Sustainable Finance

We are now closed for applications. Our next start date for this course is TBC. Please enquire for more information and to register your interest.

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Global concerns such as climate change, biodiversity and human rights have brought Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) considerations to the forefront of decision-making in international business and investment. This course will cover the key aspects of ESG and how sustainable financial principles are applied in practice.

This course is suited to:

The Sustainable Finance course is aimed at forward-looking finance students and industry professionals interested in developing their analytical skills and gaining a greater understanding of key global challenges and opportunities faced by businesses.

Students will have the opportunity to use real-life research insights to identify best practice and look at how these practices can be applied in everyday business decision-making.

What will I learn?

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of sustainable finance, including key aspects of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and how these are applied in business and investment practice.

By considering interlinked global issues such as climate change, biodiversity and human rights - and the ways in which sustainable finance has failed to address these issues in the past - the course brings to light new ways of thinking about finance and its role in sustainable businesses and societies.

As well as analysing a wide range of sustainable finance theories, students will learn from the best practice of contemporary industry peers. The course also looks at major scandals and lawsuits linked to ESG in order to allow students to gain an understanding of how these might have been mitigated.

Learning outcomes

• Identify best practices for key sustainable and responsible finance elements derived from recent research insights
• Assess major ESG disclosures and their relevance from a wide range of stakeholders such as management, investors, and society
• Critically discuss sustainable finance topics involving a wide range of theories
• Analyse the interrelations between business, society, and the environment and derive related trade-offs and opportunities for companies
• Apply ideas and experiences from different academic and professional disciplines and acknowledge differences related to culture, generations, and societies
• Engage independently with and make reasoned judgements about research on sustainable finance

How is the module assessed?

For this course, you should expect to engage in structured learning activities for 10-15 hours per week on average, plus additional time spent on self-directed learning (such as further reading or preparing for assessments).

The course can be completed in a maximum of 17 weeks. Typically, there are 10 weeks of taught content, and the final submission is in week 11. The rest of the time is made up for marking and feedback.

Module staff

Entry Requirements

While there are no specific academic entry requirements, this course is delivered at Masters level so you’d usually have at least 2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) OR relevant work experience related to the area of study.

Should you not have the relevant background described the University of Exeter cannot be held responsible for any failure to attain an award from this course.

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course.

The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2.