College of Business > Academics > Department of Finance & Real Estate > About > Keeley Center Academy > Program Expectations

Program Expectations

Activities required for Keeley Scholars

Student commitment: Each student will be asked to make an Honor Pledge to commit to the activities of the academy. Executive and academic directors of the Keeley Center for Financial Services will be responsible for organizing the events and monitoring students. Key expectations for students in the academy include:

  • Completing a finance major or minor
  • Attending academy events (training, networking, career development, Meet the Firm events, soft skill development, technical/vocational training, etc.)
  • Satisfactory completion of all tasks given/assigned
  • Maintaining minimum overall GPA and finance major GPA
  • Attaining “competency” in Excel financial modeling and Bloomberg
  • Participating in applicable student competitions
  • Assisting in the execution of the Academy by working with the program coordinator and program administrator as needed/required

In the first quarter, academy students are required to take FIN 310 if they have not yet completed it. Students will also take a two-credit hour career course in their first quarter.

Student Academy Schedule

Quarter one – autumn quarter of year one:

  • Focus on career paths in Banking, Capital Markets, Private Debt/Equity, Institutional Investment Management, and Private Wealth Management
  • Professional etiquette training including networking, professional/business oral and written communications, social manners, and dining etiquette
  • Practice interviews, cover letters, elevator pitch and follow-up

Quarter two – winter quarter of year one:

  • Excel modeling bootcamp weekend
  • CFA Institute Investment Foundations Course
    • Fundamentals of investments industry based on seven modules
    • Certification awarded when CFA exam is passed
  • Bloomberg training and Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certification

Quarter three – spring quarter of year one:

  • Fixed Income/Debt Capital Markets/ESG workshop series
    • Issuers, Investors, and Bankers perspectives
  • Weekend Bootcamp (including training for technical interviews)
    • For students interested in banking & capital markets:
      • Corporate finance/M&A modeling bootcamp
    • For students interested in investment management:
      • Stock pitch training (to prepare for CFA Research Challenge) and prep for fall Super Days
  • Workshop on part-time work and internship strategies/what to expect
  • Information session on the Banking & Capital Markets Track and the Investment Management Track
    • Student elects academy to join for year two

Quarter four – autumn quarter of year two:

  • For all Academy students except those interested in Security Analysis
    • Sales, Marketing and Communication workshop seriesM
  • For students interested in Security Analysis
    • Security Analysis workshop series
      • Use programming language (Python), market data (Bloomberg), and statistics to conduct a security and factor analysis

Quarter five – winter quarter of year two:

  • Applicable Competitions – in teams with assigned faculty/industry mentor and monetary award
    • Commercial Banking – BankSim competition
      • Investment Banking – M&A/Valuation pitch competition
    • Investment Management Track
    • Investment Consulting – Asset Allocation/Investment Manager competition
      • Security Analysis – Fundamental and quantitative stock pitch competition (following relevant CFA Research Challenge guidelines)
      • Private Wealth Management – Financial Plan competition

Quarter six – spring quarter of Yyear two:

  • FINRA Security Industry Essentials (SIE) course
    • Overview of the Securities Industry (broker dealers)
    • Pass exam; valid for four years
  • Accelerating Your Career Workshop
  • Academy Alumni Workshop
    • Expectations, Responsibilities and Opportunities
  • Keeley Center Academy Recognition Ceremony
  • “Pay it Forward”
    • Financial literacy
    • Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) with banks
    • Other approved activities

Academic Courses

The following courses are not required but recommended as important courses to prepare you for a career in financial services. Recommended finance courses associated with specific career paths within them include:

Academy students interested in commercial banking:
FIN 323 Commercial Banking
FIN 324 Banking & Credit Analysis
FIN 350 Real Estate Finance

Academy students interested in investment banking:
FIN 313 Investment Banking
FIN 324 Banking & Credit Analysis
FIN 336 Equity Research

Academy students interested in investment management:
FIN 335 Portfolio Management
FIN 336 Equity Research
FIN 362 Enterprise Risk Management or FIN 363 Derivatives: Pricing and Applications
FIN 395 Investment Seminar (Student Managed Investment Fund)

Recommended courses for Academy students to fulfill business school core requirements:
FIN 340 International Finance or FIN355 Global IPOs and Venture Capital
CSC 241 Introduction to Computer Science I

Recommended accounting courses for students interested in commercial banking and investment banking:
ACC 305 Financial Reporting II

The DePaul Student Managed Investment Fund

Students interested in investment management will be required to participate in the fund as a co-curricular activity, which is designed to complement the recommended Student Managed Investment Fund course, FIN 395.

First-year academy students will begin this hands-on experience in the role of a junior analyst, shadowing more senior students and researching industry sectors. Over time, students will advance to senior analysts and eventually portfolio managers, making buy/sell recommendations for the portfolio.

Contact Us:

If you have any questions or comments, contact Martin Essenburg, executive director of the John L. Keeley Jr. Center for Financial Services, at:

Email: martin.essenburg@depaul.edu
Phone: (312) 362-6476