The School of MEM receives status from Chartered Financial Analysts program

King’s School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics (School of MEM) is “beyond excited” to be accepted into the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute University Affiliation Program. King’s will join 36 universities across Canada and 595 others across the world who participate in the program. King’s is the second school in London to be accepted into the program. Ivey Business School at Western is the only other London school that has been recognized with this status.

“This international affiliation is an honour and an amazing opportunity for us,” adds Dr. Grigori Erenburg, Director of the School of MEM.

To earn the status, The School of MEM’s Bachelor of Management and Organizations Studies – Finance and  Administration (Honors Specialization) has been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70 per cent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK). As well, the program is recognized for placing emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The Bachelor of Management and Organizations Studies – Finance and Administration (Honors Specialization) program will position students to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst ® designation.

“This is such an incredible opportunity for King’s students, alumni and employers. This is truly a place to be and a place to become,” says Dr. Josephine Gemson, Assistant Professor of the School of MEM. “This program is well-known for the level and rigour of its material and is frequently compared to the university Masters Degree programs. This designation is truly worthy and useful for students who intend to specialize in finance to pursue. Employers recognize and value the CFA designation today - for its comprehensiveness, relevancy to the industry, subject coverage, and focus on ethics.”

Under the program, King’s School of MEM will be awarding six Student Scholarships, which covers most of the registration fees and waives an enrolment fee for the December 2019 and June 2020 certification exams. Students who apply but are not selected to receive a scholarship, will still receive the early registration prices, regardless of the time of their scholarship application submission. “We strongly encourage our students to apply,” says Dr. Gemson. More information on these scholarships can be found at http://info.cfainstitute.org/rs/357-TRH-938/images/Student%20Guide%20to%20UAP%20Scholarships%202020.pdf

Dr. Gemson explains the BMOS - Finance and Administration (Honors Specialization) was the School of MEM’s first choice for the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program because it has the most comprehensive coverage of the CBOK. She adds the next step will be applying for designation for other programs including BMOS – Finance & Administration (Specialization) and Finance and Wealth Management Program (a joint program with Fanshawe College).

The designation “is the most renowned, accepted and widely recognized professional credential in finance globally. The overall benefits for King’s of being in this program are hard to overestimate,” says Dr. Gemson.

The affiliation will provide credible recognition to the quality and relevance of the BMOS - Finance and Administration (Honors Specialization) program, strengthen King’s relationship with the CFA Institute, improve programs’ curriculums and keep them in line with developments in the financial industry, and provide direct financial benefits to students planning to take the CFA exam.

The application process for the affiliation program began in early April with a review of the application form and continued with mapping the various BMOS courses to the knowledge domains and sub-domains in the CBOK. “The application process is extremely comprehensive,” says Dr.Gemson. 

“A shout out to all our amazing faculty, and Lydia Li, Program Manager of the School of MEM, and Estelle Van Winkle, School Administrator of the School of MEM, who provided details and information to make this process easier. Ms. Merridith Kauten and Ms. Amanda Toft of the CFA have been very kind and provided regular assistance to us throughout the process,” says Dr. Gemson.

For more information on the CFA Institute, visit www.cfainstitute.org.

For more information on the School of MEM, visit https://www.kings.uwo.ca/academics/school-of-management-economics-and-mathematics/