Education
Education at the Club.
Rooted in Mannheim's tradition of excellence in business and economics, our program equips students with the advanced knowledge, refined skills and strategic mindset needed to ascend in High Finance.
Held to industry standards
All materials are benchmarked against industry standards, Python and Excel over theoretical learning, real analytics over vague claims, production-grade code over quick scripts.
Theory that culminates in execution
Each session is created with the goal of imparting not only knowledge of the topic, but also knowledge of how to use it.
Excellence is earned
A written exam paired with a presentation of each member's custom trading strategy, graded and certified jointly by the board and our industry partners. Passing depends not only on understanding, but on consistency and effort.
Winter Term 2026
Semester Updates
- Kickoff
- CW37
- First Learning Session
- 21.09.26 (Mon)
- Learning Sessions registration deadline
- 28.09.26
- Exam Registration Period
- 12.10.26 - 26.10.26
- Exam Part I - Theory
- CW44
- Exam Part II - Presentation
- CW45
The departments
Public Markets Course
- 6-7 weeks
- Winter semester only
- Two sessions per week
- ~60 per cohort
Overview
A merge of Quantitative Trading and Portfolio Management, the course focuses on training students to specialise in the public capital markets.
Quantitative Trading caters to students passionate about the intersection of finance, mathematics, and computer science. Our focus lies in developing and implementing sophisticated trading strategies leveraging statistical methodologies and algorithmic approaches.
Portfolio Management emphasises the art and science of constructing and managing modern investment portfolios. We integrate advanced theoretical frameworks with real-world applications, emphasising multi-strategy and macro-driven investment approaches.
Goals
Portfolio Management
Exploring the essential components of professional money management, we train our members how to construct tailored portfolios by aligning asset selection and market exposures with risk-return objectives.
Quantitative Trading
Teaching the systematic way to invest, we show our members how to transform financial and statistical theory into rigorous quantitative models that translate market uncertainty into precise, rules-based execution.
- Financial market structure and portfolio management fundamentals
- Python programming and foundations for quantitative finance
- Asset valuation and risk-premium analysis
- Portfolio Optimisation and Statistical Arbitrage
- Trend-following and momentum-based trading strategies
- Derivatives, option pricing, and structured products
- Factor Analysis and market diagnostics
- Fixed income and credit markets
- Quantitative Analyst
- Research Analyst
- Risk Manager
- Data Scientist in Finance
- Portfolio Manager
- Investment Strategist
- Asset Manager
A semester with us
Eight weeks, from open door to certification.
Week 1
Introduction Series
The first two sessions of every semester are public. Meet the team, see the syllabus, find out where you fit.
Weeks 2-5
Advanced Series
Four weeks of advanced sessions move through specialized topics. Build the models, test the assumptions and refine what remains.
Weeks 6-7
Project Preparation
Two weeks to turn theory into your own strategy. Find your partners, write the code, backtest the logic, and be prepared to defend it.
Week 8
Exam & Certification
A curved written exam, then a project presentation before our partners. Open book, but don't let that fool you.
The examination
Once every semester in two parts.
The exam covers the semester's curriculum of your department: models you built, cases you discussed and the reasoning behind them. If you pass, you geta an official, verifiable certificate signed jointly by the club and our industry partners.
- Format
- Written + Project
- When
- End of each semester
- Registration
- Members only
- Retakes
- Annually per department
HWS 25 Public Markets Written Exam
Our Public Markets partner
Prime Capital AG: Absolute Return Team
The Absolute Return Team of Prime Capital AG is a fund of hedge funds and is one of the most reputable players in Germany. Every winter, our public markets examinees present their group projects to our directors of education, and to a representative of the Absolute Return Team. They assess both the written paper and the project presentation, and they co-sign every certificate we issue in the Public Markets. The partnership has run since HWS 2023, which means your result is judged against the standards of real world practitioners who allocate capital for a living, not against a classroom rubric.
Learn more about Prime Capital here
HWS 25 Public Markets Presentation Exam
with Prime Capital AG
By the numbers
The math.
Every cohort starts big and ends small. Not everyone makes it to the end, but those who do, do so upon their own merits--every member presents, defends, and revises their own work. No prior finance experience is required, only the willingness to do the reading, and to keep showing up.
- 250
- Total Members
- ~80
- Students attend the first session
- ~20
- Students take the internal exam
- 64
- Exam Certificates issued to date
Next step