Montclair State University Expands Business School With New Trading Floor Lab

Montclair State University's Feliciano School of Business unveiled a new trading floor laboratory this week, giving finance and economics students access to live market data terminals that mirror the tools used on actual Wall Street trading desks.

The lab includes 30 workstations equipped with financial data terminals, real-time market feeds, and portfolio simulation software. Faculty say the space will be used both for coursework and for a student-managed investment fund that has quietly grown to roughly $1.4 million in assets over the past six years.

"Reading about the bond market in a textbook and watching a yield curve move in real time are two completely different educational experiences," said Feliciano School of Business Dean Dennis Bone. "We wanted our students walking into interviews at New York and Jersey City firms already comfortable with the tools they'll use on day one."

The $6.5 million lab was funded primarily through alumni donations, including a lead gift from a Montclair State graduate who now works in institutional asset management in Jersey City. University officials say the location was intentional — the school has leaned into its proximity to the Jersey City and Manhattan financial corridors as a recruiting advantage over competing regional business programs.

Montclair State says enrollment in its finance concentration has grown by nearly 40 percent over the past five years, a trend administrators expect the new lab to accelerate further.