The University of North Florida will begin offering undergraduate and graduate programs in financial technology this fall.
UNF’s College of Computing’s bachelor’s of computing and information sciences degree will have a new fintech major, and a new fintech master’s program will be created under the Coggin College of Business.
Coggin also launched a fintech-focused master’s in business analytics program last fall.
UNF wants to prepare students to enter the growing fintech industry, and these programs “[equip] We are equipping students with the skills they need to navigate the intersection of finance and technology.”
The program covers financial modeling, data mining, machine learning, financial data analysis, and more.
William Klostermeyer, a computer scientist and dean of the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction at the University of North Carolina, says educating students in computing and finance improves their employability.
Klostermeyer said popular online payment apps Venmo and Zelle are good examples of fintech, and that Jacksonville is becoming a hub for the fintech industry.
JaxUSA lists Fidelity Information Services, SS&C, SoFi and VyStar Credit Union as leading fintech companies in Northeast Florida.
Klostermeier described these programs as a hybrid of computer science and finance, emphasizing how important both are in preparing students for fintech-related careers.
“[Graduates need to be] “You have to be familiar with both worlds,” he said. The UNF Fintech Academy webpage has information about all the fintech programs and career opportunities for UNF students. Both new programs will be available starting this fall.
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