Career Development and Professional Standards
| Module title | Career Development and Professional Standards |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEFM033 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Mr Simon Allington (Convenor) Dr Wei-Ming Lee (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 3 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
This module includes two important aspects of professional development for the finance industry: career development and professional standards. The first section of the module (Career Development) helps students to acquire and develop the career management and employability skills necessary to craft and pursue their career goals. The second section of the module introduces students to the CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. In particular, it provides students with a foundation in the study of ethics, challenges to ethical behaviour, and the role played by ethics in the investment profession. Students will study real-world examples of ethical decision making.
Additional Information:
Internationalisation: This module incorporates the globally recognised CFA Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, which offers lifelong learning opportunities to guide investment professionals with ethical decision making throughout every stage of their careers.
Sustainability: All the lecture material and the basic text e-book are available on ELE (Exeter Learning Environment).
External Engagement: This module follows the CFA curriculum.
Employability: This course is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge that will enhance their employability in the Finance industry.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module is designed to embed the development of career management skills that empower you to take control of your career, now and in future, and to help you develop the employability skills required to find and apply for appropriate positions in the finance industry and succeed in a competitive job market. On this module you will engage with a guided programme of career guidance and skills development that will help you better understand yourself, explore opportunities in your career areas of interest, make confident and informed decisions, and develop a detailed action plan of your next steps. Through the module you will engage with career coaching professionals, external experts in the finance industry, alumni and employer events, and guest speakers. You will have the opportunity to learn about recent developments in ESG, macroeconomics, and financial technology. Knowledge in these topics not only improves your competitiveness in the job market, but also prepares you for the CFA exams. The module also introduces ideas and concepts that will help you understand the importance of ethical behaviour in the finance industry. In addition to introducing you to the globally recognised CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, that CFA candidates must follow to achieve the broader industry expectations, you will also be able to demonstrate an understanding of the professional standards by analysing real-world case studies using the Ethical Decision Making Framework.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. identify, critically reflect on, and articulate your personal competencies and attributes (e.g. skills, strengths, values, motivations, personality, knowledge) and their relevance to effective career decision-making and the requirements of graduate job opportunities;
- 2. demonstrate a capability for the practical aspects of managing your career and devise an action plan for short-to-medium term career development informed by your self-awareness and effective career research;
- 3. analyse what recruiters are looking for and demonstrate strong abilities in providing examples of own experiences and tailoring your approach to suit their requirements;
- 4. be able to distinguish between ethical and legal standards, describe the importance of maintaining professional standards in the investment industry, and apply the Ethical Decision-Making Framework using case studies based on real-world situations;
- 5. explain the ethical responsibilities required by the CFA Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct and describe why Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) were created;
- 6. apply micro- and macro-economic principles to analyse capital markets and make business decisions
- 7. explain and critically reflect on recent development in the financial industry and capital markets
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. research and analyse careers and employment opportunities in financial sectors of interest, utilising a wide range of reputable resources and available services;
- 9. gain the confidence and clarity in navigating ethical issues within the investment management industry.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 10. exercise diligence, independence, and thoroughness in making ethical investment decisions.
- 11. adapt and adjust both written and verbal communication styles, to meet the needs of diverse audiences, and be able to work effectively as an individual and in a group;
- 12. develop self-awareness through a commitment to learning from experiences and taking responsibility for personal growth and be able to organise and maintain your own programme of study to meet graduate recruitment and academic deadlines.
Syllabus plan
This module will run over two terms, starting with a Career Development Bootcamp during Induction, followed by lectures and workshops in careers, employability, and recent developments in finance during term one, and then a focus on ethics and professional standards or other CFA related topics in term two. The module will be delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, guest speaker sessions, individual research, and one-to-one career coaching sessions. The module will cover the following:
- Career management frameworks and action planning
- Building self-awareness of own strengths, values, personality and motivations as they relate to careers
- Graduate labour market and the practicalities and techniques for sourcing appropriate career opportunities in financial sectors of interest
- Employability skills for recruitment and selection, e.g. CVs and applications, interviews, assessment centres and psychometric testing
- Skills for managing a career, e.g. networking and resilience
- Ethics and trust in the investment profession
- Code of ethics and standards of professional conduct
- Professionalism and integrity in capital markets
- Global investment performance standards
- Ethical decision-making framework
- Modern topics in the CFA syllabus
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 114 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 22 | Lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 14 | Workshops and seminars |
| Guided independent study | 114 | Additional reading, career research, self-assessments, one-to-one career coaching appointments, web-based learning |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft parts of Career Development Portfolio | 1500-2000 words | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Feedback given in seminar |
| MCQ practice questions on economics and CFA ethics and professional standards | Multiple-choice questions | 4-7, 9-11 | Online feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career Development Portfolio | 40 | 2000-2500 words | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Written |
| Career Progress Tracker (Term 1) | 5 | Participation in short update surveys | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Online |
| Career Progress Tracker (Term 2) | 5 | Participation in short update surveys | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Online |
| Midterm Exam (MCQ) | 50 | 1 hour | 4-7, 9-11 | Online |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Development Portfolio | Career Development Portfolio (2000-2500 words, 40%) | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Referral/deferral period |
| Career Progress Tracker (Term 1) | Participate in short update survey and one-to-one career guidance appointment (5%) | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Referral/deferral period |
| Career Progress Tracker (Term 2) | Participate in short update survey and one-to-one career guidance appointment (5%) | 1-3, 8, 11, 12 | Referral/deferral period |
| Midterm Exam (MCQ) | MCQ exam (1-hour, 50%) | 4-7, 9-11 | Referral/deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Hooley, T. and Grant, T. (2017). You’re Hired! Graduate Career Handbook: Maximise your employability and get a graduate job. Bath: Crimson
Lees, J. (2020). How To Get A Job You Love 2021-2022 Edition. London: McGraw-Hill
Inkson, K, Dries, N. and Arnold, J. (2015) Understanding Careers, London: Sage
Ethical and Professional Standards, CFA® Program Curriculum L1 and L2, CFA Institute
The Standards of Practice Handbook, CFA Institute
Economics, CFA Program Curriculum L1, CFA Institute
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Career Development online careers resources:
Deciding: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/careerplanning/decide/
Planning: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/careerplanning/plan/
Competing: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/careerplanning/compete/
Career Zone Employment Sectors: Finance. https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/sector/finance/
Business School, Your Employability Skills (YES) – Postgraduate: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=13755
Efinancialcareers: www.efinancialcareers.co.uk/
Prospects: www.prospects.ac.uk. Information on job roles, sectors, employers and an online career assessment tool
Profiling for Success: https://mycareerzone.careercentre.me/Resources/CustomPage/18081. A self-assessment tool that can help you in your personal and career development.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Professional Standards online resources:
Ethical Decision Making: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/ethics-standards/ethics/ethical-decision-making
Professional Conduct: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/ethics-standards/ethics/code-of-ethics-standards-of-conduct-guidance
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | N/A. |
| Module co-requisites | N/A. |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 06/05/2025 |
| Last revision date | 07/05/2025 |
