To promote education in the alternative investment area, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association has established an Academic Partnership Program.  The goal of this program is to encourage universities to incorporate alternative investments into their courses as represented by CAIA’s Core Knowledge Outline (CKO).

Alternative investments represent one of the fastest growing areas of the investment industry.  They embody an important segment of the financial services industry and provide exciting opportunities for university graduates in areas such as finance, economics, accounting, law and related fields. Students who enroll in participating academic institutions will be exposed to the CAIA curriculum, the only program that provides a globally recognized professional designation in hedge fund, private equity, real estate, commodities and structured products.  With your partnership, you will receive special recognition on the CAIA website with a link to your program.

Qualified universities can apply to join the CAIA Academic Partnership Program.  Each application will be evaluated by the CAIA Association on a case-by-case basis.  Academic institutions applying for the partnership program must, at a minimum, satisfy the requirements listed below.  Official entrance into the program will be determined solely by the CAIA Association. 

The first step in the application process is to complete the Partnership Application. It can be downloaded here.  A representative of the CAIA Association will contact the academic institution to discuss the next steps in the approval process such as additional material that must be provided by the academic institution.

Requirements:

1. Institution’s Representative.  The academic institution applying for the partnership must identify a full-time faculty or administrator as the institution’s representative.  All correspondence between the CAIA Association and the institution will be conducted through the Program Representative.
2. Accreditation.  The academic institution must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), the Association of MBAs, or similar accreditation organizations.   
3. Coverage.  The academic institution applying for partnership must cover at least 60% of the entire CAIA curriculum as represented by the CKO.  The CAIA Association, at its sole discretion, will determine whether a program’s coverage satisfies this requirement.
4. Supporting Material.   The CAIA Association must be supplied with the following information:
   
   1. Detailed outlines of the courses incorporating CAIA curriculum.
   2. Curriculum vitae of the instructors who will be teaching the aforementioned courses.
5. Signing of the Agreement.  The applicant institution’s representative must sign the Partnership Agreement.

For additional information, please contact academic@caia.org.