Bloomberg, a worldwide financial information provider, is offering certification courses to teach students interested in learning about the stock market.
The E.J. Ourso College of Business Securities Markets Analysis Research and Trading Lab is teaching students how to access and navigate Bloomberg financial information services through media outlets such as television and the Internet. The training is not for credit, but it can give students a competitive edge after graduation.
Students learn how to tailor the Bloomberg flow of financial information to access their specific needs and interests.
“It teaches students how to access news, personalize Bloomberg … and sends them information they’re interested in,” said Tish O’Connor, a computer analyst with the Center for Computation and Technology who monitors the courses. “[Students] can do analysis on different companies’ stock, debt and fixed income.”
Students complete nine courses in three subjects – fixed income, equity and foreign exchange – and take quizzes associated with the classes to receive the certification. They watch instructional videos that navigate Bloomberg reports and electronic data as a stock ticker adjacent to the video screen flashes fluctuations in individual stocks.
“It’s a real coup that LSU can introduce students to Bloomberg,” O’Connor said. “The course is offered to any Bloomberg user. It was not made for students but made for professionals who use Bloomberg.”
Kelly Callahan, a finance senior, said she is taking the courses to be a step ahead of other job applicants.
“One of my friends took [the courses] last semester and said it’s a resume booster,” Callahan said. “Bloomberg is one of the terminals used in finance. It’s not time-consuming because we meet once a week.”
O’Connor said many students use the courses for competitive advantage when applying for jobs in the financial world, and many companies hire applicants who already understand how to use Bloomberg.
O’Connor said the program is also cost-saving for companies that have employees who already have skills working with Bloomberg because they do not have to pay for training.
“If you say ‘Bloomberg,’ that means something,” O’Connor said.
Contact Leslie Ziober at [email protected]