The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has launched a unique new major, Financial Technology (FinTech) and Innovation, within its Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program. The first-of-its-kind business major in Canada will equip students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the rapidly evolving world of FinTech.
"This program is unique across Canada so students will have the chance to demonstrate they have the skills to be a part of this industry as it evolves," says Grace McKenna, Associate Dean, SAIT School of Business.
With strong engagement from industry, the program will fill an education cap in an identified economic growth sector, explains McKenna. "We have connected with about 40 different members of industry from small startups to big banks and tech companies over the development of the major and I have never seen so much enthusiasm to support student success."
The major is designed for highly creative, growth-minded and innovative, life-long learners interested in tech and AI.
"FinTech spans a lot of different industries accounting, ITS, financial services, cryptocurrencies areas people might be familiar with," says Kristene Coller, Academic Chair with the BBA program. "But FinTech is also involved in real estate, HR and payroll and benefits. This isn't as narrowly focused as what people anticipate, and we know there's going to be industry demand."
Students can expect to learn about financial products and services solution architecture, business analysis, innovation and design thinking, as well as the regulatory ecosystem of FinTech. Graduates will have familiarity with programming languages, such as Python, so they are well-equipped to speak to full-stack developers as clearly as they would business professionals.
This year, SAIT's School of Business, western Canada's largest business school, ranked #1 in Canada and #49 in the world by CEOWORLD Magazine, solidifying its reputation for excellence in business education. This commitment to innovation continues with the launch of the new major and will provide SAIT students the skills to be future-ready to shape the economy of tomorrow.
Applications for SAIT's new FinTech major are now open for domestic students, until June 28.
