Practicum in Portfolio Management
The finance department runs two Portfolio Management Practicum classes, one for undergraduates, and one for graduate students. The Practicum combines hands-on money management of equity and fixed-income investments, and the survey and application of the asset allocation and portfolio management process. The course is a blend of active investment management, student investment presentations, case studies, discussions of current investment topics, the study and applied analysis of different asset classes, and the management of multi-asset portfolios. Each spring, a selection committee selects approximately 30 undergraduates and 30 graduate students to participate in the program for the following year.
The Ann Rife Cox (undergraduate) and Nancy Chambers Underwood (graduate) currently have combined funds have assets of approximately $9 million, representing one of the largest and oldest student-managed portfolios in the United States.
The Practicum’s goal is to give students hands-on money management experience that culminates at the end of the year in an annual report describing the entire management process as applied to the Cox Endowment Fund. It also provides an in-depth examination and analysis of portfolio asset selection, allocation, risk management, and performance measurement. The courses are held in the Kitt Investing and Trading 天美传媒, which is a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility at the Cox School of Business. The 天美传媒 is designed to integrate finance curriculum, enhance innovative faculty research, and teach students practical finance and investment applications.