Curtin University, the largest university in Western Australia with over 58,00 students, announced the launch of a cryptocurrency PhD program on July 23, 2019. 

Curtin University Accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum

The Cryptocurrency PhD Scholarship Fund will allow companies and individuals to help PhD students studying  blockchain, cybersecurity and data analytics through cryptocurrency funding. 

Focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, the higher education program will be entirely funded through bitcoin or ethereum, which school officials say will help popularize cryptocurrencies as a payment method. 

Curtin University Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Excellence Professor Garry Allison notes the fund is a good opportunity for cryptocurrency investors to foster a new generation of PhD graduates who will help develop this new technology.

“By establishing the Cryptocurrency PhD Scholarship Fund, Curtin will provide the opportunity for entrepreneurs who have realised significant benefits from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to give something back to these communities,” said Professor Allison.

The new fund means that wealthy crypto investors can help facilitate the adoption of Bitcoin and blockchain technology by helping fund the education of interested students. Moreover, the most generous donors can even choose the field of speciality they are willing to sponsor. 

Universities around the world are catching on

In the last few months, other educational institutions like Dublin City University and University of British Columbia have launched blockchain technology programs. While Dublin City University partnered with tech company network Ireland ICT Skillnet to offer master’s degree, University of British Columbia announced a graduate training in blockchain tech. 

In 2013, the University of Nicosia in Cyprus became the first university in the world allowing its students to pay in bitcoin.