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About PRIME
The Program for Research and Investment Management Excellence (PRIME) is a joint
venture of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Business and the Edmonton
Society of Financial Analysts. PRIME represents an innovative partnership
between the University of Alberta and the local community of Financial Analysts
to provide a select group of University students with hands on investment
management experience. The students will manage the PRIME Fund, which will be
comprised of monies donated by the ESFA, the University of Alberta and the
Edmonton Community.
PRIME requires a two-year commitment by students in their third and fourth years
in University. In their third year, students will take FIN 412 and FIN 416.
Additionally, they will participate in a Mentoring Program. In this program,
they will be assigned to a local Chartered Financial Analyst. These mentors will
provide access to investment information services (i.e. Bloomberg).
Additionally, students will learn the process of industry, sector, and firm
analysis. These skills will help them when they reach the fourth-year component
of the program. Additionally, these third-year analysts will have a support role
in the portfolio management decisions of the fourth year students who manage the
PRIME Fund.
In their fourth year at University, and second in PRIME, students will enroll in
FIN 436. This three credit-hour course will provide students with experience
managing an institutional asset portfolio. The course will consist of the
management of the PRIME Fund. Students will interact with investment
professionals in making asset acquisition and divestiture decisions within the
institutional framework of the fund. This course draws on and unifies skills
related to investment analysis and portfolio theory. The course combines
traditional academic objectives with the practical demands of hands on
investment analysis and portfolio management. The students will learn by
actually using the tools of the trade. These include printed materials,
real-time, computerized sources of information, and most importantly, access to
practicing analysts and managers. Additionally, students will learn about the
differences between institutional and personal investment decisions, the
mechanics of trading, the different providers of trading services, and cash
management.
The PRIME program combines traditional academic objectives with the practical
demands of hands on investment analysis and portfolio management. The students
will learn by actually using the tools of the trade. These include printed
materials, real-time, computerized sources of information, and most importantly,
access to practicing analysts and managers. The experience gained in the PRIME
program is comparable to a year's work experience in the eyes of many potential
employers and places the graduate in an extremely advantageous job-search
position.