Savannah State University (SSU) is joining 12 University System of Georgia (USG) institutions in offering courses in financial technologies, also known as FinTech. SSU will offer the first set of online courses, through USG eCampus, as electives, beginning in fall 2019. SSU students will be also able to earn a FinTech certificate. Students can take these courses regardless of major.

The area of FinTech encompasses a range of emerging technology, such as money transfer, depositing a check via smartphone, bypassing a bank branch to apply for credit, raising money for a business startup or managing investments, generally without the assistance of a person.

Georgia is particularly central to the industry. More than 60 percent of payment-processing companies are based in Atlanta, and more than 70 percent of all U.S. payments processed run through Georgia. Additionally, there is demand for qualified employees in the field. It is estimated there will be a need for 10,000 new employees over the next three years, with the annual salary for FinTech engineers averaging $100,000.

Students will be able to register for these courses beginning July 8.