From mobile wallets to payment apps, crowdfunding platforms to cryptocurrency exchanges, financial technology (fintech) is a complicated, ever-present framework that underpins nearly every aspect of 21^st-century business.

A pioneering new graduate credential offering from The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business is preparing professionals with introductory-level knowledge of the emerging financial technology that organizations are using to improve and automate the delivery of financial services.

The Fintech Micro-Credential is a two-course, 4.5-credit-hour program that offers post-baccalaureate professionals the opportunity to explore the fundamentals of fintech and all the ways it connects with leading industries regionally, nationally and globally. The program, offered through Fisher's Executive Education Department, combines the college's pedigree as a destination for finance education with the convenience and flexibility expected from graduate students and busy professionals.

“The Fintech Micro-Credential represents Fisher’s latest step in our dedication to continuous innovation and workforce development,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “With fintech representing the second-largest industry sector in Ohio by GDP, this micro-credential will help professionals and graduate students establish a critical, baseline knowledge of the technological levers and mechanisms that drive business and finance today.”

The program features two courses — Introduction to Fintech, and AI and Machine Learning for Business — and builds on Fisher’s portfolio of online learning offerings, with synchronous and asynchronous delivery throughout the one-semester program. Working with top Fisher faculty and program partners, students enrolled in the micro-credential will complete one project in each course. 

The Fintech Micro-Credential was created using feedback and input from prospective employers in industries including financial services, consumer goods, health care, professional services/data analytics and insurance. Consensus among these employers was that completion of the micro-credential (either as part of a larger program of study or as a stand-alone program) would position students to pivot to new roles that come with greater challenges, responsibilities and, potentially, more and varied job offers.

Employer estimates of return on investment of the Fintech Micro-Credential ranged from a potential increase of between $10,000 to $20,000 per year when the micro-credential is combined with a master’s degree (i.e., MBA or a Specialized Master of Business - Analytics), and between $5,000 to $10,000 per year when the micro-credential is completed on a standalone basis.

“Successful innovation means being in tune with the needs of our audiences,” Makhija said. “The Fintech Micro-Credential, the first such offering by a university statewide, is an example of identifying a real need among industry and business professionals and then responding to that need by creating a convenient, relevant and accessible path toward personal growth and lifelong learning.”

Enrollment for Spring Semester 2024 is open to all professionals who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree, including current Ohio State graduate students.