The Georgia State University MSF program continues to go through improvements and build upon their successes. This update is focusing on the schools foray into financial technology, with the launch of their Introduction to Fintech class that is option for masters in finance students. Considering the popularity of blockchain and all the various crypto coins being talked about right now, this new elective should be of interest to students pursing their masters degree.
The university sent me a nice overview of the course, described below:
According to the University System of Georgia’s Fintech Talent Development Insights report, the state of Georgia is home to more than 100 fintech companies. Over the next three years, Fintech Atlanta estimates that more than 5,000 job opportunities will arise in Georgia in this sector, resulting in “a severe shortage of critical talent unless new initiatives are launched quickly.” In response to these observations, Associate Professor Baozhong Yang at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business has developed Introduction to Fintech, a graduate-level elective popular among Master of Science in Finance students–though it is open to students from other fields of study as well. “The course will fill the gap between our current curriculum and the changing demands of the financial services industry,” Yang says.
As part of the class, students study cryptocurrencies and blockchains,design smart contracts and decentralized applications, examine the impact of alternative lending and P2P technologies on traditional banking and payment industries, engage in machine learning and robo-advising, and complete hands-on assignments in Robinson’s fintech lab.
For their final project, students form teams of four to six people and propose a business application of blockchains. Examples include tracking ownership of digital assets such as music and videos and detecting whether copies have been legally acquired, using blockchains to increase supply chain efficiency, and recording and enabling real estate sales. “Fintech is the latest trend,” says Master of Science in Finance student Ruchika Pahwa. “The whole idea of not just learning about blockchain technology but also coming up with a model is exciting.”
Faculty from Robinson’s Department of Finance are in the process of designing more fintech-related courses. Topics will include blockchains and business disruption as well as a fintech experience in which students partner with businesses to solve a problem or propose an innovation to an existing process. The first class will be offered as soon as this fall.
I definitely think this is pretty exciting and shows how quickly Georgia State reacts to changes in the market and student interest. This won’t be for everyone, but this is a great elective to offer students who are interested in this burgeoning field of study.
Here is a link to the Georgia State University Masters in Finance Program
