If you want to work in Finance in the future, please talk to Drs. Trang Phan and Lina Zhou in the Department of Business Administration. You could start the journey as a freshman! Take full advantage of the liberal arts education and the following professional resources to kick off a rewarding career!
1. In your first year, join the Augustana Student Investment Fund. You will learn from and work with a group of students to manage a real portfolio. You not only develop stock investing skills but also enjoy the teamwork and grow into a campus leader.
2. In your sophomore year, complete the foundation courses required by the Business Administration major – ECON 200, ACCT 201, BUSN 211, BUSN 205, and take BUSN 331. Apply for the CFA student scholarship (contact Dr. Lina Zhou for instructions), then you can sit in the CFA level I exam as early as the August before your junior year. Augustana’s BUSN-Finance has been a member of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program since 2018.
3. In your junior or senior year, participate in the global CFA Institute Research Challenge competition. Augustana has been participating since 2018-19 and our teams have strong track record in the competition. Success in the competition is globally recognized and highly regarded in the Investment/Finance world. Past participants all described the experience as the highlight of their life at Augustana. Here is a news article about the recent teams.
4. In your senior year, apply for the CFA student scholarship to take it with you. Then you can take the CFA level II exam within a year.
The above opportunities are typically available only to students in large institutions with professional Business schools. It is bold that Augustana has the same resources to prepare you for a bright future.