Darden School of Business Named CFA Institute Program Partner

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CFA Institute announced today that the University of Virginia Darden School of Business has been officially named a CFA Program Partner with its Masters of Business Administration.

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Recognition as a CFA Program Partner indicates to potential students, employers and the marketplace that the university curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to prepare students to sit for the three levels of CFA examinations. The highly regarded Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential was established in 1963.

To be recognized as a CFA Program Partner, a degree program must cover at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, plus the ethical and professional standards pertaining to CFA Institute. With this status, Darden reinforces its position as a thought leader in the academic and professional investment management communities and is well-placed to contribute to the lifelong learning pursuits of more than 100,000 CFA Institute members worldwide. The partnership also expands Darden's relationship with CFA Institute, which was a primary partner in hosting Darden's recent International Finance Conference.

"The number of Darden students taking the CFA exam is rising. This partnership signals to incoming and prospective students that our curriculum is designed to be applicable for the CFA exams," says Darden Professor Ken Eades, area coordinator for finance.

"Students in these programs are exposed to the Candidate Body of Knowledge, concepts and principles that have been identified by investment experts worldwide as essential to global practice," said Bob Johnson, CFA, senior managing director of CFA Institute. "By mastering these fundamentals of the CFA Program, students will be well on their way to earning the highly valued CFA charter."

In addition, Darden will gain access to various CFA Institute resources for curriculum and student development. These include:

• Complimentary access to Financial Newsbrief, a daily investment brief for students in the approved degree program
• Notices of educational opportunities for lifelong learning through CFA Institute conferences and publications
• Five student scholarships per year to each partner as detailed in the Awareness Scholarships Official Rules
• Complimentary access to select CFA Institute content such as webcasts, journals and electronic newsletters

The CFA Program Partner Initiative was launched 4 April 2006 with the announcement of Said Business School at the University of Oxford as the inaugural CFA Program Partner. Since then, CFA Program Partner institutions have been recognized on six continents.

About the CFA Program

The CFA Program sets a standard for developing the skills, standards, competence, and integrity of financial analysts, portfolio managers, investment advisers, and other investment professionals worldwide. It is widely considered the investment profession's most rigorous credentialing program. Administered in English, the CFA curriculum and examinations are identical worldwide. Fewer than one in five candidates who begin the program successfully complete it and go on to earn the coveted CFA charter, the "gold standard" for investment professionals.

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association for investment professionals that seeks to set the highest standard of ethics, education, and professional excellence. It administers the CFA and CIPM curriculum and exam programs worldwide; publishes research; conducts professional development programs; and sets voluntary, ethics-based professional and performance-reporting standards known as the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS(r)) for the investment industry. CFA Institute has more than 105,000 members, who include the world's 96,000 CFA charterholders, in 133 countries and territories, as well as 135 affiliated professional societies in 58 countries and territories. More information may be found at www.cfainstitute.org

About the Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, the highest-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop principled and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact.

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SOURCE University of Virginia's Darden School of Business