Applied Investment Management Program

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AIM program continues 100% job placement streak

Despite a still sluggish economy, the Applied Investment Management program class of 2011 has achieved a 100-percent career placement rate, a streak that has been ongoing since the program's inception in 2005. The 24 students, who all graduated from the acclaimed and competitive program this past academic year, have landed jobs with major financial firms, such as Morgan Stanley, Wells Capital, JP Morgan, BNP-Paribas, Northwestern Mutual, UBS and Cascade Investments, to name a few.

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A Brief History

Based on strong student and alumni demand, the idea for the AIM program was generated in 2003. Through the tireless efforts of Dan Tranchita, Michael Blonski, Jason Weiner, and other Milwaukee-area investment professionals, and with the support of the Dean of the College of Business Administration, David Shrock, the AIM program was founded in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Dr. David Krause was hired as the inaugural director and along with the initial advisory board he soon began to develop and implement the program. The Marquette University board of trustees approved the establishment of a student-managed fund and following the generous contributions of various alumni, the AIM program was off and running. Establishing a curriculum based on the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Institute’s core body of knowledge; in 2005 the AIM program enrolled 12 students in the Class of 2006. Since its inception the program has stayed true to its mission of providing Marquette University’s undergraduates the opportunity to integrate the financial principles they learn within the classroom with relevant internships and investment experiences so that they may become proficient and ethical investment professionals.  

To fulfill its mission, the AIM program consists of five main components:

  1. A comprehensive, academic curriculum centered on the core body of knowledge of the CFA® program.
  2. Classroom instruction from Finance and Accounting faculty and real world investment experts from local financial institutions.
  3. A high-quality summer internship allowing students to apply and integrate their academic knowledge in the investment arena.
  4. Student-managed equity and fixed-income investment portfolios.
  5. A fully functional research lab located in the College of Business Administration featuring state-of-the-art, hands-on, investment technology and information systems. 

In 2006, the AIM program was the first undergraduate business program selected as a Program Partner by the CFA Institute. The partnership designation means that Marquette University offers a degree program that covers at least 70 percent of the CFA Institute’s Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, the CFA Institute Ethical and Professional Standards, and other requirements. In 2007, the International Applied Investment Management (IAIM) program was introduced and in 2009 a five-year AIM/Master of Science in Applied Economics (Financial Economics track) plan was offered. Currently there are 22 students enrolled in the AIM Class of 2011.