University of Salamanca Master in Blockchain and Smart Contracts

The University of Salamanca (USAL) is offering a Master's Degree in Blockchain and Smart Contracts that aims to equip students with both skills and knowledge pertaining to Smart Contracts, cryptocurrency, blockchains and related technologies. As part of this programme, students will have to undertake an internship or labour exchange which can be completed in-person or online in collaboration with the IoT Digital Innovation Hub along with writing a master's thesis.

Students who take this Master's Degree in Lifelong Learning will be trained in a profile with a high demand derived from the emergence of the concept of Blockchain and the associated technological paradigm. Students will be able to learn about the technologies and computational models used in the framework of Smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, blockchains, etc.

Study programme

The programme's teaching load is 60 ECTS, of which 51 ECTS are mandatory credits, and 9 ECTS are for the Master's thesis. The programme offers blended learning, as modules will have face-to-face labs that students in the online modality can follow via streaming. These days will be indicated in the calendar of activities. 

The study programme is broken down into the following units:

• Cryptography
  • Introduction: Mathematics, primitives and cryptographic asymmetry
  • Public and private keys
• Distributed systems, P2P and Consensus Algorithms
  • Distributed and P2P systems
  • Distributed systems, P2P and consensus algorithms
• Blockchain
  • General concepts: definition, types, benefits and limitations
  • Use cases related to Blockchain
  • Architecture and physical environments
• Blockchain platforms
  • Ethereum and Hyperledger
  • Hyperledger Fabric and Tools
  • Other platforms
• Smart Contracts
  • Concept and characteristics of Smart Contracts
  • Use cases associated with Smart Contracts
• Advanced developments of Smart Contracts
  • Concept and characteristics of Smart Contracts
  • Tokenization, ICOs and digital identity (ERC20, ERC721, ERC725)
• Blockchain and IoT
  • Basic concepts of IoT and the use of Blockchain with IoT
  • Use cases and application examples
• Legal aspects
  • Legal aspects of Blockchain, Bitcoin and Smart Contracts
• Master's Degree Final Project