Prince Sultan University is the first
among Saudi private (non-profit) universities and the fourth among all Saudi
universities to have met the conditions for the University Affiliation by the
prestigious professional institution for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA
University Affiliation Program).
Prince Sultan University achieved a
new scientific and professional accomplishment by obtaining accreditation from
the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Institute) represented by the Bachelor’s
Program in Finance at the College of Business, where it joined the CFA
University Affiliation Program, which is considered the most important
professional fellowship program in the field of financial sciences and
investment. This confirms the excellence of the study plans for the Bachelor of
Finance program.
The university affiliation criteria
is based on the inclusion of study plans for the topics of the CFA
certification exams, the quality of the content provided in the university
courses, in addition to modern teaching methods that keep pace with scientific
and practical developments in the financial field. The courses offered in the
Bachelor of Finance program have been carefully mapped with the ten main
knowledge areas and the eighty-four sub-fields of the professional certificate
of the chartered financial analyst (CFA).
Among the most important advantages
achieved to the students of the finance program are; prepare students to sit
for the professional certification exam for the certified financial analyst
with its three levels as soon as they finish the curriculum of the BSc program
in finance, giving students a competitive advantage in the labor market which
increases the employment rate for BSc Finance university graduates, the CFA
institute also offers scholarships to students of Prince Sultan University -
Department of Finance, including an exemption from registration fees for the
professional fellowship program and a 50% discount in registration fees for the
professional certification CFA exams. Students of the Finance Department will
also be able to access educational databases published by the Chartered
Financial Analyst Institution. The university will also have the opportunity to
participate with the global CFA institute and its regional office in the Kingdom
in holding seminars and conferences specialized in the financial and investment
fields, in addition to participating in organizing specialized competitions
held by the CFA institute at the local and international levels.
It worth noting that a comprehensive
major review of the study plans for the Bachelor of Finance program were
conducted to comply with the requirements of the labor market and the CFA
university affiliation standards. The review included reformulating the course
specifications and including the latest references and modern teaching methods
that depend on linking theory with practical reality. The new plan also
introduced many new courses that did not exist in the past to comply with the
requirements of technical progress in the financial field and business fields
in general. Among the most important new courses were: financial modeling,
financial technology, study and evaluation of financial assets, financial
ethics and rules of trust, analysis and financial statements reporting and
financial artificial intelligence. Perhaps one of the most prominent components
of the study plan is a practical course taught in the computer lab, which
provides the student with the opportunity to apply all scientific theories in
the financial field and simulate the real business environment.
The Department of Finance includes
the largest number of students in the College of Business studying in the
Bachelor of Finance program and the Master of Business Administration program -
specializing in finance. It also includes twenty-one faculty members, all of
them are distinguished by science, extensive knowledge, and distinguished
scientific research in various financial fields, which enhanced the excellence
of the program’s graduates. Since the establishment of the program in 2005,
most of the graduates were able to obtain prestigious jobs in leading
institutions and companies.