A new bootcamp at McIntire, sparked by an alumnus partnership, is giving M.S. in Commerce students hands-on experience with one of the world’s most powerful financial data platforms.
A chance meeting between a dedicated alumnus and a forward-thinking program director has given M.S. in Commerce students at UVA McIntire a new competitive edge.
The collaboration grew out of years of informal connection between M.S. in Commerce Program Director and Professor Ira Harris and alum Tom Contiliano (McIntire ’96, M.S. in Accounting ’99). “We finally got to meet in person this summer, and we stumbled into a conversation about how I, as a local two-time McIntire grad with 25 years of experience at Bloomberg, could find some way to enhance the master’s experience,” Contiliano explains. Having designed similar courses for university partners, he worked with Harris to fine-tune the content to align with the intensity of the M.S. in Commerce Program.
Ira Harris (Photo by Tom Cogill)
Under Harris’s leadership, the resulting Bloomberg Terminal Bootcamp reflects McIntire’s broader mission to prepare students for a marketplace defined by speed, data, and analytical precision. Since its launch in the spring 2026 semester, the course has been training graduate students to navigate and leverage the Bloomberg Terminal, the global standard platform for financial data, analytics, and market intelligence.
Harris explains that the course emerged from a clear market need. “We have worked to develop this module because our students will be graduating into a market where data is plentiful, but the highest achievers will be skilled at quickly retrieving and analyzing key data,” he says. In a job market where employers prioritize data literacy and applied analytical competence, Bloomberg experience stands out as a credential that blends technical capability with practical expertise.
A Multidisciplinary Tool
Tom Contiliano
Contiliano is quick to challenge the idea that Bloomberg is only for finance professionals. Biotechnology and Marketing students benefit from being able to research a future client, evaluate industry drivers, and tap into Bloomberg’s elite network.
Harris agrees that the course resonates across all concentrations of the M.S. in Commerce Program. “All four of our tracks are represented in this class because the Bloomberg Terminal offers a rich set of research applications,” he says. “Our central goal is to equip students to excel in the marketplace, and we want to place our graduates among the small set of professionals who can leverage the analytical power of this database.”
The terminal’s capabilities extend well beyond gathering stock quotes. Students work with live and historical market data across equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, and commodities. They explore Bloomberg’s real-time newswire; sector research through Bloomberg Intelligence; and economic tools that track inflation, interest rates, and credit spreads.
Students Gain Confidence and Career Readiness
Jay Cunningham
For M.S. in Commerce Class of ’26 students like Jay Cunningham, the bootcamp has offered rare access to a powerful platform. “The Bloomberg Terminal bootcamp seemed like an excellent opportunity to get experience with a top-of-the-line industry tool,” he says. He notes that the sessions go beyond basic commands to show how bankers, investors, and journalists rely on just a fraction of the tool’s immense capabilities each day.
Willoughby Hardesty
Willoughby Hardesty, who plans to pursue commercial real estate, was drawn to what she calls the “black box factor.” Learning commands such as TOP and WEI has made markets feel less intimidating. “It’s a bit like learning to code,” she says, adding that the experience allows her to pull real-time interest rates and market indices directly from the source rather than relying on secondary reports.
Spencer Henske
Spencer Henske, who previously used a terminal during a hedge fund internship, sees the course as a way to further deepen his expertise. “Learning from Tom Contiliano has been incredibly valuable,” he says. He expects the training will give him “a leg up on my peers once I enter the workforce.”
For his part, teaching the sessions has been especially meaningful for Contiliano. “I’m blown away that several dozen graduate students are finding time to commit to something outside their normal coursework,” he says. “There is no doubt that these students are eager to get ahead professionally.”
