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09 March 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Dr Edson Vengeai
Dr Edson Vengesai believes accreditation from and affiliation with the CFA Institute signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was recently welcomed into the world’s largest association of investment professionals, the CFA Institute University Affiliation Programme. The CFA designation is globally recognised as the gold standard in the investment field.

Accreditation by this respected source of knowledge in investment and portfolio management reflects the rigour and value of the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking (IMB) degree – housed in the more than a century-old Department of Economics and Finance. 

According to Dr Edson Vengesai, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance, the BCom IMB positions students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter, which has become the world's most respected and recognised investment credential. Including the UFS, only five universities in South Africa are affiliated to the CFA Institute. 

Most respected investment designation

Members who have attained the prestigious designation ‘Chartered Financial Analyst’, hold prominent roles in leading investment firms in financial centres worldwide. “Becoming a charter holder is a defining moment for many investment professionals, which exemplifies a robust understanding of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills,” he says.  

Dr Vengesai states that with this affiliation from the CFA Institute, the BCom IMB degree has been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) within the programme. Moreover, it also places emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. He believes preparing graduates who are ethically grounded and ready to execute their duties in an ethical and professional manner is a major necessity in the financial analysis and investment field.

Writing from London in the United Kingdom, Director of University Relations at the CFA Institute, Peter Watkins, states: “The UFS BCom in Investment Management and Banking is a rigorous programme that will be of great benefit to students entering the investment profession.”

Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development, Prof Philippe Burger, adds that the accreditation aligns with the faculty’s drive to create opportunities for its students to not only pursue excellence, but also to compare with the best in the industry, locally and on an international basis. He says the BCom in Investment Management and Banking is one of a range of cutting-edge, industry-relevant, and scientifically rigorous degrees offered by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. “Quite a number of the faculty’s programmes are accredited by professional bodies, with accreditation by the CFA being the latest.”

Taking the financial sector to new heights

Through the CFA programme, the UFS will also be eligible to receive CFA Programme Student Scholarships each year, which will contribute to the much-needed skill set of well-grounded financial analysts who can take the financial sector to new heights. “Aligning our degree programme with the CFA curriculum will equip our students with the kind of expertise and real-world skills in investment analysis that will help set them apart from other institutions and peers,” adds Dr Vengesai, who also aims to produce a breed of innovators, critical thinkers, and producers of information.

“The affiliation signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that the UFS BCom Investment Management and Banking curriculum is closely tied to professional practices and is well-suited to prepare students for a brighter career in the investment field,” Dr Vengesai concludes. 

News Archive

New arrangements for diploma and graduation ceremony
2009-03-30

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) autumn diploma and graduation ceremony will this year be held in the Arena on the South Campus (formerly known as the Vista Campus).
This arrangement has been made because of the large-scale renovations to the Callie Human Centre on the Main Campus.

The various graduation ceremonies will take place on 20, 21, 23 and 24 April 2009.

There will be no graduation ceremony on Wednesday, 22 April 2009 because of the national elections.

A total of 3 390 degrees, 640 diplomas and 25 doctorates will be conferred.


The full programme is as follows:

  • Monday, 20 April 2009:

    - From 08:30, a total of 365 degrees and one doctorate will be awarded to students from the Faculty of Education.
    - At 14:30 on the same day 586 degrees and nine doctorates will be awarded to students in the Faculty of the Humanities.

     
  • Tuesday, 21 April 2009:

    - From 08:30, 107 students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will graduate. This includes students in BML, B.Admin., B.Pub. and related Honours degrees and all Master’s and Doctoral degrees.
    - At 14:30, 617 students in B.Com., B.Acc. and related Honours degrees will graduate.

     
  • Thursday, 23 April 2009:

    - A total of 297 degrees and four doctorates will be awarded to students in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ fields of Agricultural and Building Sciences at 08:30.
    - At 14:30, 447 degrees and six doctoral students in the same Faculty’s field of Natural Sciences will receive their degrees.

     
  • Friday, 24 April 2009:

    - From 08:30, 331 students and five doctorates in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Law and Theology will graduate.

    - At 14:30 on the same day, 640 diplomas will be awarded in all seven of the university’s faculties.

Academic dress can be collected from Monday, 6 April 2009 at the gown store in Rector’s Avenue (opposite Armentum Residence) weekdays between 08:00-16:00.

  • Academic dress will not be available on the South Campus.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
30 March 2009
 

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