Class of 2019 students should be preparing their applications
for Marquette’s AIM Program and the new Banking Program:
Applications due on January 27, 2017
Applications due on January 27, 2017
U.S. News and World Report for 2017 recognized Marquette’s finance program as No. 15 among the nation’s top undergraduate business specialty programs. Undergraduate finance majors study the core areas of finance with an
emphasis on corporate social responsibility.
Note:
beginning with the Class of 2019, the AIM program will cover four semesters
(junior and senior years).
The Finance Department also offers a major in real estate,
which emphasizes theory and practical applications of commercial real estate.
Students learn how to apply principles of market analysis, financing and
development with respect to commercial real estate.
Additionally, a new banking program is being added to the
Finance Department’s offering. Led by Dr. Kent Belasco, the program offers a
diverse range of courses, including an entry-level course in banking, an
overview of the primary leadership functions in the banking environment, and a
course focusing on risk management and the risk evaluation process which banks
engage in as they execute their duties and responsibilities. The modern banking
industry represents an exciting - and growing - career opportunity. Roles
within the banking industry vary greatly and include operations, technology,
lending and credit risk analysis.
For more information
about the AIM program contact Dr. David Krause (david.krause@marquette.edu) and
for the banking program, please contact Dr. Kent Belasco. (kent.belasco@marquette.edu).
College of Business Administration
APPLIED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (AIM)
Program Description
BACKGROUND: Marquette is home to one of the nation’s top undergraduate programs in applied investment management. The AIM program allows a select group of finance majors to get hands-on academic and financial analysis experience, including summer internships, and an opportunity to actively manage domestic and international equity and fixed-income portfolios. Students in the program study the core body of knowledge covered in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Level I exam – preparing them to take the test upon graduation.
There are two tracks within the program: Investments and Private Equity & Investment Banking. Students in the Investments track focus on asset management while the second track concentrates more on transactional finance.
Investments Track Courses: In addition to the regular finance courses, there are five unique AIM courses and one required finance elective:
· Introduction to Applied Investment Management covers investment policy, securities regulation, and the mechanics of the securities markets and is intended to prepare students for their summer internship.
· Research and Financial Analysis provides students a thorough understanding of the key investment tools – quantitative research methods, economic relationships, and financial statement analysis. During this course students will analyze securities and manage actual equity and fixed income portfolios.
· Valuation and Portfolio Management includes the common approaches to valuing assets, the basic measurements of risk and return, and the key elements of the portfolio management process. Students will continue to manage the investment portfolios, evaluate performance, and prepare reports on the results at the end of the semester.
· Fixed Income Securities focuses on the use of debt securities and structured products to fulfill investment requirements or accommodate corporate financing strategies.
· Investment Management, Ethics, and Society emphasizes how to manage investments in a manner that is both ethical and socially responsible. Students will acquire a thorough understanding of the CFA® professional standards of conduct in the application of ethics to the moral dimensions of money management.
Private Equity & Investment Banking Track Courses: In addition to the regular finance courses, there are four required courses and two required finance electives:
· Introduction to Applied Investment Management covers investment policy, securities regulation, and the mechanics of the securities markets and is intended to prepare students for their summer internship.
· Investment Banking covers the common types of transactions that investment bankers work on and the different methods used to value those transactions. Some of these include IPOs, seasoned equity offerings, exchange offers, mergers, hostile tender offers, leverage buyouts, and going private transactions.
· Applied Financial Modeling provides the Excel modeling skills to apply the theories, concepts, and tools for effective financial analysis and decision-making. .
· Private Equity, Ethics and Society Connects basic financial concepts with analytical skills in the evaluation of private equity opportunities. Valuation, capital structure and deal construction are evaluated through rigorous case study within the context of the moral and societal implications. .
REQUIRED INTERNSHIP: Students accepted into the AIM program are expected to complete a summer internship between their sophomore and junior years or junior and senior years. While possible, students should understand that it will be difficult to study abroad during their junior or senior years while enrolled in AIM. Also, given the required AIM courses, it will be challenging for students to obtain multiple majors in business in four years.
APPLICATION TO THE AIM PROGRAM: Students apply to the AIM program during the spring semester of their sophomore year (having completed or currently enrolled in FINA 3001 and ACCO 3001) and notification of acceptance occurs before the advising period. If at anytime a student leaves or is dropped from the program, all credits earned at that point will be counted towards the finance major. Acceptance into the program will be based on:
- Resume & References
- Interview
- Declared Finance major
- Application Essay
- Grades earned by the beginning of the spring semester of the sophomore year (GPA ≥ 3.0)
