Best Universities for Blockchain 2022: Columbia University

Columbia University makes the most of its location in one of the world’s biggest financial centers, with industry collaborations and access to top crypto companies and foundations, and jumped 31 spots in the past year in the process.

This piece is part of CoinDesk's Education Week

Read the Full List: Best Universities for Blockchain 2022

The Columbia-IBM Center for Blockchain and Data Transparency supports cutting-edge research in secure data sharing and inventing new business models to commercialize blockchain-based applications.

Blockchain@Columbia, a student-run organization focused on distributed ledger technology, participates in on-chain governance for several protocols such as Compound, Aave, MakerDAO and Uniswap. It puts on workshops, incentivizes its members work through a grants program and hosts large events such as Ledgerfest, Columbia’s annual blockchain conference, and LionHack, its first hackathon this past April. The students have also formed Lion DAO to learn firsthand about governance by voting on-chain, holding 10,000 votes for Aave Governance, 2.5M votes for Uniswap Governance, 50,000 votes for Compound Governance and 1,813 votes for MakerDAO.

The university offers 18 blockchain-related courses but no degree programs. However, it has launched an online, six-week program called the Blockchain in Business: Beyond the Hype dedicated toward helping business leaders distinguish the difference between transformative changes and “hype.”

CORRECTION (SEPT. 27, 2022 14:04 UTC): Columbia is ranked 14th in the Best Universities for Blockchain 2022. An earlier version of this article included an incorrect rank in the subhead.