In his letter to Dr. David Hampton,  MSc in Finance Programme Manager at EDHEC Business School in Nice, Dr. McLean wrote, I am very pleased, on behalf of CFA Institute, to extend to you and the MSc in Finance programme an invitation to form a CFA Programme Partnership.  Our Management Committee joins the entire CFA Programme staff and me in welcoming you to this new relationship.

The CFA Programme sets a standard for developing the skills, standards, competence, and integrity of financial analysts, portfolio managers, investment advisers, and other investment professionals worldwide.  It is widely considered the investment profession's most rigorous credentialing programme.  Administered in English, the CFA curriculum and examinations are identical worldwide.  Fewer than one in five candidates who begin the programme successfully complete it and go on to earn the coveted CFA charter, the gold standard for investment professionals.

The MSc in Finance programme at EDHEC embodies at least 70 percent of the CFA Programme Candidate Body of Knowledge, which is the basis of all modules studied. By mastering these fundamentals of the CFA Programme in the MSc in Finance, students will be well on their way to earning the highly valued CFA charter.

As a benefit of the CFA Programme Partner Initiative, five student scholarships per year will be made available. Under each scholarship, registration fees for the CFA examination are partially waived, currently making each scholarship worth US $585.

The initiative also offers students at CFA Programme Partner institutions access to CFA Institute textbooks, journals, Webcasts, and other educational resources.  Students benefit from professional development events held in conjunction with the French CFA Society, the local membership body for CFA Institute candidates, charterholders, and members.

EDHEC will receive special recognition as a partner on the CFA Institute website including a hotlink to the EDHEC web site as well as the right to the CFA Programme Partner logo on its print and electronic marketing literature.

For consideration as a partner by CFA Institute, a programme must be based in an institution holding accreditation by one of the following bodies: AACSB International, EQUIS, or the Association of MBAs - all three which are currently accredited to EDHEC Business School.

EDHEC Business School, which is celebrating its centenary in 2006-07, is a business school whose vocation is to train students and leaders to manage projects and people in a multicultural environment. EDHEC Business School offers a programme portfolio that covers the whole spectrum of corporate needs. Its wide range of international degree programmes attracts students from around the world. More than 4700 students study on its three campuses in Lille, Nice and Paris.