Undergraduate applied experiences

Specialized initiatives in the Department of Finance offer you a unique chance to develop academically and professionally in specific areas of expertise. You experience a sharply focused curriculum that encourages you to pursue your particular interests in areas such as investment management, investment banking, private equity and entrepreneurial finance, or high-tech management. These initiatives introduce you to opportunities that allow you to obtain skill and depth normally gained in the professional workforce. Students who are motivated will glean real-world experience while still in school, better preparing them to compete in the professional field.

In particular, our Investment Banking Industry Scholars Program mentors students interested in going to Wall Street, while the Student Investment Management Fund provides undergraduates the opportunity to manage a real-world investment portfolio worth hundreds of thousands of dollars under the direction of our faculty and industry leaders. Finance Internships and Externships enable students to obtain practical experience in small business, governmental, profit and nonprofit corporations. The ASU-Intel Honors Collaborative Thesis Program pairs selected junior and senior honors-student teams with Intel employees in a real-world, real-time work environment to apply their knowledge to active business cases. The REIT Portfolio Practicum provides undergraduates the opportunity to actively manage a real-world investment portfolio of Real Estate Investment Trusts, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the Venture Capital Investing practicum (hyperlink to attached pdf), students gain hands-on experience developing an investment thesis, identifying promising companies, and deploying capital; including exposure to the due diligence process.