CFA® Coverage
A mark of expertise and integrity.
The CFA® charter, awarded by the CFA Institute, is a globally recognized investment management credential. Earning it requires passing three rigorous exams and gaining industry experience. With a completion rate under 20%, the CFA signals strong expertise, discipline, and integrity.
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The CFA charter is valued by employers around the world to identify professionals with exceptional finance acumen and ethical grounding. It opens doors to high-level roles such as portfolio manager, securities analyst or chief investment officer. The CFA Institute also serves the global financial community through continuing education, rigorous research and advocacy for ethical investment practices.
UB’s Master’s in Economics program offers elective courses—Practicum in Financial Economics I and II—to support students preparing for the CFA® Level I exam. These courses closely align with the CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), helping students apply theory to real-world investment decisions.
Learning outcomes
- Understand financial markets, valuation techniques, and ethical standards
- Practice investment analysis and Bloomberg Terminal navigation (BMC certification)
- Prepare for professional roles in portfolio management and financial analysis
Course breakdown
- Focus: Equity valuation
- Hands-on team project: Analyze a public company, build a DCF model, and present a Buy/Sell/Hold recommendation
- Outcome: Simulated investment committee experience that mirrors real-world analyst roles
- Typically offered: Fall, Spring
- Focus: Fixed-income markets
- Topics: Bond pricing, yield volatility, credit risk, yield curves, and embedded options
- Outcome: Mastery of fixed-income concepts that dominate a large portion of CFA Level I content
- Typically offered: Spring
Matthew Krajna, CFA
- Director of Equity Research & Senior Portfolio Manager, Nottingham Advisors (Buffalo, NY)
- Member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee
- Brings a wealth of real-world portfolio strategy, equity research, and tactical asset allocation experience to the classroom