FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2005

CONTACT: Daniel P. Finney, (515) 271-2833, daniel.finney@drake.edu

DRAKE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TO OFFER NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Drake University College of Business and Public Administration will offer a Master of Financial Management program beginning with the fall 2005 semester.

The master’s degree program is an effort by the University to meet the needs of the fast-growing financial services industry and help working professionals develop skills and gather knowledge that will be immediately useful in the workplace.

“We have seen a tremendous growth in interest in advanced studies of financial management at both the national and local level,” said John Rozycki, Drake associate professor of finance. “We are responding to the needs of our community by adding a degree program that will be much more specialized than a traditional MBA.”

Students with an academic or professional background related to financial management can complete the program in 33 credit hours, consisting of 24 hours of required courses and 9 hours of electives. Students without this background will complete 6 additional hours of foundation courses.

The required courses can be categorized in two broad classifications: general business core courses and financial management core courses. The electives provide students with the opportunity to increase knowledge in specialized areas of emphasis or develop a broad knowledge base.

Students exempted from the foundation coursework will be able to complete the program in two years of part-time study. Courses will be offered in the evenings.

The financial asset management area of emphasis will help interested students pursue the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Passing a series of three exams and fulfilling the necessary professional experience achieve this designation.

The program of study leading to the CFA designation is very rigorous. Consequently, the CFA designation is used by many financial services companies as a measure of an applicant’s dedication and mastery of the specialized knowledge in the field of investment management. Increasingly, however, earning the CFA designation by itself is not enough for would-be investment management professionals.

“There are test preparation programs designed to help CFA candidates prepare for the CFA exams, but these programs are no substitute for a solid education on the material that makes up the CFA curriculum,” said Phil Nordhus, CFA, an analyst with Principal Global Investors in Des Moines. “A graduate program such as Drake’s allows students to gain this knowledge and to demonstrate to an employer that they are committed to improving their skills.”

Drake is now accepting applications for the fall 2005 semester. For more information on the program, contact the Graduate Programs office (515) 271-2188 or visit Drake University’s College of Business and Public Administration website at www.cbpa.drake.edu.

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