The University of California Irvine Extension has opened enrollment for its first certificate program in RFID technology. It is but the latest in a series of business schools across the country showing academic interest in RFID and its business implications. Five courses totaling 150 hours are required to complete the program. The first two classes are being offered in the winter quarter and the remaining three in the spring. "The classes are based on business processes, rather than the technology," said Stefano Stephan, assistant director for the Business Management Legal and IT program. The first class to be offered next year is "Solving Business Problems with Radio Frequency Identification Technology Devices," and it will offer a technology overview and how it can fit into the business environment.

The University of California is showing the way here, as most other schools offering RFID classes still do so in their engineering departments. But more and more companies are pushing business schools--to some of which they make large denotations--to begin to include classes on the business aspects and ramifications of the technology.

For more on RFID programs:
- see Laurie Sullivan's TechWeb report