Certificate in ESG Investing

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.

Enrollment Cost

795* USD

Cost of learning material and exam.*

Time to Completion

6 MONTHS

Amount of time you have to complete the certificate.

Study Time

100+ HOURS

Amount of time we recommend studying for the exam.

Members 20

PL CREDITS INCLUDING 2 SER CREDITS

Number of credits members can earn for professional learning goals.

*Beginning 1 January 2024 the registration fee will increase to USD 865. This coincides with the release of the 2024 Certificate in ESG Investing that will include an updated curriculum with new case studies, additional practice questions, and a second mock exam.

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.

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.

The Certificate in ESG Investing is not yet offered 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.

We offer several ways to engage with the content to meet your preferred way of learning.

Learning Ecosystem

Access a digital version of the curriculum, including the syllabus, self-assessment questions, and mock exam.

Content PDFs

Download PDF versions of the curriculum, including the syllabus, chapters, and glossary.

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.

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

Exam Scheduling

6 MONTHS

Once you enroll, you have 6 months to schedule and sit for your exam.

Number of Questions 100

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions.

Testing Time

140 MINUTES

You will have 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the exam.