Financial Analyst Honors Program

The Financial Analyst Honors Program is designed to prepare superior, motivated students for careers in all areas of financial analysis. The main elements of the Program involve a rigorous grounding in (1) the preparation, use, and analysis of financial statements; (2) the valuation of assets, including equity, debt, and derivative securities; (3) the interrelationships among corporate investment, financing, and dividend policies; and (4) the use of research databases and analytical methods in Finance. Although the Program is not intended as a CFA® prep course, one outcome is that most students will be able to take the Level I examination with modest additional effort

Unique Features

The Financial Analyst Honors Program contains a significant career management and mentoring component. Throughout the program, extensive career counseling is provided and students can avail themselves of unique opportunities to interact with business practitioners, including alumni. This interaction takes the form of work-site tours, mock interviews, resume critiques, and networking, both in Albany and New York City.

Acquiring Different Skill Sets

One of the objectives of the Financial Analyst Honors Program is to extend the capabilities of students beyond academic skills. The program equips students in soft skills such as the ability to work in teams, effective interpersonal communications, business etiquette and most important, personal ethics. Typical coursework also equips students with computer skills such as expertise in Microsoft Excel. As the program progresses, students constantly improve their written communication abilities and their oral presentation abilities.

Typical Course Format

A typical course in the Financial Analyst Honors Program involves small class size with significant interaction between the instructor and the students and among the students. Graded activities include a mix of group presentations and discussions, exams, case analyses, and spreadsheet-based projects.

Senior Thesis Project

Each Financial Analyst Honors program student writes a senior thesis on a research topic of his or her choice, under the guidance of a Finance Department faculty member. This provides an excellent opportunity to explore a topic in depth, work with state-of-the-art databases, conduct a rigorous economic and statistical analysis, and hone communication skills. The senior theses of several program graduates have been competitive for awards and national conference participation. See thesis project abstracts from 2010 and 2011.

Successful Graduates

Since the initial cohort from the Financial Analyst Honors Program graduated in 2004, graduates of the Financial Analyst program have been hired by Ayco Financial Services, Argent Mortgage Company, Alliance Bernstein, Bank of America, Citigroup, Deloitte & Touche, Deutsche Bank, Dexia, Ernst & Young, Garban Intercapital, Goldman Sachs, Huron Consulting, IBM, JP Morgan, KPMG, McGraw-Hill, Morgan Stanley, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, UBS, and Walthausen & Co. Several graduates have gone on to obtain their law degrees from highly reputable schools such as St. John’s and Syracuse..

Here's what faculty, students and alumni are saying about the Financial Analyst Honors Program:

"As a member of the first class of the Financial Analyst Honors Program, I can attest that what is advertised is delivered in full. The classes are small, there is extensive and rigorous analytical and quantitative training, as well as several group and individual research projects. The building of these skills and experience will truly set you apart from other candidates when interviewing with the financial industry's largest firms."- Martin Pincar , B.S. '04, J.P.Morgan Chase

"Even in difficult economic times, we continue to look for candidates with strong quantitative skills and a sound grasp of the fundamental principles of finance. I believe students from this program will be better prepared to hit the ground running. I definitely would have participated in this program had it been available when I was a student."- Daniel Byrne, M.B.A, '96, Goldman Sachs

"I am pleased to hear about the new concentration. The classes in the program cover relevant topics, and will provide the skills required to enter the field as a financial analyst competing in a global marketplace."- Michael Gutter, B.S.'91, Arista Leasing

"A Finance professional needs an understanding of money and capital markets. The education I received from the SUNYA Finance Department provided an incredible framework for my pursuit of a career as a Portfolio Manager."- Bruce Geller, B.S.'91, Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co.

"Extensive consultations with UAlbany's most prominent alumni and current students provided the guiding principles for our Financial Analyst Program. The exciting result is that we offer a unique experience combining a hard-hitting, skills-based finance curriculum and partnerships with alumni who are recognized industry leaders."- Dr. David Smith, University at Albany, Finance Professor

Selected Additional Resources:

• Careers in Finance

• Financial Career Zone

• Vault Career Intelligence