Keiser University plans to launch a new master’s degree in financial technology (FinTech), joining the ranks of only a handful of universities in the U.S. to offer a degree program in the rapidly-evolving industry which utilizes technology to improve financial activities.

“The future of business in Florida and throughout the world is in FinTech and a growing demand exists for qualified professionals in this evolving sector,” said Robert Keiser, Vice Chancellor of Keiser University’s Graduate School. “This new master’s degree will provide our graduate students the opportunity to leverage both the technical skills and finance knowledge that employers desire now and in the future.”

The university’s curriculum committee approved the new program in November with an expected start date of summer 2022. The Master of Science in Financial Technology will combine instruction in artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and blockchain, data visualization, analytics, technology forecasting and analysis, law, policy, and regulation that will allow students to excel in modern finance and digital currency environments.  The degree will be a 30-credit program with completion expected to take 10 – 20 months depending on a student’s pace.

“With any curriculum that we introduce, part of our mission is to upskill the workforce to positively impact the state’s economy and we’re looking at FinTech in the same way,” said Keiser. “Our goal with this new master’s program is to prepare students to become leaders in this new era of financial currency that already exists and continues changing at a rapid pace.”

In planning its newest curriculum, Keiser University collaborated with Actuate Law LLC, an innovation-forward law firm based in Chicago, Ill., which recently opened a location in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. Dara Tarkowski, co-founder and managing partner of Actuate Law, and Randy Rivera, executive director of FinTEx and chief engagement office at Quointec, Actuate’s tech subsidiary, were instrumental in this effort. The firm brings an expertise in FinTech and works with strategic partners and tech leaders to help them innovate with confidence.

“The opportunity for Actuate Law to collaborate with Keiser University in creating a master’s level degree program for FinTech meant that we needed to think beyond the innovation we see today and empower the next generation for where technology is headed,” said Tarkowski. “FinTech is a broad umbrella encompassing many verticals which presents an exponential and unique opportunity, that with this new curriculum, graduates will have the needed skills set to meet these new challenges, both pragmatically and creatively.”

FinTech has emerged as one of the fastest growing tech sectors in Florida with numerous companies flocking to Northeast, Central, and South Florida in recent years. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently proposed letting businesses pay state fees with cryptocurrencies while Miami Mayor Francis Saurez has placed an emphasis on expanding South Florida’s FinTech sector and is seeking to increase the use of cryptocurrency across the city.

Keiser’s new program will be one of the first of its kind in Florida. Currently, only a few  colleges and universities in the state are offering or planning to offer a master’s degree in FinTech.

Keiser University is a private, independent, non-profit university serving nearly 20,000 students at 21 Florida campuses, online, and two international sites. Co-founded in 1977 by Chancellor Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., and Evelyn Keiser, Keiser University currently offers more than 100 degrees from associates to the doctoral level. Keiser University is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and was ranked No. 5 in the U.S. in Social Mobility by U.S. News and World Reports in 2022. Keiser University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges as a level VI institution. For more information, visit www.keiseruniversity.edu.