Macquarie Applied Finance Centre’s Partnership with CFA Institute
Frequently Asked Questions
This page addresses the following list of frequently asked questions regarding MAFC's partnership with CFA Institute:
What is the Educational Partnership that Macquarie has with the CFA Institute?
When can I sit a Challenge Exam?
What should I do to prepare for a Challenge Exam?
What is the advantage of taking the Master of Applied Finance program in that case?
How can I use the Masters to prepare for the CFA program?
What are the main sections of the CBOK not covered by the Masters program?
What is the CFA Institute?
The CFA (or Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute is a globally focused organisation which administers the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification. This consists of a set of three examinations covering a range of topics in finance and investments and is aimed at providing a professional qualification for those working within the finance sector. Many multi-national financial services firms require their employees to have attained the CFA qualification.
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What is the Educational Partnership that Macquarie has with the CFA Institute?
The Applied Finance Centre is the first member of
the CFA Institute’s Partnership Program to operate in each of our teaching
locations. The Partnership Program is an acknowledgement that at least 70%
of the required body of knowledge for CFA candidates is covered within the
Macquarie University Master of Applied Finance curriculum. Those preparing
for the CFA qualification would thus benefit from taking
particular units
within the Master of Applied Finance program.
The CFA Institute explains the rationale for the Partnership as follows:
CFA publishes a FAQ which can be obtained here.
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I have passed the CFA Level I exam. Does this mean I can obtain exemptions from certain Macquarie units?
If you have passed the CFA Level I exam you can potentially obtain substitutions for either of the following core Masters units: Investments or Financial Instruments. To do so, you must take the relevant challenge exam for that unit and show, to the satisfaction of the respective lecturer, that you have understood the material.
A student who performs satisfactorily in a challenge exam will not have to enrol in the equivalent core unit, but will be permitted to substitute two additional elective units.
However, if you intend to sit for the CFA Level II and Level III exams,
we recommend that you study our core units as the best preparation for these exams.
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I have passed the CFA Level II or III exams. Does this mean I can obtain exemptions from certain Macquarie units?
If you are a CFA Charterholder, or have successfully passed the CFA Level
II, you can potentially obtain substitutions for any of the following
core Masters units: Investments, Financial Instruments, Corporate
Finance or Financial Risk Management, up to a maximum of 2 (two) core units.
To do so, you must take the relevant challenge exam for that unit and show, to the
satisfaction of the respective lecturer, that you have understood the material.
A student who performs satisfactorily in a challenge exam will not have
to enrol in the equivalent core unit, but will be permitted to
substitute two additional elective units.
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When can I sit a Challenge Exam?
Challenge Exams will typically be held prior to the start of Master
of Applied Finance classes each semester and will be of a similar
standard to that of the final exams in the Master of Applied Finance
program.
To request to sit a Challenge Exam you should download an application form
for substitution from a core unit(s) and attach
evidence of your CFA result.
Where possible, you should submit this with your application for our
Master’s program.
If you have sat for the CFA Level I exam but are awaiting
notification of your result you should proceed to submit your request
form for a Challenge Exam.
If you are enrolled, and lectures have commenced, you will no longer
be eligible to sit the Challenge Exam for that unit. Therefore, it is
imperative that you advise us prior to the commencement of lectures of
your intention.
Please be aware, that until you have shown evidence of your CFA
result, you will not be permitted to sit a Challenge Exam.
Please contact if you have any further questions regarding your individual circumstances.
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What should I do to prepare for a Challenge Exam?
Once you have submitted your request form, and provided evidence of your CFA result(s),
you will be contacted by email with information regarding that particular Challenge Exam.
You will be permitted to obtain a set of notes for that unit, and are advised to attempt the sample
exam paper contained in the notes. You should also obtain a copy of the relevant textbook as shown on the Unit Outlines.
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I am currently a student in, or have graduated from, the Macquarie University Master of Applied Finance program. Can I obtain any exemptions from the CFA exams?
No. The CFA qualification can only be obtained by passing the CFA exams.
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What is the advantage of taking the Master of Applied Finance program in that case?
While students are expected to study on their own
for the CFA exams, the high degree of overlap between the content of some of
the Masters Program units and Levels I, II and III of the CFA make it suitable
preparation for those taking the CFA exams.
The Master of Applied Finance is a post-graduate degree
program which goes beyond test preparation. Classes are taught by full-time
and adjunct faculty who combine high level academic training, industry
qualifications (including in some cases the CFA qualification) and many
years practical experience in industry. As well as the benefits of
classroom-based, face to face teaching of the material, the regular
assessment tasks undertaken by students in the Master’s program provide a
means by which those studying for the CFA qualification can gauge their
level of preparedness. In addition, Macquarie students will have access to a
range of CFA Institute study materials, such as Institute textbooks,
journals, webcasts, and other educational resources. Students will also
benefit from professional development events held in conjunction with CFA
Institute member societies, the local membership bodies for CFA Institute
candidates, charterholders, and members.
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How can I use the Masters to prepare for the CFA program?
Appointment as a Preferred Educational Partner by the CFA Institute is recognition that Macquarie University’s Masters of Applied Finance program covers at least 70% of the CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK). In some cases, our program covers the subjects in a different order to CFA Levels I, II and III. For instance: some material covered in CFA Level III is taught in Investments, one of our first units; conversely, some elements of the CFA Level I are covered in electives that are typically taken in the second year of our program. While greater depth is reached in the Master of Applied Finance (MAF) in certain topics, there is also some of the CBOK that the MAF does not explicitly cover.
If you believe that you would not be able to undertake the self-directed study of the CBOK required to ensure coverage of Level I CFA while undertaking our Masters, then we would suggest the following:
Complete the following four core units: Investments, Financial Instruments, Corporate Finance, and Financial Risk Management. At a minimum you should complete Investments and Financial Instruments. This will give you a better chance of passing CFA Level I.
If your main interest is in using the content of our program to assist in completing the entire CFA, then you should consider doing the following electives, as well as the above core units. But for a more rounded view of finance you should also look at the specialisation you may wish to follow: financial risk management, treasury management, corporate finance or funds management.
Click for more details on the Unit Outlines and the Guide to Specialising your Electives.
The greatest degree of overlap between our elective units and the CBOK is in:
- Applied Portfolio Management
- Economics of Financial Markets
- Ethical Risk in Finance
- Modelling Market Risk
- Risk and Portfolio Construction.
This next group of electives have somewhat less overlap with the CBOK than those indicated above:
- Debt Capital Markets
- Equity Funds Management
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Private Equity Investment
And the lowest degree of direct overlap occurs with:
- Hedge Funds
- Project Finance
- Infrastructure and Property
- Swap Book Management
CFA exams for Level I are usually held in June and December each year and Level II & III exams are only held in June. We would be happy to discuss a possible study plan with you based on your individual circumstances.
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What are the main sections of the CBOK not covered by the Masters program?
As indicated above the Master of Applied Finance program covers 70% of the CBOK so you may be interested to know the areas we do not cover. Therefore self study is vital in these areas.
Limited or Part Coverage
- Ethical and Professional Standard – the CFA Code of Ethics is used as an example in the core unit Financial Risk Management of attempts to contact agency risk (moral hazard) in the finance industry. Common themes of these approaches to mitigation are emphasised.
- Quantitative Methods – Time Series Analysis
- Economics – the Firm and Industry Organisation
- Analysis of Debt Investments – Global Bond Sectors & Instruments / Valuing Bonds with embedded Options / Assessing Trading Strategies
- Analysis of Alternative Investments – Investment Companies / Commodity Markets & commodity Derivatives (the unit Managing Energy Risk spends 18 hours on one commodity market)
- Financial Statement Analysis – Ratio & Financial Analysis
Little explicit coverage
- Economics - Elasticity / Natural Resource Markets
- Financial Statement Analysis – Earnings Quality & Nonrecurring Items / Analysis of Inventories / Analysis of Long-Lived Assets / Analysis of Income Taxes / Analysis of Financing Liabilities / Analysis of Leases / Analysis of Off-Balance Sheet Assets and Liabilities / Analysis of Pensions, Stock Compensation and Other Employee Benefits / Analysis of Inter-Corporate Investments / Analysis of Business Combinations / Analysis of Multinational Operations
- Analysis of Equity Investments – Technical Analysis
- Analysis of Debt Investments – Valuing Mortgage-Backed & Asset-Backed Securities
- Analysis of Alternative Investments – Distressed Securities/bankruptcies
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