About the Robert Day School
The Robert Day School (RDS) provides the means for aspiring leaders to focus their undergraduate and graduate studies on economics, accounting, and finance in a liberal arts setting. Students in our Master’s Program in Finance are immersed in the study of advanced financial theories and provided tools to not only understand today’s complex markets, but the ability to thrive in them. While our undergraduate students build a strong foundation in the fundamentals of economics, accounting and finance, our undergraduate Robert Day Scholars form a select group of talented students from all five Claremont Colleges who will be prepared to become future leaders and innovators in a broad range of industries.
Our 33 full-time faculty devote themselves to the teacher-scholar model providing over 100 course offerings in all aspects of accounting, economics and finance. Many of our faculty hold leadership positions at CMC, including the research director at the Lowe Institute of Political Economy and the Financial Economics Institute. Our professors have served in the White House, the Security Exchange Commission, the United States Treasury, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve, investment banks, consultancies and think-tanks, such as the Rand Corporation.
If you are a person who enjoys a rigorous and intensive set of courses that foster analytical and quantitative expertise, then the Robert Day School may be a good home for you. Our Master’s Program in Finance applies a cohort design to deliver both course and co-curricular content, allowing graduate students to move through the material together and to encourage dialogue and teamwork. Using cases and modules, graduate students explore relevant ethical and organizational leadership issues. In completing such comprehensive coursework, our students have accepted positions with prestigious Ph.D. programs, investment banks, consulting firms and financial service companies around the world.
The Robert Day School prides itself in offering some of the finest educational programs in the world. We hope you take time to explore our programs and the wide range of activities and resources available through Claremont McKenna College and the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance.
The Robert Day School (RDS) was established in 2007 in recognition of a gift from alumnus Robert Day ’65 P’12, founder of Trust Company of the West and former Chair of CMC's Board of Trustees, to launch the Robert Day Scholars Program. The School builds on the intellectual foundation of a top-ranked liberal arts college that has as its motto:
Crescit cum commercio civitas.
“Civilization prospers with commerce.”
The RDS emphasizes coursework that blends theory and practice. The undergraduate programs offer majors in Economics and Economics-Accounting (totaling 360 majors in recent years), and a sequence in Financial Economics. The School is also home to a specialized full-time Master’s Program in Finance.
The School's faculty has more than 30 full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members in residence. Faculty offer courses in the primary fields of economics. In contrast to any other liberal arts college, the offerings include a broad spectrum of core and elective courses in finance and accounting. Students have many opportunities to conduct research with faculty through RDS-relevant research institutes.
RDS faculty members take pride in excellent teaching and in encouraging student-faculty interactions, both in and out of the classroom. The courses develop the individual student’s analytical, quantitative, and communication skills—all of which are critical to the cultivation of leadership skills.
Located in Claremont, California, CMC is one of seven colleges in the Claremont Consortium. Each college has its own administration, curriculum, and admission process, but allows cross-registration in classes. Together the colleges offer numerous activities for all consortium students and for the community. The colleges are within walking distance to the Claremont Village, a close-knit community that features restaurants, shops, theaters, and cultural attractions.
Thanks to our faculty, students, alumni, programs, workshops, and co-curricular activities, the Robert Day School’s vibrant, dynamic environment is unmatched among liberal arts colleges.
Robert A. Day
Class of 1965 Alumnus. Longtime Trustee. Visionary Philanthropist.
“You don’t win anything by waiting.”
Robert A. Day embraced and advanced Claremont McKenna’s mission, generously supporting initiatives designed to help develop future responsible leaders. His name graces some of CMC’s most notable programs and institutions, including the Robert Day Scholars Program, the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance, and the Robert Day Sciences Center.
A pioneer of the asset management industry having founded Trust Company of the West in Los Angeles, Day was the youngest ever CMC trustee at 29. His 2007 gift to the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance—at the time, the largest gift ever given to a liberal arts college—established his commitment to supporting CMC programs that directly benefit students. Day, who was also CEO and Chairman of the W.M. Keck Foundation, believed it was important to invest in the sciences, leading to his generous gift to launch the Robert Day Sciences Center. As a 50-plus year CMC Trustee and dedicated philanthropist, he appreciated innovation, strong judgment, and risk taking—particularly admiring CMC’s ability to develop leadership skills through practical experiences.
Day, who passed away in September 2023, was optimistic about CMC’s future to the very end, saying he always recognized the value of his CMC education and how important it was for alumni to “help shape the next generation of leaders.”
To read more about Day, visit CMC's In Memoriam page, including reflections from community members.