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The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on Tuesday approved two new degree programs in Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business and Bagwell College of Education.

The Master of Science in Digital Financial Technologies in the Coles College has been established in response to Georgia’s $70 billion financial technology (FinTech) industry, targeting those seeking careers as blockchain developers, compliance experts and cybersecurity analysts, among others. The Bachelor of Science in Learning, Design, and Technology in the Bagwell College was created to prepare students to design, develop, implement and evaluate instruction and training in business, medicine, education and other fields.

“These cutting edge degree programs allow Kennesaw State to prepare the next generation of professionals in the areas of digital payments and instructional design to fill the critical need for highly trained workers in our region and state,” said KSU President Kathy Schwaig. “Our responsibility as a leading institution of higher learning is to help our students succeed today and shape the world of tomorrow.”

The FinTech degree comes at an important moment when the financial technologies economy is experiencing exceptional growth in Georgia and around the world. The program will focus on digital payments, the largest sub-sector of FinTech, and will be offered fully online. Unlike traditional two-year master’s degrees, it will provide a pathway for students to graduate in 18 months.

“Our Master of Science in Digital Financial Technologies degree positions Kennesaw State University and the Coles College of Business at the center of Georgia's booming FinTech industry,” said Robin Cheramie, dean of Coles College. “We are thrilled to offer another degree in a full suite of graduate programs specifically designed to meet the real needs of the business community.”

Much like its FinTech counterpart, instructional design is a growing industry, with employment projected to grow more than 12 percent over the next decade for instructional designer positions and more than 15 percent for training and development specialist positions.

Adrian Epps, dean of Bagwell College, said the Bachelor of Science in Learning, Design, and Technology has been established to prepare designers for an increasingly digital age. A graduate of the program will be able to lead organizations in performance improvement and instructional design, and the degree will prepare individuals to develop, implement and evaluate instruction and training in business, medicine, education, and other fields.

It will equip graduates with the skills to analyze the education or training needs of an organization and effectively apply theory and technology to design, develop and evaluate learning solutions for face-to-face, online and hybrid environments within industrial and corporate settings.

“We saw technology play a role in the world economy like never before during this pandemic, and that change has created massive demand for employees who have a broad knowledge of instructional design and technology,” Epps said. “It’s an exciting moment to launch this new program, which will guide the future of digital training in an increasingly competitive workforce.”

The undergraduate program also requires a minimum of three credit hours of internship, which will allow students to apply what they learn in the classroom in real-world settings.

Prospective students can apply for admission to both degree programs for the Fall 2022 semester.