Private Markets & Alternative Investments Certificate is the latest offering in CFA Institute’s professional learning portfolio. 

Launching on 13 September 2023, the five-course certificate program introduces private markets and alternative investments and equips learners with the basic understanding and skills required for investing in them.

In particular, the certificate will focus on private equity, private credit, real estate and infrastructure, commodities, and hedge funds. The majority of the five courses draw from existing CFA^® Level I and II exam content.

The Private Markets and Alternative Investments Certificate is suitable for new entrants to the industry who aspire to work for a general partner firm (GP) or other alternatives specialist, existing investors or asset owners who are looking to allocate to private markets or alternative investments, and consultants working with General Partner or Limited Partner firms who wish to understand the investment landscape and industry terminology.

Why Is CFA Institute Launching This Certificate?

Alternative investments are becoming an increasingly important part of the investment industry and, as allocations increase, so too are available job roles and a need for high-quality education. With this certificate, we aim to reach out beyond our typical CFA candidate audience, and capture learners for whom the CFA Program is either not yet relevant or part of their plans.

Key Facts

The certificate will take learners approximately 70–90 hours to complete; this includes the final certificate-level assessment. The cost to enroll is $899 for non-members and $799 for members (although CFA charterholders are not a core audience for this certificate).

The five courses are also available for purchase individually. Learners will be advised to complete the courses in the below order, and all module-level summative assessments must be completed to qualify for the certificate

• Course 1: Introduction to Private Markets and Alternative Investments
• Course 2: Private Equity and Private Credit Investments
• Course 3: Real Estate and Infrastructure Investments
• Course 4: Commodities and Natural Resources Investments
• Course 5: Hedge Fund Investments

Learners must complete the final assessment with a minimum score of 70% to receive the certificate and digital badge.

A society marketing toolkit will be available in the coming weeks. Until then, we invite you to explore the certificate one-pager and syllabus here.