SMU and Trilogy Education Launch First FinTech Boot Camp in Dallas

DALLAS, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas is getting its first training program aimed specifically at preparing local adults for jobs in fintech. The Southern Methodist FinTech Boot Camp is open for enrollment starting today and offered in partnership with Trilogy Education, a 2U, Inc. brand and leading workforce accelerator.

The 24-week, part-time program includes two, three-hour evening classes during the week (6:30 to 9:30 PM) and a four-hour class on Saturdays (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM). Enrollment is now open at techbootcamps.smu.edu/fintech.

"We see a big demand in Dallas for continuing education focused on tech skills, and fintech has emerged as one of the most exciting areas of technology innovation," SMU Associate Provost for Continuing Education, ad interim, Michael Robertson said. "The SMU FinTech Boot Camp will teach the technical skills that are becoming critical for businesses across industries as well as give students exposure to a range of cutting-edge fintech applications including algorithmic trading, robo-advisors, and blockchain."

From the city's largest industries to a growing number of fintech startups, Dallas area employers are hungry for tech talent. Financial services companies like JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Charles Schwab are among the top 10 employers in Dallas currently sourcing talent with coding skills, according to Burning Glass Labor Insights. In the last 12 months alone, Dallas area employers posted 130,000+ jobs requiring the technology and data skills that will be taught in SMU's newest boot camp.

The SMU FinTech Boot Camp is the latest in a series of professional tech boot camps that the university offers in partnership with Trilogy Education. SMU's boot camps in coding and data science have nearly 500 graduates, many of whom have gone on to find jobs with major local employers like Lockheed Martin, Hilton, IBM, Verizon, and Infosys.

Students in the SMU FinTech Boot Camp will develop a portfolio through applied experience with a wide range of technology tools relevant to financial services, including:

• Analyzing stock movement using financial APIs in Jupyter notebooks.
• Creating predictive models for stock prices with time series analysis using Python.
• Building a decentralized identity system using blockchain technologies.
• Applying machine learning algorithms to analyze sentiment scores for cryptocurrency news.
• Using TensorFlow to build deep learning neural networks to predict financial outcomes.
• Developing an AI-driven robo-advisor capable of providing financial services with minimal human intervention.

Boot camp students will gain skills that prepare them for a wide range of fintech-related roles, as well as receive a Certificate in Financial Technology from SMU Professional and Online. In addition to classroom instruction from industry professionals, students will have access to highly targeted career planning services including trained career coaches, recruiting assistance, portfolio reviews, webinars, and employer events.

SMU is among the first universities in the country to launch boot camps aimed directly at preparing local professionals for the rise of fintech. Other Trilogy Education partners to recently launch fintech boot camps are Columbia Engineering, Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and UNC Charlotte.

Apply Now
To learn more about the SMU FinTech Boot Camp, visit techbootcamps.smu.edu/fintech. You can apply online or by calling 214-775-9982.

About SMU Professional and Online (PRO)
SMU Professional and Online, SMU PRO, is an initiative of the nationally ranked and globally recognized research university in Dallas, SMU. Offering student professionals skills in demand from employers, SMU PRO provides a wide range of degrees, certificates and short courses to help professionals advance in their careers or transition successfully to new ones. For more information, visit SMU.edu/PRO.

About SMU
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU's alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in seven degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.

About Trilogy Education
Trilogy Education, a 2U, Inc. brand is a workforce accelerator that empowers the world's leading universities to prepare professionals for high-growth careers in the digital economy. Trilogy's intensive, skills-based training boot camps bridge regional talent gaps in coding, data analytics, UX/UI, cybersecurity, and fintech in more than 50 markets around the globe. Thousands of working adults have successfully completed Trilogy-powered boot camps, and more than 2,500 companies—ranging from startups to the Fortune 500—employ them.

Media Contact:
Charlotte Ward
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SOURCE Trilogy Education Services