Want a degree in RFID?

The University of California at Irvine is developing a certificate program focusing on radio frequency identification, or RFID -- the electronic identification technology that's so en vogue at the moment in computer circles.

Students of the university's extension program may be able to enroll in the courses as soon as the winter quarter of 2006, according to Stefano Stefan, assistant director of business, management, legal and IT programs for the school's continuing education series.
UC Irvine may be the first college in the country - or even the world -- to offer RFID courses that don't require enrollment in an engineering school, Stefan said.

The program will consist of a series of courses "possibly leading to a certificate program, focusing on RFID technology and its use in various industries," he said in an e-mail. The material will be tailored to technology users and business managers, rather than techies, he added.
"The program's focus will be on the business side rather than on the technical side," Stefano said.

"We plan to have one course on the electrical engineering aspects of RFID, but the remaining courses will be on managing RFID implementation projects, evaluating and modifying business processes with RFID in mind, assessing the impact of RFID on existing infrastructure, and establishing new infrastructure to take advantage of RFID capabilities. I know that privacy concerns are high in this arena so I expect that we'll also develop a course on legal and ethical implications of RFID."

Cliff Horwitz, CEO of RFID gear-maker SAMSys Technologies, has offered to be a lecturer for the program. He says the RFID industry is sorely in need of more formal training opportunties. He worries that technology suppliers have become too influential.
"It's like handing the keys to the inmates to have the vendors driving decisions," he said.