Here is an updated list of various courses, mostly of postgraduate and MBA level, that are relevant to people pursuing or contemplating a career in wealth management.

Editor's note: As the academic year starts, and the summer holidays close, this publication issues a list of graduate and postgraduate training courses in wealth management around the world. We invite readers to suggest updates where necessary, as we appreciate this list may be incomplete or in need of revision. To do so, email tom.burroughes@wealthbriefing.com 

If wealth management is to grow successfully and maintain high standards of client service, firms that try to get by through poaching staff from rivals will find this ploy proves to be expensive if the talent pool does not expand with a strong graduate intake. Consequently, graduate and postgraduate training and development in the sector is a vital, long-term process. In terms of master of business administration courses for postgraduates, for example, there are as yet relatively few courses available, but a longer list of other certification programs does exist.

Courses and institutions:

A wealth management program is run by the Columbia University School of Professional Studies. 

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business has a Family Office Initiative (FOI). Students who take the course will learn the different roles family offices play, how family offices are structured, how to define goals for investment and distribution, effective leadership, and other important topics. The course is available for MBA students. For two decades, the school has also offered the Private Wealth Management program as part of its Executive Education offerings.

Washington University in St Louis has a two-years' old Masters of Science in Finance – Wealth and Asset Management track.

The curriculum has been built by both academic researchers as well as retired and current practitioners. One highlight of the program is the research conference the university hosts that brings in leading researchers as well as practitioners.

The program holds a STEM designation for its focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics throughout the curriculum. The program also partners with the Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Finance and Accounting Research; the organization offers guest lectures, mentoring, mock interviews, and more to students. Students have access to notable speakers, Olin alumni, and industry professionals at the annual WFA-CFAR Asset Management Research Conference.

Master of Science in Wealth Management, DePaul University, Charles H Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, DePaul University, Chicago. This MS in wealth management program runs for two years and is a full-time course.

Wealth Management Institute. This organization is supported by Temasek Holdings, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund. The very fact that such an institution is investing in this area gives some sense of how seriously Singapore regards the sector as a growth area.

The institute has the following courses:

WMI Continuing Professional Development series;
WMI Master Class in Wealth Management;
WMI Private Banking Wealth Management Program;
WMI Advanced Wealth Management Program – affluent;
WMI Wealth Management Program – affluent;
Master of Science in Wealth Management, described by the organization as a “flagship program,” developed in conjunction with Singapore Management University, Swiss Finance Institute and the Yale School of Management;
WMI Advanced Certificate in Trust Services;
WMI Certificate in Trust Services.
Temaswiss. A relative newcomer based in Singapore, which provides training for private bankers and wealth managers. The model is based on an outreach program of guest experts (not to be confused with its industry speakers), currently at 12. The programs cater for individual self-financed attendees but most of the courses are delivered as “smart-sourced” programs for the financial institutions directly with their private banking units, risk functions or their HR learning academies. The average individual course cost is S$1,200 ($855) for a two-day, four-hour course.

Edinburgh Napier University, UK – MSc in Wealth Management.

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business – Executive MBA in Asset and Wealth Management.

University of Lausanne, HEC Lausanne, Faculty of Business and Economics – Executive MBA in Asset and Wealth Management.

Singapore Management University operates an MSc in wealth management alongside the Swiss Finance Institute. In 2009, Yale University was added as an academic partner. (See WMI entry above.)

Wharton. The US business school, under the leadership of Professor Chris Geczy, has a “wealth management initiative.” Its wealth management courses fall mainly within the school’s executive education division; it does not have a standalone MBA for wealth management. Undergraduate and MBA students may take courses that include related topics.

Association of International Wealth Management. Set up in 2007 as a joint venture between LawInContext and AZEK, the body has created the Certified International Wealth Management Diploma.

UBS Business University Wealth Management Campus, Singapore. The organisation, run by the Swiss bank, adopts the Singapore Banking and Finance’s Financial Industry Competency Standards, established in 2005.

Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada – MBA In Global Asset and Wealth Management.

Manchester Metropolitan University Business School – MSc in Financial Planning and Wealth Management, .

CFA Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia (The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts). It operates a CFA program that has been dubbed “the gold standard” by the Financial Times and “the global passport” by The Economist magazine. The CFA program addresses topics such as tax-efficient wealth accumulation, cross-border estate planning, client communication strategies and financial planning. 

BPP – CISI Masters in Wealth Management.

UBS and Standard Chartered Private Bank recently joined Jersey International Business School’s work support program for the BSc (Hons) International Financial Services degree. The program allows a number of students to study for the degree whilst being employed by one of the firms. HSBC and RBS International also offer paid student placements to the BSc students.

BNP Paribas operates an Asia-Pacific campus in Singapore, described as the French bank’s first training and talent development facility in the region. The firm will train 3,200 employees per annum from Singapore and some of its 75 countries worldwide, with a range of programs specifically designed to cover eight paths: talent development; leadership and management; individual skills; risk and credit; compliance and regulatory; product and technical proficiencies; diversity and inclusion; and corporate culture and citizenship. The project is supported by the government of Singapore.