Applications are now open!
Early bird round deadline: December 1st, 2026
Second round deadline: January 14th, 2027
DRIVE THE SUSTAINABLE FINANCE REVOLUTION!
The One-Year MAS in Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing and Development (60 ECTS, 2 semesters, full time, in English and in person in Geneva, Switzerland) is a selective post-graduate programme focused on preparing students for employment in the financial sector, international organisations, NGOs and think tanks.
Courses provide students with the skills and transdisciplinary background needed to apply the tools of sustainable finance to socially responsible investments aimed at funding the SDGs. Our graduates now work at companies as Symbiotics, B Lab Switzerland, M&G Investments, Swiss Life, Green Eco-Land, Clarmondial and others.
Unique benefits
For more information, please contact sustainable.finance@graduateinstitute.ch
or
Schedule a 15-minute call with Professor Sussman
STAY UPDATED
This programme gave me exactly what I needed: a new network. My career in Geneva had been in regulatory and policy work, and this degree opened my way into finance.
This programme has strengthened my ability to apply sustainable finance and impact investing principles to my work in conservation finance across Africa. It equipped me with practical tools to design innovative financing solutions for protected areas.
I arrived with years of development experience and an ambition to work in finance. This programme connected the two in a way I could not find elsewhere.
One-Year Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing and Development (60 ECTS). Students may take additional courses (maximum 12 additional ECTS) and hence exceed the 60-credit requirement with permission from Prof. Nathan Sussman, MAS Co-Director (see below).
Led by esteemed faculty and supported by a strong community, our program offers a rigorous curriculum that explores the intersection of finance, sustainability, and development. We equip students with analytical tools, and critical thinking skills to drive meaningful change.
Please note that all classes are in person and taught in English.
Required Courses (credited, ECTS in parentheses) = 60 ECTS in total
Required Workshops (non-credited)
Elective Courses (credited, ECTS in parentheses, subject to availability) = Maximum 12 ECTS in total. (Students may exceed the 60-credit requirement and take two credited electives with permission from Prof. Nathan Sussman)
Throughout your journey, you'll receive support from a community of dedicated scholars, practitioners, and fellow learners who share your commitment to making a positive impact.
Core Courses Faculty
Anna-Riikka Kauppinen, Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Sociology & Pictet Chair in Finance and Development; Faculty Affiliate, Centre for Finance and Development and Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy
Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Full Professor, International Economics; Faculty Associate, Centre for Finance and Development
Bertrand Gacon, Co-Founder and CEO at Impaakt
Dawid Bastiat-Jarosz, Lecturer (Ph.D.), Member of the European Platform on Sustainable Finance, European Commission; Research Fellow, Centre for Finance and Development, Co-Director, MAS in Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing and Development
Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, Full Professor, Institute of Economics and Econometrics, University of Geneva
Imelda, Assistant Professor, International Economics & Andre Hoffmann Assistant Professor in Environmental and Resource Economics
Ireneu Pla, Software Engineer, Google
Kristen McNeill, Assistant Professor in Anthropology and Sociology & Pictet Chair in Finance and Development; Faculty Affiliate, Centre for Finance and Development and Gender Centre
Lilach Zacharia-Trabelsi, Managing Director, TBH Global Family Office SA
Nathan Sussman, Full Professor, International Economics & Pictet Chair in Finance and Development; Co-Director, MAS in Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing and Development; Director, Centre for Finance and Development
Thierry Buchs, Senior Policy Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Ugo Panizza, Full Professor, International Economics & Pictet Chair in Finance and Development; Director, International Centre for Monetary and Banking Studies; Deputy Director, Centre for Finance and Development; Faculty Associate, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy
The Villars Summit offers a unique opportunity for our students to engage with conservation leaders, investors, C-suite executives and philanthropists in the middle of a stunning Alpine landscape.
Throughout their studies, MAS students are invited to take part in leading sustainability events, such as the Villars Institute Summit and the Building Bridges.
Villars Institute Summit is an invitation-only gathering of around 300 conservation leaders, chief sustainability officers, investors, entrepreneurs and philanthropists working on the climate and biodiversity crises.
Participants have included climate scientist Johan Rockström, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Roche Vice-Chairman André Hoffmann, IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar, and senior figures from the financial sector such as Patrick Odier of Lombard Odier and Marisa Drew of Standard Chartered.
Attending the Summit gives students direct access to these discussions and the chance to connect with professionals from across finance, business and conservation.
Building Bridges is a joint initiative, launched in 2019 by Swiss public authorities, the finance community, the United Nations and other International partners, to accelerate the transition to a global economic model aligned with the SDGs.
Download the Building Bridges Reports written by the Centre for Finance and Development
Full Report 2024 Full Report 2023 Full Report 2022
Learn more about Sustainable Finance
And watch the Building Bridges 2024 Event Recap
Join us for this transformative journey!
Apply now
Early Bird Round
Regular Round
Duration: ONE YEAR, two semesters, from September 6th, 2027 to September 30th, 2028.
AUTUMN SEMESTER 2027-2028 (TBC)
SPRING SEMESTER 2027-2028
HOUSING IN GENEVA
The Geneva Graduate Institute offers several housing options in our own student residences.
HOUSING APPLICATION for newly admitted students (2027-2028) opens on March 22nd, 2027 at 11AM TBC (Geneva time) with exclusive priority until April 18th, 2027 midnight TBC (Geneva time). Since rooms are provided on a first come first served basis and are in very high demand, we encourage students to apply as soon as possible (see below for more information on housing
The capstone project is a defining part of the programme.
Each year, students travel to an emerging economy and meet the institutions shaping sustainable finance there. Past visits have included the IFC, the EBRD and the World Bank.
The field trip sets up the capstone. Working with our partner organisations in the host country, students take on a real sustainable finance challenge: they research the problem, design a solution and test its feasibility.
For students early in their careers or moving into sustainable finance from another field, the capstone offers rare hands-on experience with real institutions and real transactions, and work they can point to with future employers.
Watch our students on their field trips to Serbia and Georgia to see what learning in the field really looks like.
The cost of the field trip is fully included in the programme fee.
Visiting the landfill site in Kosovo that we had been working on during our mission showed me the real scale of the problems that innovative finance can solve. It was definitely the high point of the programme for me.
A warm welcome to the students starting the MAS in Sustainable Finance, Impact Investing and Development in September 2026!
We look forward to welcoming you to beautiful Maison de la paix!
Find out more about the 2026-2027 programme on the official MAS Admitted Students Portal
Completing this one-year programme makes you a full member of the Geneva Graduate Institute's alumni community, more than 25,000 strong across over 100 countries. The Institute's surveys of its graduates since 2008 show that more than 85% secured an academic or professional position within 6 months. The public sector is the most common first destination, alongside a strong presence in not-for-profit, private and academic roles.
Our graduates now work at companies as Symbiotics, B Lab Switzerland, M&G Investments, Swiss Life, Green Eco-Land, Clarmondial and others.
