Getting Involved
Majoring in finance at LSU is more than just sitting in a classroom! There are many ways to get involved in our business community to expand your professional network.
Department of Finance
Your Future — Capitalized.
The LSU Department of Finance prepares students to apply financial acumen and analytical skills to thrive in different markets, adapt to evolving business models, and deliver strategic value to an organization. Students have the opportunity to focus on asset management, commercial banking, investment banking/corporate finance, and commercial real estate. Bottom Line: These skills will prepare you for a successful career in the fast-paced world of finance.
Explore Our Finance Degree Programs
Undergraduate
The Bachelor of Science in Finance program provides students with an overview of the basic theory and practice of finance with the opportunity to concentrate learning on one of four areas of study.
Graduate
The Master of Science in Finance program gives students a deeper understanding of specific financial areas such as investments, corporate finance, and financial markets or institutions.
PhD
A PhD is the mark of highest achievement in academic study. Our program is designed to produce scholars who conduct top-tier, original research that significantly contributes to knowledge within the finance discipline.
Research
The Department of Finance faculty develop ground-breaking theories in finance scholarship and bring their expertise to the classroom and beyond. Explore our thought leadership efforts in banking, capital structure, credit ratings, consumption-based asset pricing, financial innovation, indexing, institutional investors, risk management, and more.
Faculty
Our internationally recognized faculty are leaders in their fields and are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and real-world experience with their students. The Department of Finance faculty are actively engaged and accessible to ensure they develop their students into future finance industry leaders.
CFA® University Affiliation
The E. J. Ourso College of Business has a CFA® University Affiliation from the CFA Institute, a global association for investment professionals that awards the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. The CFA affiliates with globally diverse, high-profile institutions that cover a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge and embrace the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct in their degree programs.
CFA University Affiliation recognition provides a signal to potential students, current students, and the marketplace that the E. J. Ourso College's curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA exams.
SMART LAB
Securities Markets Analysis Research and Trading Lab
The Securities Markets Analysis Research and Trading (SMART) Lab provides a simulated trading floor that students use to advise the LSU Foundation on investing funds in LSU’s Tiger Fund portfolio. This experience allows students to gain knowledge in the fast-paced world of securities analysis, research, and trading. The lab’s networked workstations are equipped with the latest hardware and professional analytic software, including Bloomberg, to give students significant on-the-job style training in portfolio construction, risk management, and financial engineering.
Along with its 50 networked workstations, the SMART Lab features 12 Bloomberg terminals and offers students the opportunity to obtain online Bloomberg training. Bloomberg is a comprehensive interactive system that provides financial information about publicly traded companies worldwide, extensive data and analytics for equities, fixed income and derivatives, as well as news and economic data.
The SMART Lab features a variety of financial software available for students:
- 12 Bloomberg Terminals
- FactSet
- ARGUS
Every semester, the SMART Lab serves as a classroom and teaching aide for students managing the LSU Student Managed Investment Fund or the Tiger Fund. The Tiger Fund was founded in the spring of 2005 by a generous grant from the LSU Foundation. It enhances the finance program by providing students with valuable hands-on experience in security analysis and the management of an investment portfolio and strengthening their skills and abilities in market analysis, financial research, oral and written communication, and teamwork.
FinTech Innovations Lab
Financial software has transformed how we invest, make payments, apply for loans, and much more. The Department of Finance created the FinTech Innovations Lab (or FI.lab) in response to this shift. The virtual lab emphasizes big data sets and applications of data science and machine learning to understand the dynamic world of modern finance. The virtual nature of the lab enables experiential learning through free online textbooks, access to real-time data, and gamification. In addition, the lab offers scalable computing equipment and artificial intelligence tools to promote impactful research and support collaboration with other institutions, including ongoing research with the University of Cambridge. The FinTech Innovations Lab also contributes to policy insights; one example is research on social distancing in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Student Experience
Asset Management Academy
AMA helps students develop the tools to work in the asset management industry through rigorous research practices. AMA is a think tank run by students and is open to undergraduate and graduate students in various disciplines, focusing on research, using investment theory, statistical analysis, and computer science to build critical skills.
de Soto Society
A networking organization for students interested in careers in the finance industry. de Soto gives students the opportunities to network with finance alumni, helps place members into high finance roles, and provides tools to succeed in internships.
Student Real Estate Association
SREA seeks to increase awareness of the numerous business opportunities in the real estate industry by having influential professionals from the Baton Rouge area share insights on the profession.
Compete with the Best
Tiger Fund managers participate in the Bloomberg’s Global Trading Challenge. In this international competition, teams of university students develop investment strategies and invest a notional $1 million on the Bloomberg terminal. Our 2021 team placed tenth in the global competition.
Commercial Banking Initiative
The Commercial Banking Initiative (CBI) is a high-impact academic program housed in the Department of Finance. CBI develops the next generation of commercial banking leaders through classroom instruction, interaction with industry leaders, and experiential learning opportunities.
Real Estate Research Institute
Housed in the Department of Finance, RERI studies trends in the Louisiana real estate market. Established in part with funds from the Louisiana Real Estate Commission in 1985, various private sources and grants have provided continued funding for the institute.
Credit Analyst Program
The challenges facing the banking industry are numerous, and the need for trained personnel has never been greater, particularly the need for credit analysts who understand the banking industry and can underwrite complex commercial credits. Professionals in banking and industry are invited to expand their skills with this innovative program.
Finance News
Less than half of all U.S. adults have access to prime credit because of their credit score. But new LSU and Harvard University research shows a lot more people could become eligible if lenders use artificial intelligence, or AI, and alternative data, such as education and employment history. Smarter underwriting algorithms would especially benefit recent college graduates and young people with short credit histories as well as people with low or no credit scores.
In their 1934 magnum opus Security Analysis, Benjamin Graham and David Dodd pioneered the concept of value investing, an investment philosophy that buys undervalued securities selling below their fundamental values.
Thirty-one students from the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business completed the fourth cohort of the Venture Capital Apprentice Program (VCAP), a project formed by Nexus Louisiana (NexusLA), Innovation Catalyst and the Red Stick Angel Network in collaboration with the E. J. Ourso College of Business. Also participating in this cohort were business consultants from LSU's Innovation Park.
Contact Us
Department of Finance
2900 Business Education Complex
501 South Quad Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-6291
finance@lsu.edu
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