Atlanta’s undisputed strength in fintech has led to a number of incubator and mentorship programs focused on different aspects of financial technology, from payment processing to financial security. Now, a major university is joining the fintech educational efforts: Georgia State University’s business school has opened one of the first university fintech labs in the country.
Based at GSU’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business’ Buckhead Center, the lab will cover disciplines including data analytics, real estate and insurance.
“This new lab is the next step in the strategy Robinson has been executing over the past two years of integrating computer science and related disciplines into the core activities of the business school to better prepare our students for the business environment of tomorrow,” said Robinson College dean Richard Phillips, in a statement.
The new lab is dedicated to helping prepare students for careers in emerging areas of finance like blockchain and machine learning by experimenting with new technologies and alternative platforms.
For example, students concentrating in finance will be able to gain practical experience in blockchain and decentralized markets — all by using real events and data sets to conduct projects incorporating smart contracts and cryptocurrencies. Insurance students will also apply blockchain technology to determine insurance risk.
Lab users focused on real estate can simulate buying and selling real estate assets with real-time feeds.
The faculty within the lab will come from the Finance, Real Estate, and Risk Management and Insurance departments, as well as the Institute for Insight located at the Buckhead Center.
GSU will continue to build out even more programs focused on fintech — a master’s level fintech course, Introduction to Fintech, will be offered in spring 2018. Undergraduate coursework will follow as well.
“Students not only will learn about fintech, they also will gain experience applying their knowledge to practical problems posed by our corporate partners,” said Phillips.
Images via Georgia State
