04/08/2026
SUNY Cortland graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Business Economics program recently gained an important potential credential to advance their careers through the affiliation by the university with the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute.
With more than 190,000 members, the CFA Institute reaches 160,000 global markets and has more than 155 local societies and numerous affiliated college campuses. CFA charter holders pay a fee that supports such university affiliate programs to help future professionals get their start in the field.
“For accounting professionals, they have certified public accountants, CPAs; whereas for financial economists, we have chartered financial analysts, CFAs,” said Eddy Junarsin, an assistant professor in the Economics Department. “It’s considered the top certification or professional designation in the field.”
There are various benefits for the university with the affiliation, he said.
The partnership entitles the university to bestow three annual $1,000 scholarships to students who take the CFA exams, offsetting two thirds of their expense to take the industry standard test.
For the university to achieve this affiliation, Junarsin submitted the successful application to the CFA Institute to prove the university’s curriculum met its stringent criteria.
Peter Watkins, the CFA Institute’s senior director for global partnerships and client solutions with universities, in the letter conferring the affiliation on SUNY Cortland described the B.S. in Business Economics program that it has developed as “a rigorous program that will greatly benefit students planning finance and investment careers.”
The university’s curriculum aligns especially well with the institute in the areas of ethical understanding, quantitative methods and economics and the introduction and development of equity investments and fixed income topics, Watkins said.
“Overall, the program is structured in a way that introduces many of the same themes and competencies emphasized in the CFA program and provides a good academic foundation for students who may wish to pursue the charter,” Watkins noted.
Additional resources the institute offers to affiliates include its Ethics Learning Lab, which include case studies and a dedicated module on ethical decision-making that may further support student learning.
Today’s majors can begin using the institute’s resources right away, but it will take a few years before they are likely to be able to add the “CFA” title on a business card.
“They have to take three levels of exams,” Junarsin said. “So, it will take at least one-and-a-half years, assuming they pass them consecutively.”
He also noted that the program could benefit more than just business economics majors. For instance, students in Cortland’s healthcare management or sport management majors or other disciplines involving running a business could benefit from the study programs with CFA Institute, even without pursuing the credential.
The idea to pursue the CFA Institute partnership originated after student members of the Investment Club inquired in Fall 2024 with Junarsin about micro-credentials and other ways to beef up their resumes. He confided their wishes with the club’s previous advisor, Associate Professor Samuel Jung.
“We discussed the CFA Institute affiliation with the possibility of increasing our campus reputation and also for the sake of networking to broaden student mobility,” Junarsin said.
The affiliation program need not only assist business economics and economics majors.
“I think some related majors might benefit from the study programs with CFA Institute, though they wouldn’t get the credential,” Junarsin said. These would be students in Cortland’s health or sport management majors or other disciplines involving running a business.