PRIME matches MBA, MAC, and undergraduate students with investment management firms for hands-on, semester-long project experiences, building practical skills and professional networks that launch careers in investment management.
PRIME offers an experiential learning opportunity to gain exposure to the breadth of the investment management landscape alongside depth in a particular vertical through action-based learning with an investment management firm and weekly class sessions. The course also assists with recruiting and preparing students for their internships in investment management and is individually tailored as much as possible to each student’s situation and interests.
Students have the opportunity to interact with and perform projects for partner investment management firms. The course uses a seminar format centered on discussing assigned projects and facilitating peer learning. Guest speakers help bridge theory and practice. The instructor serves as mentor, providing guidance in group and individual sessions to help students delve into areas they want to learn more about, answer career-related questions, and connect students with experts in the field.
While the instructor has a structure in mind at the onset, the details of class discussions and guest speakers are jointly crafted with students during the first few weeks of class.
Breadth
Understand the full investment management landscape and how its parts interconnect. This context prepares students to become stronger investment professionals regardless of where they ultimately work.
Depth
Gain real-world, hands-on experience within a specific investment management vertical through a semester-long project with a partnering firm.
Community
Build lasting relationships with classmates, corporate partners, guest speakers, and alumni across the investment management industry.
Career Readiness
Strengthen recruiting preparation and internship performance, with the goal of securing a full-time offer in investment management.
PRIME is open to Full-Time MBA, MAC, and Undergraduate Business Program students studying investment management.
Students are admitted by instructor permission only. All students must apply during Mod 2 and be successfully matched with an investment firm by the end of Mod 2 to enroll in Mod 3.
MBA & MAC STUDENTS
The program is open to first-year and second-year Full-Time MBA and MAC students, with a preference for first-year students. Preference is given to students who successfully completed the Fundamental Investing Practicum (FIP) and Investment Management: Explore and Experience (IMEE) in the fall and those selected for the UNC Kenan-Flagler Alpha Challenge equity or credit teams. Participation in other school-sponsored investment management club activities, IMC fall trek, and pitch competitions are also favorably viewed.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
PRIME targets juniors, though seniors are also welcome. The program is open to undergraduates not majoring in business and business majors pursuing areas outside of investment management, provided they have taken or are concurrently enrolled in the prerequisites, found below.
| Track | Required | Recommended |
| Full Time MBA and MAC | MBA 792A/B and 792C; Capital Markets and Investments Concentration (concurrent – 1st year, completed – 2nd year) | Fundamental Investing Practicum (FIP); Investment Management: Explore and Experience (IMEE), Investment Management for All (IM4A), Alpha Challenge team participation |
| Undergraduate | BUSI 191 Gateway into Capital Markets and Investments (prerequisite); quant role- BUSI 408 Corporate Finance; BUSI 580 Investments | Undergraduate Alpha Competition; school-sponsored investment funds or clubs |
Learning to prepare professional-grade deliverables is central to launching a successful investment management career. Past PRIME students have produced work including:
PRIME is more than a project placement. Students attend a weekly seminar throughout the semester, creating a shared learning experience that spans the full breadth of investment management, well beyond any single firm or vertical.
Each week, students come together to discuss their ongoing project work, share insights across firms, and hear from guest speakers covering topics such as how endowments approach asset allocation, opportunities in fintech, private credit markets, and more. The seminar is student-led and designed to grow with the cohort.
Professor Saha actively connects students with practitioners across all corners of the investment management industry, including professionals in areas students may never have considered. These conversations expand career awareness and help students make more informed choices about where they want to go.
“Pramita does an excellent job of bringing in people from all walks of investments, some that you would never, ever think of learning about. It only enriches your knowledge base and helps you make better career choices down the line.”
Ryan Durr (MBA ’25)
Undergraduate PRIME students participate in the UNC Kenan-Flagler Undergraduate Alpha Competition as mentors, judges, planning committee members, or participants. This experience deepens investment knowledge and strengthens connections to the broader investment management community at Kenan-Flagler.
PRIME is designed to build lasting community: among classmates, with corporate partners, with guest speakers, and with alumni. The relationships formed in PRIME extend well beyond the semester.
STUDENTS
PRIME has become one of the fastest growing and most appreciated offerings within the Center for Excellence in Investment Management. Since launching, the program has grown steadily in both student enrollment and the number of corporate partners, reflecting strong demand from students and firms alike.
Students leave the program with a sharper professional profile, a broader industry network, and the confidence to compete in demanding recruiting environments.
“You become a better investment professional when you can see the whole picture. Through PRIME, students dig deeply into an area they are already interested in or want to learn more about. There is so much variety in the investment management space. That is why our mantra is investment management for all. PRIME is meant to showcase that.”
Professor Pramita Saha, Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Investment Management
INVESTMENT FIRMS
PRIME gives investment management firms access to highly motivated, academically prepared students who contribute meaningfully from day one. Firms are matched with students whose backgrounds, interests, and coursework align with the firm’s project needs, making for a productive and efficient engagement.
Partner firms benefit from fresh perspectives on live work, a pipeline of talent for internship and full-time hiring, and a direct connection to UNC Kenan-Flagler’s investment management community. Many firms have returned to the program semester after semester.
Firms propose a project at the start of the semester. Students contribute approximately eight to ten hours per week for ten to twelve weeks, working in person, remotely, or on a hybrid basis.
Students are first-year MBAs or junior-year undergraduates with foundational coursework in investments, selected through a competitive application and interview process.
At the close of the semester, firms provide a performance assessment that informs the student’s final evaluation and helps strengthen the program over time.
PRIME is a proven pathway for firms to identify and build relationships with top investment management talent before formal recruiting cycles begin.
“I wanted to work closely with the financial professionals who are out there making big investment decisions. Through PRIME, I got such a comprehensive understanding of that on a higher level. It was problem-solving. It was practical. It was collaborative. It was exactly what I wanted.”
Wendy Zhu (BSBA ’25)
Partner with PRIME
Investment firms interested in participating in PRIME are encouraged to reach out directly to Professor Pramita Saha, Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Investment Management.