ON-CAMPUS & ONLINE OPTIONS
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The Certification of Professional Achievement (CPA) in Sustainable Finance prepares students to meet the growing demand for professionals who understand and can integrate the fundamentals of both corporate sustainability and financial analysis. Courses cover the unique risks and opportunities revealed by the integration of environmental, social, and governance factors in capital markets, innovative financing methods to fund the transition to a global low-carbon economy, sustainable project and infrastructure finance, responsible and impact investing, green and carbon accounting, and environmental markets.
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"The move to a low-carbon economy challenges conventional investment wisdom, compelling investors to refine and redefine their investment strategies. Sustainable Finance is a hands-on program that offers next-generation solutions to today's most pressing challenges. It equips students to demonstrate how investments in sustainability-driven businesses lead to improved financial performance and create a resilient long-term investment portfolio."
- Dazzle Bhujwala, MS in Sustainability Management, 2018
Students learn traditional financial and accounting tools supplemented with sustainability-specific methods and topics. The CPA equips graduates with the practical information and tools they need to understand the impact of environmental sustainability in corporate financial management and financial markets and enables them to prepare for and manage the consequences of both.
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The CPA comprises courses that cover concepts at the intersection of sustainability and financial management, such as sustainability economics, investment, accounting, risk management, and communication. Students will gain a foundation in the core concepts of corporate finance and an understanding of the sustainability drivers in finance. Students will also learn to analyze the non-financial metrics of businesses.
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Courses completed in the CPA can be credited towards the Master of Science (MS) in Sustainability Management if a student decides to transfer from the CPA to the MS program. It is important to note that each course can only be counted once towards either the CPA or MS. Alternatively, students may choose to pursue the CPA in Sustainable Finance as an independent, stand-alone program without transitioning to the MS program.
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FACULTY
STUDENTS
CURRICULUM
The CPA can be completed through part-time or full-time enrollment, online or in person. Courses are offered in the evening on the Columbia University campus to accommodate the schedules of students working full-time. Students enrolled on a part-time basis can complete the requirements in as many as four semesters. Students enrolled on a full-time basis can complete the requirements in one semester. The CPA requires the successful completion of four courses, or 12 points, from the following course offerings.
SUMA PS5167 Sustainability Metrics: Corporate Decisions and Use of Data
SUMA PS5168 Sustainability Metrics: Data, Construction and Use
COMMUNITY
The students who enroll in the Sustainable Finance Certification are members of the Earth Institute, the School of Professional Studies, and the greater Columbia University community. The Earth Institute reaches across the University to draw and integrate expertise from numerous academic disciplines, in order to propose solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. The Earth Institute comprises two dozen research centers, and it is affiliated with more than 30 academic programs. Students who pursue the Certification have access to the Institute’s leading experts in the field of sustainability, as well as the rest of the University’s world renowned faculty. The students study alongside a new generation of problem solvers who are enrolled in the Earth Institute’s academic programs. All students have access to the Earth Institute’s Professional Development program and the hundreds of extracurricular activities that the Institute organizes each year.
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TO APPLY
Application Type: Master's Affiliated CPA Program
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Admission to the program is highly selective. Prospective students interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to meet with the director, the associate director, and the faculty.
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Application Deadlines
Spring 2025
Enrollment: November 1, 2024
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Need help applying? Click here.
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