New academic partnership

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association® have signed an agreement to accredit the business school´s Master of Finance. From now on Frankfurt School students as well as faculty have access to the CAIA Association´s curriculum in order to successfully become a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). This includes eight scholarships for the CAIA – Level I and Level II each year, access to the Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM) Hedge Fund Database as well as to publications of the CAIA Association. Furthermore, students and faculty get networking opportunities through CAIA events.

“Our new academic partnership is a top benefit for Frankfurt School students who want to work in the field of alternative investments after graduating. It helps them to successfully pass the CAIA. Moreover, they get real insights and new contacts through the networking events the cooperation offers”, explains Dr Julia Knobbe, Programme Director of the Master of Finance at Frankfurt School.

Through the new partnership Frankfurt School offers four scholarships for students entering the March and September 2019 exam sessions.

In Germany, Frankfurt School is the first business school that partners with the CAIA Association. Upon signing, FS becomes the 15^th university from the EMEA Region in the Programme, joining many other internationally top-ranked institutions such as the University of St. Gallen or the IE Business School.

To become a partner of the CAIA Association institutions must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), the Association of MBAs, or a similar accreditation organisation. Furthermore, institutions must be able to demonstrate that their curriculum covers a substantial portion of topics covered by the CAIA curriculum as represented by the CAIA Level I and Level II readings, including the CFA’s Standards of Practice Handbook. The CAIA Association will determine whether a program's coverage satisfies this requirement.

“I am thrilled about Frankfurt School’s cooperation with the CAIA Association. Given Frankfurt School’s emphasis on blending theory with practice, it only makes sense to expose students to all the added content and networking opportunities provided by CAIA”, says Leonardo Severino, who graduated with a Master of Finance degree from Frankfurt School in 2016.

“Having a good understanding of Alternative Investments has become ever more important over the last few years, as the traditional 60/40 naïve portfolio (60% stocks, 40% bonds) failed to provide enough diversification to protect investors during the 2007/2008 Global Financial Crisis. Furthermore, as the asset management industry feels the impact of technological disruption, the line between what constitutes traditional investments and alternative investments has become ever more blurred. For those who decide to sit for the exams, I am sure they will find the content very interesting and fun to learn”, Severino concludes.

About the CAIA Association

The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association® is an independent, non-profit global organization committed to education and professionalism in the field of alternative investments. Alternative Investments include a broad range of emerging industries in the field of Finance like Private Equity and Venture Capital, Hedge Funds, Real Estate Investments, Investments in Real Assets. Founded in 2002, the CAIA Association® is the sponsoring body for the CAIA Charter. The CAIA Charter is granted upon successful completion of a rigorous two-level exam series, combined with relevant work experience. Earning the CAIA Charter is the gateway to becoming a member of the CAIA Association, a global network of more than 8,700 alternative investment professionals located in more than 90 countries.