects it bears on the environment.
In addition, China last year banned all initial coin offerings (ICOs) and limited trading on exchanges. At the same time, President Xi Jinping has referred to blockchain as a form of revolutionary technology, and says it holds the world’s future in its hands.