Stay Relevant in a Rapidly Evolving Industry
In many ways, we are moving from sustainable investing as a good idea to a reality that has implications for all investment portfolios. Being able to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions is becoming an increasingly important skill for anyone working in the investment industry.
The CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing can help you meet this growing demand. By equipping you with the knowledge and skills neccessary to incorporate ESG considerations into the investment decision-making process, you can better support client demand and play an important role in prioritizing sustainability, ethical practices, and social responsibility.
The Certificate in ESG Investing is owned, administered, and awarded globally by CFA Institute having previously been developed and awarded by CFA Society UK.
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Your Commitment At-A-Glance
*All fees shown are net of any local VAT, Goods and Services Tax (GST) or any other sales tax payable by the candidate in their country of residence. Where CFA Institute is required to add sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the fees shown during the payment/checkout process. For information about taxability related to online purchases from CFA Institute, please visit our Tax Policy page.
The Certificate in ESG Investing is not yet offered globally. Verify that you are able to earn the Certificate in ESG Investing before enrolling (PDF).
Hong Kong SAR Government Funding Scheme: The CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing is one of the Eligible Programs under the Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme (Program Identification Code: GTP-287225). Upon successful completion of the certificate, eligible applicants can apply for a subsidy of up to 80% of the exam registration fees, where full-time students can claim up to 100% reimbursement.
What You'll Learn
Upon completion of this certificate, you will gain knowledge in the following areas:
- Context for different approaches to responsible investment and specifically, consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
- Underlying issues that constitute factors within each of the environmental, social and governance areas.
- Broader sustainability context and global initiatives.
- The ESG market: relevance, size, scope, key drivers and challenges, and risks and opportunities.
- Environmental factors, systemic relationships, material impacts, megatrends and approaches to environmental analysis at country, sector and company levels.
- Social factors, systemic relationships, material impacts and approaches to social analysis at country, sector and company levels.
- Governance factors, key characteristics, main models and material impacts.
- Engagement and stewardship.
- ESG analysis, valuation and integration.
- Ability to analyze how ESG factors may affect industry and company performance, and security valuation across a range of asset classes.
- ESG integrated portfolio construction and management.
- Application of various of approaches to ESG analysis and integration across a range of asset classes.
- Investment mandates, portfolio analytics and client reporting.
Who Should Enroll
This certificate is designed for investment practitioners who want to learn more about how to analyze and integrate material ESG factors into their day-to-day roles. It is suitable for anyone working in front or back offices and adjacent roles — including sales and distribution, wealth management, product development, financial advice, consulting, risk — as well as anyone looking to improve their understanding of ESG issues.
No prerequisites but prior knowledge of the investment process is recommended.
Learning Experience and Content
We offer several ways to engage with the content to meet your preferred way of learning.
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Learning Ecosystem
Access a digital version of the curriculum, including the syllabus, self-assessment questions, and mock exam.
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Content PDFs
Download PDF versions of the curriculum, including the syllabus, chapters, and glossary.
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Curriculum Book
Purchase a print version of the curriculum for an additional charge.
The certificate and learning materials were developed by leading practitioners for practitioners and have received recognition from the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). PRI is an independent body that seeks to encourage investors to use responsible investment to enhance returns and better manage business risks.
Benchmarking the Certificate in ESG Investing
An independent evaluation found the following levels of comparability for the Certificate in ESG Investing:
| Country | Comparable To |
|---|---|
| USA | Associate degree standard |
| UK | RQF Level 4 |
| Canada | OQF Level 7 |
| India | NSQF Level 6 |
| Hong Kong | HKQF Level 4 |
| Singapore | Singaporean Polytechnic Diploma standard |
| Australia | AQF Level 5 |
| Brazil | Curso Superior de Formação Especifíca (Higher Education Diploma of Specific Training) |
| China | Preparatory Technician Certificate standard |
| Japan | Associate degree standard |
| South Africa | S.A. NQF Level 6 |
| France | NQF Level 4 |
What to Expect From the Exam
Exam Scheduling
CFA Institute provides two exam scheduling options for taking your exam:
- In-person at a test center in select markets
- Online via online proctoring provided you meet requirements
Before enrolling, check if remote examination or a physical test center is available in your area. ProProctor remote proctoring is not available in all markets at this time.
Exam Results
Exams are graded as either "pass" or "did not pass." Your exam results will be provided on-screen at the end of your examination, and a copy will be emailed to you. Candidates who do not pass will receive detailed performance feedback.
Testimonials From Learners
The curriculum is broad and covers all the key elements. The result is a qualification that starts the journey into ESG investing, a segment that is evolving quickly and will form a key part of our investment future.
It's quite a challenge to not get lost in ESG language and stay on top of all recent developments. This course helped me in getting a comprehensive overview of the history of ESG investing, the present with many new initiatives being built and anticipated future changes to our industry which will be relevant to all of us.
We aim for long-term partnerships with our clients and are happy to be part of their ESG journey!
Get the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing
Ready to make a move that makes a difference? Register for the Certificate in ESG Investing today.
