Overview

This eight-week executive programme will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of blockchain business models, including their opportunities and risks.

It will equip you with the insight, network and tools to guide your organisation on how to deal with these disruptive technologies.

You'll learn about the technologies and how to assess economic, legal and regulatory implications.

You'll also learn about the impact of blockchains on industry and society - today and in the future.

The course is taught by leading academic lecturers and blockchain practitioners who are implementing the technologies on the frontlines. 

Who this course is for

This programme is aimed at business leaders, innovators, regulators and public policy makers.

It's particularly suited to mid-to-senior-level managers in organisations looking to explore blockchain applications for their industries.

It's also suitable for those who want to develop links with the UCL CBT to collaborate on joint research or applied contract work.

You don't need any prior knowledge of blockchains to take this course.

Course content

The following outlines the main areas of teaching spread over eight weeks:

1. Technology behind blockchains and distributed ledgers

In part one, you'll learn about the underlying elements of what makes up a distributed ledger and the history behind blockchains.

How do distributed ledgers differ from existing technologies available? What are the benefits they bring? How many different distributed ledgers exist? How can we distinguish good ones from bad ones?

You'll also learn about different blockchain applications, including:

• cryptocurrencies and tokens
• asset registry technologies
• application stacks
• asset centric technologies
• smart contracts (including DApps and DAOs)

At the end of part one, you'll be well-versed in the various technologies that underpin blockchains and how these translate into their uses in industry.

2. Economic implications and business applications of blockchains

In part two we'll examine the economics of blockchains, business cases in different industries and socio-economic implications.

You'll learn about the different blockchain industry segments, the dynamics of investments in blockchain-related businesses and both the disruption created as well as the challenges and risks of adoption.

You'll also examine the monetary and macroeconomics of cryptocurrencies and the use cases of smart contracts. We'll examine how the ICOs (initial coin offerings), DAOs (decentralised autonomous organisations) and token economies are evolving and where they fit in today's world.

At the end of part two, you'll understand what the trajectory of blockchain applications may be in various industries and the opportunities and risks they may present.

3. Legal/regulatory implications of blockchains

In part three, you'll learn about the legal and regulatory challenges faced with adopting blockchains and smart contracts, as well as regulation of cryptocurrencies.

You'll learn about differences in the regulation of ICOs/DAOs and how security, debt, payment and utility tokens differ from a regulatory and legal perspective across different jurisdictions.

We'll examine the evolving nature of regulation in blockchain use and how blockchains can be used to streamline regulation and compliance (RegTech). With the support of real-use cases, you'll learn how these technologies can be used for continuous auditing, AML (anti money laundering)/KYC (know your customer) verification, or automated tax filing.

4. Real-world case studies

Equipped with an underlying framework of technological, economic and legal aspects of blockchains, you'll then look at real-world case studies of blockchains. This will help you discover how blockchains can be applied, or not, in your own industry and how transformative business models can be created.

Teaching and structure

The programme will mainly be taught in-person by academics and practitioners to give a balance between theory and current real-world applications.

Class sizes are limited to 30 places and one-to-one support will be available where needed.

Face-to-face sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

You should expect to spend an additional 2 to 4 hours a week studying supplementary materials made available online to complement classroom learning.

Certificates and assessment

You'll receive a certificate of attendance on completion of the course, which evidences continuing professional development (CPD) hours (if you attend at least 80% of core sessions).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this programme you'll:

• have a comprehensive understanding of blockchains 
• be able to guide your organisation through adoption and deployment of distributed technologies like blockchain, and overcome obstacles and hindrances
• be able to assess the opportunities and threats that blockchains may generate for your industry or those in your supply chain

Benefits of this programme

Other benefits of attending this programme include the following:

• Outstanding executive collaboration and networking experience with a community of highly regarded academics, guest speakers and interested peers
• Access to the UCL CBT and their associates, including the latest research, newsletters and events, both during and after the programme
• Optional career development pathway to a Postgraduate Diploma from UCL

Costs and concessions

The price for this programme is £4,500.

A 50% discount is available for UCL alumni. 

Course team

Taught by lecturers and practitioners

The course is taught by leading academic lecturers and blockchain practitioners who are implementing the technologies on the frontlines.

Course information last modified: 30 Nov 2022, 15:59