Students may choose any three of the four courses related to alternative investments to complete the secondary concentration. Options include:

• Hedge Funds
• Real Estate Finance
• Private Equity/Venture Capital
• Alternative Investment Strategies (instructor approval required)

The latter course focuses on research related to various aspects of alternative investing and on additional alternative asset classes that are not covered in the other courses, such as real assets, collectibles, managed futures, commodities and structured products. It also prepares students for the Chartered Alternative Investments Analyst Level 1 Examination.

This secondary concentration aims to prepare students to enter growth fields within the world of finance and diversify their expertise in ways that make them attractive candidates to employers. Professor Kevin Mirabile, who developed the sequence, said that the program helps Gabelli School students compete for coveted positions in alternative investment firms not often available to students coming out of an undergraduate program. It already has generated significant interest and job placements within the alternative investments industry.