From Griffith… to Wall Street.
It’s a dream that could very well become reality for Gold Coast businessman Andrew Hack. He is among the first students to enrol in one of Griffith’s new postgraduate finance degrees, which have just been recognised by the world’s biggest finance professional designation.
Two postgraduate programs – Master of Finance and Master of Finance and Investments – have been admitted into the prestigious CFA Institute’s University Recognition Program — the most respected and recognised investment credential in the world.
Andrew hopes that having a postgraduate degree of such calibre as the Master of Finance and Investments will not only assist him with his CFA exams, but also give him an advantage in the jobseeker market once he moves to New York.
After successfully running three Gold Coast retail businesses, he now wants to move into the field of investment banking.
“Globally, and particularly in Australia, employers are requiring a Masters degree as a prerequisite and doing a course that is also recognised by the CFA Institute is absolutely fantastic,” Andrew said.
“I did my level one exam with the CFA Institute last year and it was quite difficult because nowhere outside of Sydney offers courses that directly prepare you.”
Andrew Hack and Program Director Dr Alexandr Akimov atwork on the new Bloomberg terminals at Nathan Campus.
Program Director, Dr Alexandr Akimov, said the Master of Finance and Investments curriculum was built around CFA Level 2 and 3 professional exams for students who have a background in finance studies.
The Master of Finance program is designed for students from any background and covers the curriculum from all three levels of CFA exams.
“For many students the CFA exams can be challenging and there is a high fail rate because there is no training built into the CFA program, but our students are well prepared through the Masters programs which are designed to be professionally relevant,” Dr Akimov said.
Griffith first engaged with the CFA three years ago and the Bachelor of Commerce degree became the first program in Australia to gain CFA Institute recognition.
Dr Akimov said Griffith had since been working on the new suite of innovative masters programs designed to be industry relevant with input from professionals and the active use of trading room facilities with 12 Bloomberg terminals.
The two programs, run from Nathan campus, have seen an intake of 46 students who can look to careers in stock analysis, stock broking, portfolio management, superannuation and other areas of banking after they graduate.
“Another benefit of combining with the CFA, is we get to sponsor up to five scholarships a year and the opportunity to access their resources,” Dr Akimov said.
