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Investment Banking Analysts

Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements

Certification or Licensing

Certification is not required, but job-seekers who are certified, or who express a willingness to recruiters to become certified, will improve their chances of getting hired. Many certification programs are available, but some are only open to those with several years of on-the-job experience. One credential that’s available to those with either a bachelor’s degree or those who are in the last year of undergraduate study is the three-level chartered financial analyst (CFA) program, which is administered by the CFA Institute. It takes an average of four years to complete the CFA program. According to the CFA Institute, “completing the CFA Program shows employers and clients you have mastered a broad range of practical portfolio management and advanced investment analysis skills.”

Some analysts earn the certified public accountant (CPA) designation. To earn this designation, you must complete 150 semester hours of college course work (in nearly all states), pass a qualifying examination, have at least two years of public accounting experience or the equivalent, and hold a certificate issued by the state in which you wish to practice. The Uniform CPA Examination, which is administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), is used by all states.

Many investment banks prefer that analysts have or eventually receive their Series 7 (or General Securities Representative), Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law), Series 66 (Uniform Combined State Law), or Series 79 (Investment Banking Representative) credentials from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the self-regulatory arm of the investment industry.

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