Practical Training Requirement

Practical Training and Career Development Training

FSRM Practical Training Requirement 

The FSRM program requires students to participate in extensive practical training as an essential component of the degree program. The program requires all full-time students to participate in ongoing practical training immediately following their initial enrollment. The requirement does not require registration for additional credit but does require registration by ALL students, regardless of citizenship or visa status, for the zero credit practical training course 16:958:690 for EACH semester .  Registration for 16:958:690 is also required for a summer session in which a student does an internship or coop. Practical training can be fulfilled by any one of the following methods with off-campus internships or coops being strongly recommended as the preferred mode of fulfilling the practical training requirement:

1. Strongly Recommended: While not required, an off-campus Internship or Co-op position with an employer in the financial industry or finance related department of a non-financial company is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED as the most preferred component of Practical Training. The position should be related to Financial Statistics and Risk Management  curriculum and be at least four weeks in duration. The student is required to submit a written report after the internship ends. If approved by the program director, such an internship can be part of an elective course under 958:682 (independent study) and earn credits towards degree.

2. Regular full-time or part-time position with an off-campus employer in the financial industry or finance related department of a non-financial company. The position should be related to financial statistics and risk management and be at least four weeks in duration. If approved by the program director, such employment can be part of an elective course under 958:682 (independent study) and earn credits towards degree

3. On-campus research, or research project participation, where the research or project is related to financial statistics and risk management under the sponsorship of a financial services institution, an industry practitioner or a Rutgers faculty member. A detailed written report on the research or project participation has to be submitted to a faculty member for review and approval. If approved by the program director, such research or project participation  can be part of an elective course under 958:682 (independent study) and earn credits towards degree. 

4. Participation in the FSRM practitioner’s seminar series and the FSRM career workshop series. Students must attend at least four practitioner seminars and complete the career workshop series, unless given explicit exemption. A written report should be submitted based on one of the practitioner seminars. The report should summarize the problems, ideas, approaches and results learned from the seminar, and provide additional information from further reading and research of the topic.

International students should be aware of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services rules governing off-campus employment authorization in the United States for students with F-1 visas. Please consult staff members at the Rutgers Global - Intenational Student and Scholar Services for advice well in advance of internship search and employment. Also, international students should attend an Off--Campus Employment Workshop early in the semester prior to their beginning CPT employment. For more information on CPT, including the workshop schedule - check here for the schedule. In addition, depending on the availability of the FSRM Global Services Center advisor, a customized CPT workshop for FSRM students will be scheduled  in each semester.

Career Development Training (Career Workshop Series)

The FSRM program devotes considerable resources to  helping students enhance their communication skills, job search skills and job search strategies. These resources are currently included at no additional tuition charges.

On entering their first semester, students are assigned to small group workshops that cover resume writing, bios, cover letters, establishing a personal brand, interviewing and professional networking (LinkedIn).  Experts are hired to provide these workshops and industry HR practitioners participate in giving training. Students also receive one-to-one support in reviewing their particular outputs and competencies in these areas and can seek assistance in preparing for particular interviews.

The Business English language skills of all non-native English language speakers are assessed in their first semester and, unless they already have a high level of these skills, are assigned to one of a number of small group sections of an English as a Second Language course that meets weekly through the semester.