Student interest in cryptocurrencies and the blockchain is on the rise and the world’s top educational establishments are responding with an increasing number of courses devoted to these disciplines.

A new study by crypto exchange Coinbase shows that 18% of students reported taking a crypto course in 2019 – twice as many as in 2018. Meanwhile, 34% of a survey of 735 US students expressed interest in taking a course on crypto or blockchain, compared to only 28% in 2018. The report’s authors say:

Students are increasingly interested in learning how blockchain and crypto can benefit people all over the world

Universities are Responding

Growing interest in these disciplines has prompted a dramatic response from educational establishments, with 56% of the world’s top 50 universities now offering at least one course on cryptocurrencies or blockchain. This is up from 42% in 2018.

These courses are spread around a broad range of disciplines – many outside the most obvious courses such as computer science and finance/economics. These include humanities, law and engineering.

Coinbase has ranked a top 10 of leaders in crypto education based on the number of courses they offer. At the top of the rankings is Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by New York University and Stanford University.  At number 10 comes the National University of Singapore