News Releases

Worldwide financial organization partners with KU undergraduate finance program

The Undergraduate Program has been recognized as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Partner

Friday, August 10, 2007

LAWRENCE — The KU School of Business' Undergraduate Program has recently been recognized as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Partner. The distinction certifies that finance students have the necessary training to sit for the first level of the CFA exam, the investment profession's most rigorous credentialing exam.

Recognition as a CFA Program Partner signals to potential students and employers that the School's finance curriculum is closely tied to professional practice.

"The fact that the CFA Institute chose to partner with the School is a clear indication of the strength of our finance program," said Doug Houston, director of finance, economics and decision sciences at the School of Business. "Only 35 other universities around the world have met the stringent standards of the CFA Institute, so we're in elite company."

The School's undergraduate finance major requires at least 18 credit hours of finance-related coursework, in addition to the core business curriculum. Students who complete the program are prepared to enter careers in corporate finance or investments and portfolio management.

Mark Hirschey, director of KU's CFA program, said, "Over the years, several of our top students in our Applied Portfolio Management and Security Analysis courses have gone on to complete the CFA program. With this new CFA Program Partner initiative, more KU students will gain access to the top professional credential in the field of investments and the tremendous career opportunities it makes possible."

Because the School is a Program Partner, KU finance students will gain access to CFA Institute textbooks, webcasts and other educational resources. Students will also benefit from professional development events held in conjunction with the Kansas City CFA Society.

"Job candidates with both advanced degrees and professional certification are more in demand than ever," said Christie Cody, CFA, CFP, director of portfolio management at The Commerce Trust Company and president of Kansas City CFA Society. "This is a great benefit to advance and succeed in the financial industry's competitive job market."

The CFA Institute is the global membership association that administers the CFA curriculum and exam programs worldwide. The organization also conducts professional development programs and publishes finance-related research. The CFA exam is regarded as the toughest credentialing program for the investment profession. Fewer than one in five candidates who begin the three-part exam successfully complete it and earn a CFA charter, the gold standard for investment professionals.


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