University of Cincinnati Adds Crypto Courses to Curriculum

Crypto will be on the curriculum at the University of Cincinnati come the start of the new academic year, as it becomes the latest institution to add courses covering the topic.

The Ohio-based university is to launch two new programs studying cryptocurrency and new financial technologies, thanks to a gift from two longtime supporters, Dan Kautz and Woodrow (Woody) Uible, UC said in a press release.

“Thanks to Dan and Woody, our students will gain hands-on, experiential education in this new frontier of financial technology,” said Dean Marianne Lewis, PhD. “Our students will learn how to manage cryptocurrencies and how such digital assets impact our economy, positioning UC as the regional leader and among the top universities nationally with this kind of program.”

The donation will also see a “public-private” lab space named after the two men at UC’s new Digital Futures building. This will provide a space for corporate partnerships, with companies such as Ledger already on board to help with the lab’s research.

The Kautz-Uible Cryptoeconomics Lab will also feature its own cryptocurrency mining rig.

“Blockchain and the underlying application of cryptocurrency is at the cutting edge of business innovation and management. It is important that UC students be informed and educated about this technology,” said Uible. 

“We feel that students will learn more by participating in the process of trading crypto currencies and directly working with a blockchain. That experience is much more valuable and meaningful than just learning from a textbook.”

Blockchain in higher education

Similar labs already exist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

MIT even had a lecture series on blockchain taught by current SEC chair Gary Gensler, which is available to watch for free online.

Debashis Pal, the David Sinton Professor of Economics at UC, said it was important to offer a course on cryptocurrency because it would better prepare students for the job market.

“Students who work with the cryptocurrency fund will develop immediate and relevant knowledge about the fast-growing digital asset industry,” he said. “Educational programs from the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute will establish the University of Cincinnati as a thought leader in this cutting-edge technology.”