The M.A. in Investor Relations (MAIR) Program at the
University of San Francisco provides a unique combination of financial, marketing and legal expertise with public relations skills. The Program is divided into modules. Each module contains a well-defined set of skills embodied in the investor relations function.
This graduate program integrates the quantitative training required by the financial profession with solid grounding in the ethical behavior required in the financial markets and transactions. The public relations field in the financial and investment industries demands a specialized set of skills and knowledge to meet the evolving needs and responsibilities of the financial field. In providing the training valued by industry, particular focus is given to the set of skills embodied and required to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation. The CFA designation enhances the credibility of an Investor Relations Officer, both within and outside the officer's organization.
Goals of the Program
- Train the student in a combination of financial expertise and public relations skills.
- Develop the student's expertise in shaping market perceptions of a company's results and future prospects.
- Guide and train students to become knowledgeable and personable communicators to individual investors, investment professionals, and regulators.
- Provide analytical foundations for the MAIR student to collect and convey information to Company Officers on investor perceptions of the industry, the company, and competitors.
- MAIR students gain the skills to enter the Investor Relations profession.
- Financial professionals augment their career in the financial field with communications and public relations skills.
Preparation for the CFA exams
The MAIR Program at USF includes some of the same courses as USF's M.S. in Financial Analysis (MSFA) Program. The MSFA Program at USF is an accredited Academic Program Partner of the CFA Institute® – the international organization that oversees the CFA exams and designation.
At the end of the MAIR Program, students have been prepared for the Level I CFA exam.
Theory and Practice
- The MAIR Program provides a unique combination of academic rigor and practical expertise.
- MAIR faculty include both USF professors and Bay Area financial and investor relations professionals. The faculty and faculty practitioners deliver a program that trains students in the process, fundamental skills, and regulatory constraints involved in investor relations.
The Cohort Experience
Students progress through the MAIR Program as a single group (or "cohort") of peers. MAIR students also take certain courses with the M.S. in Financial Analysis students. Complementary strengths within each cohort provide students with the opportunity to learn with, and from, one another throughout the program. The cohort structure also encourages study groups that provide mutual support during the MAIR coursework and study for the CFA exams. MAIR and MSFA students develop collegial and professional networks that continue well beyond the program.
Program of Study
The MAIR Program consists of 32 graduate units. The three-semester MAIR Program (fall, spring, summer) meets on weekdays and weekends, and covers the program materials in an intensive manner. The Program is available to full-time graduate students with backgrounds in either liberal arts or business that fulfill the required foundation courses for the MAIR Program.
Graduate Courses
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Markets
- Investor Relations and the Investment Process
- Macroeconomics for Finance
- The Practice of Investor Relations
- Communications for Investor Relations
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance and Investor Relations
- Writing for Investor Relations
- Equity Valuation
- Fixed Income Valuation
- Marketing Your Company
- Disclosure and the Regulatory Process
- Derivatives
- Alternative Investments
- Investor Relations Capstone
- Investor Relations Internship (optional)
