If you love Bitcoin and want to be in the middle of all that is digital currency, you may want to pack up and move to Cyprus.
The University of Nicosia there announced today that it will officially allow you to pay for your college tuition in Bitcoin. On top of that, it will also offer a master’s degree in digital currency. How’s that for taking this new-fangled money seriously?
The master’s will be available in Spring 2014 in both an on-campus and online version. If you’re just interested in learning about digital currencies and aren’t quite sure if you’re ready to commit to a master’s degree — or a move to Cyprus — the university is offering the first prerequisite course, entitled “Introduction to Digital Currency,” for free. It’ll take the form of a MOOC, or a massive open online course, which the school says will help “anyone interested in learning more about the fundamental principles of digital currency.”
“While digital currency is a relatively new concept, currency is one of the oldest human inventions,” said Dr. Andreas Polemitis, senior vice rector at the University of Nicosia, in a statement. “What we aim to explore in this program is the likely development pathway of digital currency and give our students insights that they can bring to bear in their professional careers.”
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Bitcoin’s price per coin shot up to $750 yesterday, a huge surge given that the currency had only hit prices of $400 and $500 in the two days prior. The sudden hockey stick came as U.S. government agencies met to discuss the legitimacy of Bitcoin, which authorities distrust because of its decentralized nature.
Peter Kadzik, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the United States, wrote a letter prior to the Senate saying, “The FBI’s approach to virtual currencies is guided by a recognition that online payment systems, both centralized and decentralized, offer legitimate financial services.”
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