In some settings analysts may be required to have a professional accounting designation or a master's degree in business administration. CSI also offers more advanced courses in investment finance. As well, completion of the Chartered Financial Analyst self-study program, offered through the Association for Investment Management and Research in the United States, is becoming a new industry standard for analysts. Undergraduate programs in business administration and commerce are available at public universities in B.C. Various concentrations or options are available within these programs, including accounting, finance, international business, marketing, management information systems, policy analysis and human resource management. Students manage a large portfolio and, in so doing, work closely with professionals in the financial industry to develop research and analysis skills.
Students receive two summers of internship employment.
Typically many students spend a summer in Toronto with a large brokerage firm and a summer in Vancouver with a money management firm. Admission to PMF is competitive but not limited to UBC students. The British Columbia Institute of Technology, Okanagan University College, Kwantlen University College, University College of the Cariboo and University College of the Fraser Valley also offer bachelor's degrees in business administration. The Open University offers a Bachelor of Administrative Studies, with options in business management and public sector management. Admission to undergraduate programs requires graduation from secondary school, with a strong background in mathematics, business and English.