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.

Student registering at event

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 alternatively 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

Student Development Team

Our dedicated Student Development Team works with you to develop your global employability; the skills, knowledge and experiences that you will need to enter, thrive, and progress in competitive job markets across the world.

Career Development is a life-long activity that requires self-awareness, personal responsibility and planning. To get this right, our students need support and tools that are tailored to each individual’s needs and aspirations.

The Student Development Team will be an integral part of your student experience from day one, helping you become equipped to maximise your potential in the global market.

This forms part of the strong coaching culture you’ll experience within your Master’s Programme. It creates an environment that supports you to become more successful in both your professional and personal lives.

Below are a few examples of some of the activity that we host to support you in your career development journey.

Employability and Careers Expo

This is one of our flagship events - a fantastic opportunity to develop your practical employability skills, gain business insights and network with professionals who are currently in the types of roles you may wish to pursue.

The Employability & Careers Expo: Through a series of workshops, panels and discussions, students can equip themselves with new skills and insights to help reach their long term career goals.

Edinburgh Award in Global Employability

As part of your MSc programme you will have the opportunity to further enhance your employability credentials by taking part in the Edinburgh Award.

By proactively working on your own individually tailored development plan, you can gain official recognition through the Edinburgh Award in Global Employability. You will choose 3 core skills to develop during your year. As a participant you will also be offered one-to-one coaching, peer networking opportunities; workshops on topics such as leadership, time management and advanced presentation skills as well as access to a ‘Skills Vault’.

In addition to receiving an official certificate from the University, completing the Award will be recognised on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

One-to-One Coaching: How can you benefit from Coaching?

You can benefit from coaching to lead you towards success at the University of Edinburgh Business School and beyond.

Skills, Opportunities and Networks

Skills

The above examples of activity are just some of the opportunities you will have to develop your skillset out with the classroom. Across your academic year you can benefit from a series of sessions - run by the Student Development Team - that cover a range of topics including:

  • Presentation skills
  • Resilience
  • Networking
  • Job search strategies
  • Self awareness

For specific and tailored career advice and coaching you can book 1-to-1 sessions with a member of the Student Development Team to discuss:

  • Tailored CV and application advice
  • LinkedIn profile reviews
  • Careers guidance
  • Interview or assessment centre practice

Opportunities

All our MSc programmes also offer various built-in opportunities to engage with companies and alumni; an important step in your networking skills development but these opportunities also allow you to find out more about different career paths. Examples of programme-specific opportunities include:

  • Guest Lecturers
  • Alumni Panel Discussions
  • Career Lounges
  • Client Sourced Dissertations

Student Professional Development Budget

Each year students can partake in professional development opportunities out with the school. Some students attend a Climate Change related Conference, others take an online course or expand their learning in some other way. There is a fund available that students can access to help towards some of the costs of these Professional Development Activities.

Guest Lecturers

Within modules of the programmes our academic team bring in senior figures from relevant international organisations to talk about specific subject matter and its application to real world working challenges. These lectures provide a superb opportunity to ask questions and network further with the speaker and gain valuable career insight and advice from experienced professionals.

Consultancy Projects

Our MSc Climate Change, Finance, and Investment students get matched in groups of five to six students to real-world, climate change-related challenges that a private or public-sector organisation is experiencing.

During the course the students investigate and try to solve this challenge in the form of a consulting project. By the end of the course the students present their findings and solutions through an oral presentation and a written consulting report.

Networks

The Student Development Team is on hand to help you build your confidence in networking skills. We do this by running events that give you the opportunity to practice your networking skills in a supportive environment. Throughout your time at the Business School you will also have the chance to grow your own network via students, staff, alumni and industry contact.

In addition to the Student Development team, there are many other services and societies across the university which may help with your professional development, such as: