MBA and the future of cryptocurrencies

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies (Bitcoins) in MBA programs

Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009 by a mysterious figure under the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. It can be used to buy or sell items from people and companies that accept bitcoin as payment. However, it differs in several key ways from traditional currencies.

Most obviously, bitcoin doesn’t exist as a physical currency. There are no actual coins or notes. It exists only online. Blockchain is the technology that underpins digital currencies and ensures that all transactions are properly conducted and recorded.

The craze over the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies isn’t just limited to traders. College campuses across the world are seeing a surge in students willing to study this crazy phenomenon. Last year bitcoin held the world spellbound with its meteoric rise in value, so much so that Indians also ended up investing in this currency. Interest in crypto and blockchain is still red-hot as students are now demanding more distributed ledger related courses. As such, institutions of learning have been left with no choice other than to formulate crypto-focused courses.

MIT and Stanford, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Duke are just a few of the elite universities offering courses in cryptocurrencies and blockchain, the technology underlying them.

NYU Stern was among the first to recognize the growing importance that blockchain and cryptocurrencies had for the financial services industry. The courses are often jam-packed, and most have waiting lists. At U.C. Berkeley, “Blockchain, Cryptoeconomics, and the Future of Technology, Business, and Law,” is the first course cross-listed in three departments: engineering, law and business.

The demand for expertise in blockchain technology is huge and far outdoing the supply. Matt Siegelman’s research on Burning Glass Technologies in regards to blockchain developer demand has led him to conclude, “Five years ago, in 2012, we could find only a few vacancies demanding blockchain skills. By 2016 this number grew up to 1,838 messages, and 3,958 messages were made in the middle of 2017. It is 115% more than in 2016.”

Top B-schools that offer Fintech and Cryptocurrency courses:

Business School                                                                                         Program Name