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Course vs. Club

While the Kellogg School of Management has offered a popular investing club for more than 40 years, Korajczyk decided to introduce a new course because he felt the school needed to offer a more uniform experience to students that forced them to engage in trading practices for an entire year. The existing club, he says, doesn't offer hands-on trading experience and membership is sporadic. Instead, it invites speakers and offers a networking opportunity for students. Most students in Korajczyk's class are in the club, as well. But the Asset Management Practicum course is a more serious commitment. The pressure is on, too, as students are required to report regularly to a board made of donors and the chief investment officer at Northwestern.

Beyond Northwestern, several other universities are showing an increased commitment to teaching students about investing. Some have even taken it a step further. Penn State University's Smeal College of Business built a 1,600 square-foot trading room for students in 2001. It boasts 54 work stations, stock boards and real-time tickers. A year later the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University followed suit, building a high-tech trading room. In 2003, the University of Washington opened a simulated trading room. Nasdaq(NDAQ Quote) CEO Robert Greifeld hosted the official unveiling of the facility.

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