Texas Tech University
Smif Office

Student Managed Investment Fund

The Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), a security valuation and portfolio management practicum course, offers both graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to manage an equity portfolio with a market value of approximately $2.8 million. SMIF students are required to conduct rigorous, research-based fundamental analysis and valuations of current portfolio holdings and prospective holdings.

Student Experience

Student Group Outside the Classroom

Each semester, approximately 10 undergraduate and 10 graduate students are selected to participate in the SMIF program based on GPA, elective courses taken, student interest in pursuing the CFA charter, personal investing experience, and related internships or work experience. Students are divided into teams and immerse themselves into identifying and analyzing real investment options, participate in rigorous classroom discussions and perform extensive research outside the classroom. Additionally, students become proficient users of the Bloomberg Professional® Service and will be Bloomberg certified.

State-of-the-Art Learning Environment

The SMIF facility, located on the first floor of Rawls College, is uniquely equipped with 10 Bloomberg terminals. Through the terminals, students have access to the Bloomberg Professional® Service, a powerful platform that allows them to access real-time and historical information on bonds, equities, commodities, currencies and funds. Access to the facility is limited to students in the class.

Career Placement

After completing the SMIF program, students frequently pursue their Chartered Financial Analyst Designation. Graduates have successful security analysis and investment management careers and often work for prestigious companies such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BMO Capital Markets, and Natixis.