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Wall Street 101 Schedule

The skills taught in Wall Street 101 will provide a lifetime of value, regardless of your intended college major or career. Bentley University has been preparing students with these valuable life skills in the Wall Street 101 program for over two decades. Our program is distinguished from others in its level of academic rigor, intensity, and hands-on experience. Each course is nearly equivalent to 25 to 35 percent of a college-level course and provides students with access to industry software and data sets, including Bloomberg, FactSet, Morningstar Direct, and CapIQ, to perform analysis and conduct simulated investments. The courses offer trading exercises, group assignments, guest lectures, and group presentations to develop capital markets insights. The following courses will be available for Summer 2024. 

Session A (June 17 to June 21)

Format:

  • Online

Courses:

  • Stock Market & Investment Strategies 
  • Macroeconomics & Financial Markets
  • Introduction to FinTech

Session B (June 24 to June 28)

Formats:

  • Residential
  • Commuter

Courses:

  • Stock Market and Investment Research (Sections 1 and 2)
  • Macroeconomics and Financial Markets
  • Investment and Trading Strategies
  • Introduction to Fintech

Session C (July 1 to July 5)

Formats:

  • Residential
  • Commuter 

Courses:

  • Stock Market and Investment Research (Sections 1 and 2)
  • Investment and Trading Strategies
  • Introduction to FinTech

Session D (July 8 to July 12)

Formats:

  • Residential
  • Commuter

Courses

  • Stock Market and Investment Strategies (Sections 1 and 2)
  • Macroeconomics & Financial Markets 
  • Investment and Trading Strategies 
  • Artificial Intelligence in Finance 

Session E (July 15 to July 19)

Formats:

  • Residential
  • Commuter

Courses

  • Stock Market & Investment Strategies (Sections 1 and 2)
  • Macroeconomics & Financial Markets  (Sections 1 and 2) 
  • Artificial Intelligence in Finance 

*Students can take only one course per session. See course sequencing below for some suggestions.  

**Waitlist: All waitlist students will be notified if a spot has become available.  If a spot is not available, students can either be refunded their application fee or transferred to an open section or an alternative course.

 

Formats

The Summer 2024 program will offer courses in three formats: online, commuter, and residential. The curriculum for each course is the same across both formats. All session times are Eastern Daylight Time. 

Commuter

All sessions except session A (online, June 17 to June 21) are conducted on the beautiful Bentley campus in Waltham, Massachusetts. Commuter students work together with residential students Monday through Friday in Bentley classrooms and our state-of-the-art Trading Room from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, then engage in group work and extra-curricular programming.  Parents and guardians are invited to join, online or in person, the final presentations and awards ceremony on Friday.

 

Residential

Residential students arrive throughout the day on Sunday and get to know the campus as well as their residential community. They follow the same program schedule as commuter students from 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday with additional social activities in the late evening hours.  For students traveling by plane, Bentley provides transportation between Boston Logan airport and campus.

 

Online

The first session (Session A) will be offered online during the week of June 17 to June 21, 2024. 

Course Sequencing

While the following three courses are independent, they are related.  Since you can take only one course per session, which course should you take first? Please use the following suggested course sequencing guidelines:

  • If you are somewhat familiar with the capital markets, take either or both of the following courses in any sequence:
    • Macroeconomics & Financial Markets
    • Stock Market and Investment Research
  • If you have some familiarity with the capital markets and want to gain a more in-depth background, take both of the following courses in sequence:
    • Stock Market and Investment Research
    • Investment Strategies
  • If you plan to enroll in all three courses, the proper sequence is:
    • Macroeconomics & Financial Markets
    • Stock Market and Investment Research
    • Investment Strategies.

Taking these three courses should give you an in-depth introduction to the exciting world of investing. In the Summer 2024, two new courses will be offered: Artificial Intelligence in Finance and Introduction to FinTech. As an aside, the course Investment Strategies covers portfolio diversification using various asset classes such as stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.  The course offers an introduction to asset allocation, spreading investment funds across multiple asset classes to manage risk.  The guiding principle is 'never put all your eggs in the same basket.'  Diversify.  

 

2024 courses

Stock Market and Investment Research (8 Sections)

This course teaches you what a financial analyst at a Wall Street firm does. You will learn about financial statement analysis, forecasting, risk analysis, and analyst recommendations using industry-standard valuation models. You will also learn how to value firms using the latest industry-standard indicators of firm performance on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Finally, you will learn how to prepare industry-standard reports, present your stock pitch to clients or investment managers, and interact with financial executives.  

Prerequisite: Some familiarity with the stock market is definitely recommended.  Attending this course without any background might be challenging at first but many students do overcome the initial hurdle.  We recommend a pre-program textbook "Stock Market Investing for Beginners: The Ultimate Stock Market Guide to Teach You How to Make Money in Stocks" (Gina Stanzi, Catalyst Publications) to become familiar with some of the concepts covered in the course.  After that, you may want to read the classic by Mr. Peter Lynch, "One Up on Wall Street".  There are Youtube videos that you can watch, including "The Ultimate Guide To Stock Market Investing" by Peter Lynch,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1DFMXL2kXE.  Some students find watching CNBC to be quite helpful.  

Macroeconomics and Financial Markets (4 Sections)

This is an overview course on the link between the economy and the global financial markets, particularly how government monetary and fiscal policies and the state of the economy impact stock, bond, currency, and alternative assets.  As major policy decisions or economic, political, social, financial, and corporate news are announced, investors, traders, portfolio managers, and hedge funds, for example, make changes in their trading and investment decisions.  Securities prices react. Overall, students will learn how the financial markets respond to current events and headlines about, for example, healthcare, inflation, jobs, taxes, interest rates, industrial performance, politics, war, terrorism, and natural disasters.  

Investment and Trading Strategies (3 Sections)

In today's highly volatile market, it is important to spread your investment across multiple asset classes such as stocks, bonds, real estate, currencies, and commodities. Determining how much of your investment fund should be allocated to these assets is the most crucial aspect of your investment strategy. This course teaches you the principles of testing investment strategies for managing a portfolio. While there are no prerequisites for this course, you will be introduced to fundamental valuation models of these asset classes. We will teach you how investors allocate funds among different assets to limit their risk. The objective is to learn about investing in a diversified portfolio. Using Excel and industry-standard valuation platforms, you will test investment strategies, conduct portfolio optimization exercises, evaluate and manage risk, and analyze performance.

Prerequisite: A basic level of proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets is recommended.       

Artificial Intelligence in Finance (2 Sections)

This cutting-edge 5-day course on AI in Finance offers a dive into artificial intelligence's, including generative AI, role in the financial industry. Day 1 initiates with fundamental concepts, including AI's impact, real-world use cases, and potential benefits in decision-making. Subsequent days delve into practical applications such as automation, customer insights, and data analytics, equipping participants with hands-on skills. Day 2-3 introduces students to AI applications and tools and Day 4 addresses ethical considerations and responsible AI practices. The course concludes with a competition, where students develop and present AI-informed strategies, fostering a holistic understanding of AI's applications and ethics. The entrepreneurial presentation (pitch) aims to secure imaginary investor funding. Students are introduced to applications, software tools, and building apps using AI templates.

Prerequisite: A basic level of proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets is recommended.       

Introduction to FinTech (2 Sections)

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly evolving financial technology landscape. Led by a seasoned FinTech Consultant, the course delves into key business functions, exploring the impact of technological innovations on various sectors. With a focus on modern technologies, regulatory considerations, and business model innovations, students gain valuable insights into the valuation of FinTech firms and the application of these concepts in real-world scenarios. Students develop critical thinking skills, extrapolate from current trends, and enhance startup offerings, with an emphasis on fostering a deep understanding of FinTech accelerator programs. Students finish the course with a group pitch competition presenting their ideas to a panel of external judges. Through theory and application, students are equipped with the tools to navigate the landscape of the FinTech industry.

Prerequisite: Some familiarity with basic finance and capital markets concepts is helpful.