USC Adapts to Growing Student Interest in Cryptocurrency Annenberg Media

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Prospective USC students who dream of studying cryptocurrency or blockchain technology may soon do so as interest in the space emerges among the college student body.

Cryptocurrency is a digital token that uses blockchain, a decentralized ledger of all online transactions on a peer-to-peer network. Transactions are carried out securely online and without intermediaries.

USC’s first blockchain course was taught in the fall of 2017 by Professor Nitin Kal of USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Kal also helped create the blockchain minor for the information technology program, making Viterbi one of the first schools in the world to offer an academic program in crypto.

A number of other California universities, such as UC Berkeley and Stanford, have also recently started offering courses in blockchain and cryptography. According to a 2019 report by Coinbase, a San Francisco-based company that operates a crypto exchange platform, 56% of the top 50 universities in the world now offer at least one crypto or blockchain course.

The blockchain minor at Viterbi focuses on blockchain technology and applications, and the minor’s courses deal with crypto. The program, however, does not include financial investment and trade. Kal said the aim of the program is to educate students about blockchain innovation, its applications, and the latest developments in the blockchain space.

Of course, we are covering new areas of growth such as NFTs which have been important this year with a focus on the technical and technical aspects of these innovations, said Kal.

According to Harrison Macdonald, a second-year major in economics, even students with no crypto background can get involved in the USC community. For students interested in the field but without previous experience, he strongly recommends adding the blockchain minor.

It’s a great introduction to crypto and blockchain. It really describes everything you need to know to enter space, Macdonald said.

During the pandemic, Macdonald and a few of his friends started a small crypto fund and traded all kinds of crypto coins, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, two of the most popular cryptocurrencies on the market today. According to Macdonald, it was an attractive way to spend time during the pandemic with other young USC investors.

I’ve been in crypto for quite some time since I was in high school, Macdonald said. I’ve always been very interested in finance, payments, decentralization and all that good stuff. And I have always been an entrepreneur too. And so I think it was only natural that the crypto was sort of there.

The recent volume of media attention to cryptocurrency speaks volumes about its growing presence in the world of mainstream investing. Vitalik Buterin, one of Ethereum’s co-founders, made an appearance in Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People List of 2021 and AMC recently announced that the movie channel will accept cryptocurrencies for the purchase of tickets.

The growing number of Blockchain members at USC, a student-run club that focuses on teaching students about cryptocurrency and helping them network in space, reflects the rapidly changing cryptos to investment and the general trading public. MacDdonald, who is also president of Blockchain at USC, said the club has seen an unprecedented increase in membership.

Just a few years ago we had around 20 members and now we have seen over 200 people join our Discord. [an instant messaging app that clubs often use] channel just before the pandemic to now, he said. There has been an incredible increase in engagement and interest.

Mike Ma, a recent data science graduate and vice president of blockchain at USC, said the club is trying to become an incubator for blockchain projects. Blockchain at USC is currently the only crypto organization approved by Viterbi and is the largest organization in Southern California for crypto.

The explosion of interest in the student-run crypto club isn’t the only change Ma has seen at USC following pandemic-induced optimism around crypto. Ma said he noticed more professors mentioned Bitcoin and incorporated cryptography into classroom discussions when he made the transition from mechanical engineering to data science.

It’s a small change, but crypto is everywhere now, he said. Everybody talks about it.

Technology and engineering are also not the only fields where knowledge of cryptography becomes essential. In order to keep up with the changing dynamics and growth in the importance of crypto over the past few years, Professor Anthony Dukes of the USC Marshall School of Business said the school plans to incorporate crypto-related topics. in its program.

Our Internet Marketing course, MKT 556, is currently being redesigned for Spring 2022 to include topics related to cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, he said.

Macdonald believes that more and more young people will join the crypto space, which will lead to the creation of more startups and products. The most important thing to do is engage with people who are in the real industry, he said. Blockchain at USC regularly invites guest speakers that members can network with; they recently invited Jesse Powell, founder of the San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange and Kraken Bank, which is now one of the world’s largest exchanges for cryptocurrency trading.

I think there are a lot of opportunities for USC students to engage and create products in the space. And it starts with taking classes, he said. But I also think joining clubs, where you can get more involved in the current industry, is very important for young people looking to step into this space and start something.

For Ma, crypto is a wealth equalizer through which anyone can make money and get involved in a global investment network. Through her involvement in a crypto organization, Ma was able to travel a lot and meet people from all over the world.

Crypto is a way for underprivileged people who did not have a tendency in the world of mainstream technology or big finance to have a chance to make money, Ma said. Anyone can contribute to the network. Bitcoin and earn money. I think getting to know people and what they’re working on while learning about their culture is really great.

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