UConn Stamford, Hartford campus to offer ‘fintech’ certificate
STAMFORD — When it comes to building a top financial technology program at the University of Connecticut, John Wilson has set his sights high.
“We’re looking to be the global leader,” said Wilson, the academic director and architect of a new expanded program to do just that that will begin this month.
The university’s Stamford and Hartford campuses will offer an in-person master’s degree and a new certificate in financial technology, also known as “fintech,” this fall, putting it ahead of most universities and colleges in offering such options, he said .
While fintech is a growing sector of the business world, many higher education institutions have yet to offer degrees aimed at the field. Wilson said UConn is ahead of the curve.
“We’re just early,” he said. “We have a history of getting ahead of some trends.”
Wilson said he predicted that in a year or two there will be many options for pursuing degrees in fintech and related fields elsewhere.
The UConn master’s degree in fintech was launched this spring, but the graduate certificate is a new development, starting later this month. In contrast to the 36-credit degree, the certificate can be obtained with 12 credits, or the equivalent of four classes. The cost per credit is $1,500.
In a nutshell, financial technology is a field that deals with automated and streamlined financial services for businesses and consumers using the latest technology. That could mean anything from applications like Venmo, which allows someone to send money instantly via mobile phone, to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Fintech also refers to technology related to insurance, regulations, medicine and real estate.
“Fintech has disrupted traditional practices in the financial sector and changed the way we bank, shop, trade, invest and pay,” said John A. Elliott, dean of the School of Business, in an article posted on the university’s website. “We are eager to expand our educational offerings in this area and expect our graduates to have a significant impact on these developments.”
The graduate certificate that begins this fall was created in response to the growing corporate demand for talent in the fintech world, according to the article, which also says UConn’s board of trustees approved the new certificate program this month.
The idea of the certificate is to appeal to those who already have some experience in the field but want to improve their skills, Wilson said.
“It was a natural progression from the fintech master’s program,” he said.
The course package includes blockchain, statistics, predictive modeling and cryptocurrency topics.
Earning the certificate, which includes four courses — three core classes and an elective — will give students the experience of getting through a third of their master’s degree.
“One of the things we were preoccupied with was making sure the certificate was integrated into the degree,” Wilson said.
This means that students taking courses towards the certificate will attend the same classes as those in the master’s programme.
“The benefit of that is they get robust instruction,” Wilson said.
He said UConn has been active at fintech conferences, and the response from companies about the school’s burgeoning fintech program has been very encouraging.
“There’s incredible interest in recruiting our talent and the skills they’re going to have,” Wilson said.
