The Best Blockchain University Programs Actually Pay Students to Learn

Oct 7, 2020 at 18:12 UTC.Out of all the universities with blockchain education programs, two stand out by offering students paid opportunities to learn by working.

At MIT and Berkeley, students can take accessible and well-paid jobs at blockchain startups, often for part-time arrangements like 12 hours a week.

In California, Blockchain at Berkeley is more formal than a student club but separate from like-minded university research labs.

BaB is mostly self-funded and student-run, thanks to a consulting service utilized by companies like Qualcomm, ExxonMobil, Ford and PG&E."It gives our members experience in the industry and to make an impact they can see by the time the semester is over," said Katherine Plotz, head of business development at BaB.Dozens of club alumni launched crypto companies since BaB started in 2016.

"I've only taken one computer science class at Berkeley, yet I work as a software engineer for a payments company in the blockchain lab," said BaB co-President Liam DiGregorio.

BaB helps run student-led courses, including the "Blockchain Fundamentals" edX course reaching more than 160,000 students over the past two years, plus a separate accelerator program.

Since more students are now looking for online courses, BaB is expanding these open source offerings in 2020."I did quite a bit of blockchain work in high school and ended up interning at a blockchain-focused venture fund," said Alpin Yukseloglu, director of fundraising for the Berkeley Blockchain accelerator.

"The person I was working for said Berkeley had the best blockchain programs. I was applying on the East Coast as well. [BaB] was a pretty big factor in terms of deciding which university to go to."

Much like BaB alumni, members say MIT Bitcoin Club participants have a higher propensity for dropping out to launch startups than their peers in other sectors.

Despite being president of a decade-old bitcoin club, one of the most influential networking groups in the nation, Foss said MIT's scene isn't a student-driven culture like BaB. It is research-driven.