High School
You’ll need to earn stellar grades in high school in order to be accepted to a top-tier college—the starting point for the majority of hedge fund managers. In high school, take classes in economics, business, finance, accounting, statistics, computer science, English, speech, psychology, foreign language, and social studies.
Postsecondary Education
Hedge fund managers often have a master’s degree or even a Ph.D. in finance, mathematics, economics, financial engineering, quantitative finance, programming, marketing, or business administration. Others have advanced degrees in a specialty such as engineering or accounting.
According to an eFinancialCareers.com analysis of its curriculum vita database, the following U.S. colleges are the most popular for hedge fund professionals: Columbia University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, University of California, Harvard University, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, Princeton University, and Yale University.
Certification
Hedge fund managers, especially those at small firms that don’t have a large support staff, might choose to earn certificates in compliance, investor relations, and risk management to diversify their skill sets. These certificates are offered by colleges and universities and professional associations. For example,Seneca College offers a certificate in investor relations. The University of California-Irvine and the Institute of Risk Management provide certificates in risk management. And the University of South Florida offers undergraduate and graduate certificates in compliance.
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Associationoffers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program. In this online, self-paced course, you’ll learn about traditional vs. alternative investments, hedge funds, investment returns and risks, due diligence, risk management, and other topics. Visit https://caia.org/programs/fundamentalsfor more information.
Other Education or Training
Many associations provide professional development opportunities to hedge fund professionals that focus on investment strategies, accounting and auditing practices, compliance and regulatory issues, risk management practices, and U.S. and international financial markets. These organizations include the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable, CFA Institute, International Association for Quantitative Finance,Investments and Wealth Institute, and CFA Society New York.
