Certificate in ESG Investing (2024)

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 necessary 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.

*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 Policypage.

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% reimbursem*nt.

While the Certificate in ESG Investing is offered in most countries, it is not yet available globally. We are working to expand the certificate into additional markets. At this time, for example, we are not able to test candidates in Mainland China while we are in the process of applying for a regulatory license. This applies to in person testing as well as online proctored exams. Please review the complete list of test center locations before registering.

Check the Test Center Locations by Country/Region (PDF) list before registering, if you are likely to schedule an in-person testing appointment for your exam.

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.

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.

Are you looking for more advanced knowledge and practical application of climate-related factors to conduct analysis, valuation, and portfolio construction? Take a look at our new Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate.

There are many career paths available to individuals who earn the Certificate in ESG Investing, whether you want to find a new role in sustainability or become the in-house ESG expert at your current organization.

What are some ESG career paths?

• ESG analyst
• Sustainability manager
• ESG specialist
• ESG product manager
• Head of ESG
• Chief Sustainability Officer

An independent evaluation found the following levels of comparability for the Certificate in ESG Investing:

• 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

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.

View syllabus and topic weights

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