Program Overview

The Program in Financial Market Regulation is a cooperative project of the financial services industry, regulatory organizations, and major law firms with, the School of Business, the College of Computing and Information, and the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, and Albany Law School, to educate students and conduct research in financial market regulation. Its interdisciplinary coursework and internships prepare students for careers in regulation and supervision in the private and public sectors. By attracting high-quality students into careers in financial market regulation and compliance, it complements existing programs of continuing professional education. 

Professional participants identify four areas of education that are especially important to work effectively in this field:

• An understanding of the business of financial markets in order to know how regulations and controls affect business functions and to work credibly with those responsible for these functions.
• An understanding of the law of market regulation in order to know how rules apply to business functions and policy questions.
• An understanding of public policy in financial market regulation in order to anticipate how regulations should be designed given tradeoffs among competing considerations.
• An understanding of the technology of information management and data analysis essential to modern regulation and supervision.

Strong ethical values are a foundation for market regulation, and so, throughout the coursework, the program highlights ethical issues graduates will encounter in their work.

Graduates have classes and experiences encompassing each of these areas. They will enter careers in financial market regulation and supervision appreciating its issues and necessary skills, prepared to learn more efficiently from on-the-job experience and continuing professional education.

Internships

Through internships, and ideally internships in different types of related organizations such as a firm and a regulatory organization, the student experiences work in the field in an initial way. Faculty and professionals work closely with students to prepare them for the competitions for these internships.

Advisory Council

An Advisory Council of accomplished professionals oversees the program. The Council provides guidance on the course offerings and career experiences for students.

The Academic Structure of the Program in Financial Market Regulation

The University at Albany offers an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science major with a specialization in Financial Market Regulation. Students also may minor in Financial Market Regulation, complementing undergraduate majors on campus such as Business, Computer Science, Economics, Political Science, Public Policy and Management, and Sociology, among others. Graduate students are enrolled in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, taking courses consistent with their degrees as permitted by their primary academic advisors. Law students at Albany Law School are enrolled in the Juris Doctor (JD) program, including joint JD/graduate programs with the University at Albany. Regardless of their degree, all students will study, through coursework and other experiences, how finance, law, public policy, and technology combine to shape work in the field.

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