Investment-Related Opportunities for Business Majors
Based on the strength of its business administration curriculum, Principia College has been recognized as a Charter Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Affiliated University. The CFA Institute is a global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for excellence in the industry. As a result of this new affiliation, business majors will have access to the CFA eBook curriculum and sample tests for all three exam levels as well as complimentary access to Financial Analysts Journal, among other advantages. Principia may also award CFA Program Awareness Scholarships for students needing financial assistance in order to complete a CFA exam.
To qualify as a CFA Institute Affiliated University, an institution must demonstrate that a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK)—including the code of ethics and standards of professional conduct—is embedded in its business curriculum. Principia’s business administration faculty worked closely with CFA to document the department’s curricular alignment with CBOK. In addition, notes Business Professor Dale Matheny, “We’re grateful to Andrew Abouchar CFA, a current parent, who helped open the doors at the CFA Institute.”
Founder and partner of Tech Capital Partners, Mr. Abouchar recently received the Outstanding Contribution to CFA Institute Education Programs Award in recognition of his strong support for and encouragement of continuing education in the profession. Abouchar generously donated the $10,000 award to Principia College. The gift will be used to “help business administration majors interested in finance and investments study for and take the CFA exam,” Matheny says. “This exam can directly lead to a career in investments.”
The College’s new CFA affiliation fits well with its St. Louis Collegiate Investment Contest, initiated in 2004 with a generous gift from a donor. The contest, which is open to students at colleges and universities in or near St. Louis, encourages sound investment over time. Working in groups or as a class, students select a value-based investment portfolio and hold it for 24 months, with a $5,000 prize awarded to the group with the winning portfolio each semester. Last year saw an uptick in participation with investment groups from five schools, besides Principia, entering the contest—the University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis University, Lindenwood University, McKendree University, and Greenville University.
Learn more about Principia’s business administration program, which prepares students for careers in marketing, sales, finance, management, as well as graduate school programs in business and law.