AIM Program Partners with the CFA Institute

MILWAUKEE, WI. USA, April 27, 2006 - It was announced today that Marquette University’s Applied Investment Management (AIM) program is the first undergraduate business program in the world - and one of only two in the United States - selected as a Program Partner by the CFA Institute (http://www.cfainstitute.org/)

The institute coordinates the investment profession’s most rigorous credentialing program. The partnership designation means that Marquette offers a degree program that covers at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, the CFA Institute Ethical and Professional Standards, and other requirements.

David Krause, Director of the AIM program, said the CFA designation was recognized worldwide as a sign of expertise within the investment industry. “We are pleased that CFA Institute acknowledged the high quality of Marquette’s program, particularly the emphasis we place on ethics,” Krause said. “Our strong curriculum, summer internships and the practical experience students gain from actually managing part of the university’s investment portfolio help prepare our graduates for the first level of the CFA exam.”

David Shrock, Dean of the College of Business Administration said, “The AIM Program provides a quality education in investment management that is firmly grounded in Jesuit Catholic intellectual values.  The program parallels the College of Business Administration’s core mission, enabling our graduates to function effectively and ethically in a diverse workplace and global economy.”

Students in Marquette’s AIM program must take four unique courses, according to Sarah Peck, Chair of Marquette’s Finance Department. “Introduction to Applied Investment Management, Research and Financial Analysis, Valuation and Portfolio Management, and Investment Management, Ethics and Society provide students with a strong business and financial base of knowledge,” she said. “But in keeping with our Jesuit tradition and the CFA Program standards, there is also tremendous emphasis on the ethical issues our graduates will encounter.”

Marquette was one of six universities announced today as CFA Program Partners. The others are Bocconi University (Milan, Italy), Boston University (Boston, Mass.), Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong) and Said Business School at the University of Oxford (England).