Financial Markets Lab

Hosted by our student Program Directors, The lab currently offers three exceptional semester-long academic programs for students to gain hands-on experience in the financial markets. These programs include:

The Stock Pitch Challenge

An 8-week program building equity research, valuation, financial analysis, and risk assessment skills. Teams of students select and research a company’s stock, evaluate its future stock price, and present their thesis to a panel of judges.

The Bloomberg Trading Challenge

A 10-week portfolio management competition where students use the Bloomberg Terminal to research and trade a $1M USD, creating a mock portfolio and competing to maximize total returns. Students gain skills in equity analysis and capital allocation.

The Economics Research Paper

A two-semester research project on an economic topic, where students use Bloomberg, Excel, R, and Python to run regressions and present a research-style published report.​ Past programs analyzed how Fed interest rate changes impact bonds, currencies, and equities.

Bloomberg Market Concepts
Core finance knowledge covering markets, economic indicators, and hands-on Terminal navigation, along with the core functionality and navigation of the Bloomberg Terminal.

Bloomberg Fundamentals of Finance
Covers the flow of money through the economy, investing basics, responsible investing principles, and an overview of finance career paths.

Bloomberg Spreadsheet Analysis (BQL)
Applying BQL formulas in Excel to pull and analyze macro, equity, and fixed income data directly from the Terminal.

Bloomberg ESG
Applying environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies to investment analysis and preparing corporate regulatory reports.

The Aztec Investment Fund (AIF)
The Aztec Investment Fund (AIF) is a student-centered, credit-based experiential learning program whose students use the Bloomberg Terminal to research and invest ~$1M AUM, executing real trading and portfolio decisions in the stock market. AIF meets in the Financial Markets Lab for research and workshops, bridging classroom theory with real-world finance application in a collaborative, professional environment.

High Finance
An application-based, exclusive group focused on recruiting members into high finance careers. Members gain access to the Lab's professional network, one-on-one training in resume review, and technical/behavioral interview prep, positioning them for success early in the recruiting timeline. Alumni have gone on to work in New York hedge funds, venture capital, investment banking, and equity research.

Guest Speakers & Workshops
Notable guest speakers include industry professionals from BlackRock, Bloomberg, and Deloitte for Q&A interview sessions, workshops, and Bloomberg Terminal demonstrations.

The Finance Lab serves as a vital resource for the university community, drawing an average of 250–300 students every month to complete projects central to courses across the Fowler College of Business and other disciplines. The lab provides students with access to Bloomberg Terminals and related databases, enabling them to pursue Bloomberg certification, develop critical career-ready skills, and prepare for professional exams such as the CFA, SIE, and Series.

In 2013, MSCI generously donated more than $500,000 worth of indices and databases, further expanding the lab’s capabilities. Faculty across all five departments integrate real-time data from the lab into their courses, enhancing the relevance of classroom instruction while also using the space for undergraduate, graduate, and specialized seminars.

Testimonials from students, faculty, and alumni consistently highlight the lab’s indispensable role in supporting research, assignments, and professional development, making it an essential platform for preparing students for careers in finance and beyond.

These certifications, ranging from four to twelve hours, are self-paced e-learning courses that provide a visual introduction to the financial markets. Each consists of individual modules woven together from Bloomberg data, news, analytics and television. More information on the course modules and learning outcomes is available at BMC GO on the terminal. A credential is earned after each course completion.

Certifications carry strong recognition among employers and interviewers. Students who complete Bloomberg's Certificate Courses can add the certificate of completion to their resume and LinkedIn profile, demonstrating real market knowledge and giving students a credible edge with recruiters.

Get Started on the Bloomberg Terminal

1. Log into the terminals with your SDSU Credentials (sdsu.edu)
2. Once logged into the terminals, click on the green Bloomberg icon in the top left corner.
3. Once the login page for the Bloomberg terminal opens, click on Create a New Login and truthfully answer the prompts.
4. Enter in your user information and create a username. Enter your phone number in the mobile phone field and type 0s into the company phone field. Enter your email address (school email address preferred).
5. On the next page, choose how to receive your verification code (text option is recommended)
6. On the next page, create your password and press Next
7. Log in to the Bloomberg Terminal

Accessing the Bloomberg Certificates

1. Grab the Bloomberg window that has a blue search bar on the top left and type <BCER> and press enter
2. Click on Sign Up in the upper left corner of the menu, click on “I am a Learner” and check the two boxes. Then press Sign Up
3. After logging in, click on Launch Course. The courses will open in your browser on your left-hand monitor.
4. Click on Certificates in the top menu and then select certificate you wish to complete. 

On a Bloomberg Terminal located in the Financial Markets Lab in the Love Library, room 261. You cannot access the software and courses on personal devices.

The program is free for SDSU students.

• BMC: 8 - 12 hours
• BQL: 6 - 10 hours
• BFF: 4 - 6 hours
• ESG: 8 - 10 hours

No, the courses are self-paced. These exams are essentially small quizzes, they take ~15 minutes. Bloomberg automatically saves your progress and students can resume at any time.

You are not allowed to retake the exam. There are multiple exams embedded in each course’s modules. 75% to pass, but as long as each exam is fully completed, students will receive a certification of completion.

Type BCER >GO into Bloomberg Terminal, sign in again with SDSU email, and access your certification courses. Navigate to the Certificates tab on the dashboard to access your official verification link and code.

Talk to a Lab Assistant, who will assist you with any questions or concerns. Or, press the HELP key (upper left of keyboard) twice to chat live with Bloomberg Support Representatives.