For those in the world of finance, the letters CFA convey a world of meaning. They stand for Chartered Financial Analyst, a designation indicating that the holder has succeeded in passing a series of three rigorous exams and adheres to the CFA Institute code of ethics and standards of practice.

Dubbed “the gold standard" of the world's finance credentials by no less an authority than the Financial Times, the CFA is held by approximately 110,000 finance professionals worldwide. Of the more than 55,000 charterholders in the United States, 24 percent are portfolio managers and 7 percent—the next largest single group—are C-level executives.

Lundquist College students who aspire to add this prestigious credential to their resumes will be pleased to learn that the finance tracks of our Oregon MBA and undergraduate business programs have been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program.

The coveted distinction means that the CFA Institute recognizes that the Lundquist College's finance curriculum covers at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge. Fewer than 150 universities worldwide are included on this exclusive list.

“This tells a student that if they complete the finance curriculum we offer at the MBA or undergraduate levels, they will be well on their way to mastering the content of the CFA exam," said Michele Henney, interim program manager of the college's Finance and Securities Analysis Center.

The designation also comes with three annual scholarships—provided by the CFA Institute—to help Lundquist College students defray the costs of the level one CFA exam.

Find out more about the CFA Institute and its University Recognition Program. For information about applying for a CFA scholarship, contact the director of the Cameron Center for Finance and Securities Analysis.