The University of Arizona Finance Department has established an Applied Investment Management program, providing students with an opportunity to apply previous course experiences and knowledge to a student-managed portfolio funded with contributions by alumni and friends of the University. In addition, students wishing to complete an honors thesis in Finance will join the Finance Honors Program, completed in conjunction with the Applied Investment Management class.

Applied Investment Management Program Objectives

The two-semester course is intended to reinforce the investment, finance and general business subjects taught in the regular curriculum and introduce additional investment subjects. The additional subjects include: the operation of an investment organization, the investment process from setting objectives through execution and the exploration of venture capital investing with a focus on regional business opportunities. The class schedule will include regular guest speakers of senior executives and investment experts.

To facilitate an interactive classroom environment, students will form Portfolio Teams to research investment ideas and present portfolio recommendations to an Investment Committee comprised of alumni and friends of the University who hold senior positions with national investment organizations. Graduate students will hold team and class leadership positions, gaining additional experience and skills in team building and leadership.

To apply for enrollment in this course, including the honors thesis option, contact Professor Matt Haertzen in the prior semester and provide your current resume.

Finance Honors Program

Finance students wishing graduate with honors are given a unique opportunity to complete their honors thesis in conjunction with the Applied Portfolio Management class during the senior year and Professor Matt Haertzen. Please note that students must apply for the class and be accepted before being considered for a finance honors thesis.

Completing the finance honors program allows students to:

• Combine real-time investment decisions with investment theory in the classroom
• Complete the circle of experience for the other students, and
• Provide leadership to the next class of students managing the classes' portfolio for the UA Foundation

In addition to full participation in the Applied Portfolio Management class, honors students will participate in one of several competitions, meet the competition requirements and write an individual paper to meet the UA Honors College senior honors thesis requirements. Competitions may include the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge, CQA (Chicago Quantitative Alliance) Investment Challenge and the CME Group Trading Challenge.

You can read the full requirements for a finance honors thesis here.