MSc in Climate Change Finance & Investment
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
11 Jun 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 30,500 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international including EU| GBP 23,600 for home
Key Summary
Introduction
Our MSc in Climate Change Finance and Investment is dedicated to developing professionals in the field of low-carbon finance and investment. Designed around an interdisciplinary foundation of carbon accounting, climate policy and financial economics, the programme will develop your skills and knowledge to help drive the trillions of dollars of new investment needed to face the climate emergency. The MSc has an international focus, looking at the opportunities and challenges across different sectors, financial markets, and levels of national economic development.
Admissions
Curriculum
Semester 1
September–December
Compulsory courses
- Applied Energy Finance
- Carbon Accounting
- Climate Policy and Investment
- Climate Risk and Investment Alignment
- Carbon Pricing
- Fundamentals of Infrastructure Finance
Semester 2
January–May
Compulsory courses
- Climate Change Consulting Project
- Research Methods for Climate Change Finance
Option courses (Group 1) - Choose 1 or 2
- Behavioural Finance
- Climate Change and Capital Markets
- International Climate Finance
Option courses (Group 2) - Choose 1 or 2
- Econometrics in Climate Change Finance
- Investment Management
- Mitigation Outcome Assessment
Summer
May-August
Dissertation
Details of the Dissertation
Program Outcome
The programme is dedicated to professionals in the field of low-carbon finance and investment, focusing on the financial flows driven by society's response to climate change, and is fundamentally interdisciplinary.
The challenge of responding and adapting to climate change will drive trillions of dollars of new investment over the coming decades, with major changes required across the economy, in energy production and consumption, industry, buildings, transport, infrastructure, forests and agriculture. Delivering this investment will require greatly enhanced capacity in all aspects of carbon finance.
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the programme, students will be able to:
- Explain and evaluate the current state of climate change science and key climate change policy initiatives
- Understand how to incorporate environmental and climate issues in project finance in the energy sector
- Describe and critically evaluate the structure and dynamics of the major global, regional and national-level carbon markets
- Explain and apply practices and procedures of carbon accounting
- Critically evaluate how governments provide and catalyse national and international climate finance
- Understand and apply methods for assessing climate risk and alignment with climate goals
Graduate attributes
By the end of the programme, students will be able to:
- Identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
- Exercise critical judgement in creating new understanding
- Critically assess existing understanding and recognise the need to regularly challenge all knowledge
- Show the application of new ideas, methods and ways of thinking
- Respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts
- Advanced reasoned and factually supported arguments effectively in written work and oral presentation
- Work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills
- Identify and evaluate social, cultural, global, ethical and environmental responsibilities and issues
- Demonstrate skills in time management
Scholarships and Funding
Applicants to the MSc in Climate Change Finance and Investment can apply for a range of scholarships both from the University and external organisations.
Programme and School scholarships
We are keen to recruit the very best talent from all over the world. To this end, several programme-based and School-funded Scholarships are available, as well as others which are generously sponsored by industry and alumni.
Other scholarships and funding
You may be eligible for scholarships from the University of Edinburgh or an external organisation.
Career Opportunities
Career Development
Graduates from the University of Edinburgh are highly sought after globally. For more than a decade, this programme has trained over 300 professionals and change-makers in the fields of climate change, finance, and investment. Our graduates leave with the skills and knowledge to help drive the trillions of dollars of new investment needed to face the climate emergency. Transitioning into a future career after achieving a degree is a priority for our students. We therefore have specialist support available.
Graduate Employment
Our students are diverse in their backgrounds and indeed in their career aspirations. We often have students who have a previous background in Finance looking to understand the specifics of Climate Change better, or those who have a grounding in Climate Change looking to increase their Finance knowledge and understanding. This diversity not only adds to the learning experience of everyone but is also catered for by the variety of courses on offer within the programme structure.
Graduates from the MSc in Climate Change Finance and Investment will typically pursue a career in:
- Carbon credit development, trading and third-party verification
- Climate-related risk disclosure
- Energy market analysis and trading
- International climate and development finance
- Low carbon portfolio management
- Policy or regulatory roles (e.g. with Government or NGOs)
- Renewable energy and infrastructure investment and finance
- Sustainability and climate-related consulting
- Sustainable finance and ESG analysis