Derivatives risk software firm FINCAD has offered students at the University of Connecticut the opportunity to use some of its most popular risk management products.

Spurred by one of UConn's business professors, the risk software firm offered the school access to its FINCAD Analytics Suite for Excel as part of its new Academic Endowment Program. Begun in June of this year, the program is designed to increase students' access to industry standard derivatives software, helping improve their own marketability and potentially improving risk management practices in the derivatives industry.

"Using industry standard software is instrumental in training students for their future professions and even for career advancement," Jud Saviskas, executive director of the UConn School of Business, said in a statement. "The FINCAD Academic Endowment Program has given [Master of Science in Financial Risk Management] students an excellent opportunity to ensure their software knowledge is what it should be in today's marketplace."

As risk management regulations are put in place around the world, familiarity with the software in that field becomes increasingly important for students. Common programs like Excel offer an easy opportunity to expose students to the concepts and some of the basic processes.