Advanced Private Equity Certificate
Acquire the advanced tools, strategies, and skills needed to excel in private equity. The CFA Institute Advanced Private Equity Certificate equips you with cutting-edge expertise in deal sourcing, financial modeling, debt valuation, and portfolio governance – helping you gain a competitive edge in the private equity field.
Please note, you need to have completed the Private Equity Certificate before registering for this advanced certificate.
Advance your private equity expertise
The Advanced Private Equity Certificate has been designed in partnership with leading industry experts to further your private equity expertise. Upon completion you’ll gain a globally recognized certificate that demonstrates your commitment to mastering the increasingly vital world of private equity.
Working through a syllabus that incorporates real-world financial modeling exercises, you'll develop advanced tools and strategies essential for working as a General Partner (GP) and grow your skills in areas such as private debt management techniques and financial modeling.
Why choose the Advanced Private Equity Certificate?
Subject matter mastery
Build upon knowledge gained from the Private Equity Certificate and learn advanced tools, strategies, and skills in private equity.
Career advancement
Gain a competitive edge in securing roles within private equity or transition into this increasingly vital area of finance.
Sought-after skills
Advance your financial modeling skills with hands-on learning to structure, analyze, and forecast scenarios, optimizing portfolio performance.
Refined expertise
Pave the way for successful investment management and partnership governance in private equity.
Insights from experts
Benefit from the knowledge of established practitioners with an Advanced Private Equity Certificate developed by leaders in investment education.
Enhanced professional profile
Share your achievement on professional networks with a shareable digital badge and a printable certificate when you complete the Advanced Private Equity Certificate.
Who should enroll
People who have successfully completed the Private Equity Certificate, and:
- Private equity professionals looking to develop advanced skills
- Finance students who aspire to work in private equity
- Finance professionals transitioning from other sectors
Explore our private markets certificates
Build your skills with the CFA Institute private markets learning pathway – three certificates designed to support every stage of your career, from foundational knowledge to advanced private equity. Complete one or stack them together for a deeper understanding of this growing area of investing.
Curriculum
In this course you will develop practical skills to conduct due diligence, source deals, and execute strategies in the role of a general partner (GP) in private equity. You will also explore how operational and financial management contribute to enhancing portfolio company performance. The course also includes modules on strategic communication, crisis management, partnership governance, and strategic exit planning to enable successful investment management.
In this course you’ll gain skills in analyzing and valuing corporate private debt using credit valuation adjustment (CVA) and reduced form models. You’ll also apply the backwards induction technique to build Excel-based models for valuing private debt with embedded options, like calls, puts, caps, and floors. Finally, you’ll explore distressed debt senarios and develop skills in valuing distressed private debt through a series of real-world cases studies and an interactive distressed debt valuation model.
In this course you will further improve and extend your financial modeling skills. You will master scenario analysis and updating models based on quarterly results. You will learn to work out and analyze debt capacity and add-on acquisitions. You will also be able to build models involving debt sculpting, management incentives and dividend recapitalizations.
In this course you will develop practical skills to evaluate private equity investments from the perspective of a limited partner (LP). You’ll work through real-world frameworks and tools used by LPs to assess general partners (GPs), conduct due diligence, and evaluate fund strategy, governance, and risk. You’ll also explore how to incorporate sustainability considerations and construct diversified private equity portfolios with appropriate pacing, liquidity, and risk controls. The course includes practical case studies, knowledge checks, and an applied assignment to reinforce your understanding of institutional LP practices.
As a prerequisite to taking the Advanced Private Equity Certificate you must complete the Private Equity Certificate. Access the syllabus and learning outcomes and factsheet for the further info.
Learn via engaging content and activities
Work towards the Advanced Private Equity Certificate in the way most suitable for your learning style and schedule.
Self-paced online learning
Registration is now open. You will have access to the content and activities for 12 months when all content launches 19 August 2025.
Engaging, interactive content
Develop practical understanding of complex topics through a combination of screen capture videos and hands-on exercises.
Live office hours support (Course 3: Advanced Financial Modeling)
Get direct guidance from industry experts as you work through advanced financial modeling concepts and exercises, enhancing your skills with real-world insights.
Assess your knowledge as you go
Test your understanding as you progress with a variety of practical assessments and activities, plus optional knowledge check questions.
Full access to Private Equity Certificate content
Includes all materials from the Private Equity Certificate, allowing you to revisit key concepts and reinforce your learning as you advance.
Online Q&A
To enhance your knowledge, the Advanced Private Equity Certificate includes live financial modeling Q&A sessions with an expert trainer.
What our practitioners say
The material in the Advanced Private Equity Certificate provides an in-depth look at the fastest growing financial market of the last 20 years, with crucial information on the perspectives of practitioners and investors.
The Advanced Private Equity Certificate provides a thorough understanding of private equity through insights from GP and LP perspectives and global case studies. It equips professionals with hands-on financial modeling skills to confidently evaluate opportunities and make industry-changing decisions.
The Advanced Private Equity Certificate helps investors make a real impact in private equity by focusing on process over hype — developing the skills to thoroughly evaluate opportunities and confidently decide when to pursue or walk away from a deal.
This certificate bridges theory and practice, covering foundational and advanced private equity topics. Candidates gain balanced knowledge and practical frameworks to enhance their ability to tackle complex real-world cases with analytical rigor and professional confidence.
Advanced Private Equity Certificate
- Certificate – 4 course series
- Advanced level
- 100 hours to complete
- Self-paced online learning
Frequently asked questions
When the learning materials become available on 19 August 2025, you'll have access to them for 12 months. Learning materials and assessments can be accessed anywhere online, providing maximum flexibility and convenience to candidates.
The Advanced Private Equity Certificate requires participants to have successfully completed the Private Equity Certificate. This prerequisite ensures you have a robust intermediate understanding of private equity concepts, techniques, and industry practices upon which this advanced course will build.
To successfully complete the financial modeling assignments, you'll need access to the latest version of Microsoft Excel, running on a Windows device. This ensures compatibility with all features and tools used in the course.
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