Financial Leadership Career Specialization

Specialization Details

The Financial Leadership Specialization is designed to develop leadership expertise and competencies in AFM students beyond degree required courses. Students will be exposed to a broad variety of topics in finance including but not limited to: corporate governance, risk management, international financial management, financial institutions, mergers and acquisitions and management of fast-growing firms. Students will gain skills in negotiation and leadership while also being exposed to sustainability concepts in a business setting.

Students in this Specialization often take co-op positions working as Project Analysts, Risk Management Assistants, or Internal Audit Co-ops.

Specialized courses

In order to obtain the Financial Leadership Specialization, you must complete these courses:

Mandatory AFM courses

In addition, you must complete the upper-year courses required for all AFM students. Note that AFM 344 is the recommended course selection for this specialization, but you may choose one of the other options listed.

The Financial Leadership Specialization is typically best-suited to be paired with another specialization so that you can begin thinking like a leader in whatever sector interests you most and prepare you for wherever your career takes you.

Consider the pairing this with the Professional Accountant Specialization and strive to be a senior leader in an organization who makes decisions about which opportunities to seize, how to fund its growth, manage risk, and make a positive impact on stakeholders. This pairing is also valuable for those interested in the public accounting and consulting sectors, where firms are seeking professionals to deliver diversified services to clients. Consider pairing this with the Financial Markets specialization so that you can better understand client needs and work with their leaders to structure financing solutions.

If you want to get involved in co/extra-curricular activities associated with the Financial Leadership Specialization, below are some examples:

• UW Finance Association
• ACE Consulting Group

• McGill University International Portfolio Challenge

• Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Business Policy

• Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Finance

• CFA Institute Research Challenge

• Van Berkom John Molson School of Business Small Cap Case Competition

• RISE Case Competition – Strategy Stream

• Battle on Bay

• Achieve Competition

• Rotman Mergers & Acquisitions Competition

• CFA Ethics Challenge

• Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Ethics

The alumni profiles shown below are examples of SAF graduates employed in roles that involve knowledge and skills associated with the curriculum of the common pairings of the Career Specializations referenced.