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fintech
Credit: Sukhmani Kaur

Wharton professors will teach 'fintech' — a cross between finance and technology — to students around the world in a new online program. 

Wharton Online released the fintech specialization on Coursera, an online learning platform, on May 30. The program, titled "Fintech: Foundations and Applications of Financial Technology," contains four courses and covers subjects from cryptocurrency and blockchain to crowdfunding and robo-advising. The courses will each cost a monthly fee of $79 and will be taught by Wharton finance and Penn Law professors.

Anna Trumbore, the senior director of Wharton Online, said growing demands from global learners motivated the program's creation.

“We knew through market research that a lot of working professionals and students outside of Wharton are desperate for contents in this area,” Trumbore said.

A press release from the Wharton school reported that courses will include guest appearances from industry leaders and feature lectures from David Musto, the chair of Wharton's finance department. Musto is also the faculty director of Wharton's new fintech research center, the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance. 

The Wharton School has also developed courses for undergraduate and graduate students in response to increasing global investment in fintech. Last year Wharton offered courses on both fintech and blockchain, and many students want more courses in these areas. 

The new specialization joins a growing catalog of Penn online classes. Penn will offer its first online bachelor's degree program this fall, and currently offers the only online Ivy League master's degree in computer science for students with no previous experience in the field.

With the fintech specialization, Wharton Online now has more than 10 certificate programs and over 50 courses. 

Trumbore said Wharton Online will also launch a series of three courses on business and competitive strategy theories this summer.

“We are very excited to continue making business education more accessible to the world,” Trumbore said.