Known as the Blockchain Island, Malta is a few steps ahead when it comes to technology. Proof of this is that the country will now have a master’s degree in blockchain. Masters Blockchain will be held by the University of Malta, in partnership with Distributed Ledger Technology. The opening semester began in October this year, and the first class already has about 35 students.
This is the only master’s program specific for DLT in the island nation and one of the few of its kind in the world. The course came after strong demand from the inhabitants of Malta and the expectation is that soon new classes will be created.
The master’s degree is to establish an academic diversity that prioritizes a broad knowledge base. Therefore, the program prepares students regarding blockchain laws and regulations, as well as business and finance, communication and information technology.
Government encourages blockchain master’s degree
The master’s program director Joshua Ellul, who also is in charge of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, said to CoinDesk that 15 companies have already sought DLT students to work in their companies. He also said that there is a high demand for government-administered blockchain contracts, projects and initiatives. The executive highlights that there are many job vacancies in the sector, and companies are seeking highly trained and fluent blockchain candidates.
In order to be launched, the master’s degree in blockchain also had the investment from the government of Malta, which destined 300,000 euros for scholarships.
Ellul acknowledges that it can be difficult to design and launch a master’s program for a rapidly evolving field, in business practices, regulation and technology. The assessment is that in this case, the learning students receive in a year can quickly become irrelevant the following year. However he points out that almost all technology-oriented programs face this challenge. For such reason, Ellul assures: the University of Malta is keeping an eye on changes over time to keep up with the evolution of the sector.
