The finance curriculum is designed to give students a solid foundation in financial theory while developing skills and techniques necessary to manage today's dynamic business environment. The globalization of both product and financial markets, rapid development in information technology, and recent advances in the field of finance have created a growing need for well-qualified graduates. Challenging career opportunities exist in the securities and finance services industry, information systems, and corporate financial management.
The School of Business Administration’s finance concentration is proud to be a participant in the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. The CFA Institute administers the CFA Program, which awards the Chartered Financial Analyst charter. The CFA charter is a highly respected investment credential throughout the world.
According to the CFA Institute, “the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential is the professional standard of choice for more than 31,000 investment firms worldwide.” Leading investment firms often require job applicants for key positions to have the CFA Charter so as to demonstrate their mastery of the up-to-date investment analysis and decision-making skills, technical competence, and commitment to the highest professional standards. To become a CFA charterholder, one must pass a series of three challenging exams. According to the CFA Institute, CFA candidates must spend at least 300 hours of review per exam.
Being an Affiliated University means that Gonzaga University’s School of Business curriculum is closely tied to the practice of investment management and is helpful to students preparing for the CFA Program exams. The finance concentration has demonstrated to the CFA Institute that the curriculum covers at least 70 percent of the Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) topics for all three levels of the CFA Program exams including ethics. Students in this program benefit from this affiliation by having access to all levels of the CFA Program sample exams and the CFA Program Awareness Scholarships.