Columbia University Launches First-of-Its-Kind Climate Finance Master’s Program

Columbia University’s Columbia Climate School announced the launch of a new master’s degree program in climate finance, the first of its kind in the U.S., designed to train professionals to address the challenges and opportunities of climate change and the global energy transition.

The program will be offered in collaboration with Columbia Business School, providing an interdisciplinary degree that integrates financial and scientific knowledge to develop solutions to the climate crisis. The initiative comes amid growing global demand for sustainability-related skills as companies and governments implement climate commitments and navigate increasing sustainability reporting and regulatory compliance requirements.

According to Columbia Climate School, the program aims to meet a growing need among public and private financial institutions, multilateral organizations, and the public sector to assess climate-related risks and opportunities and to identify pathways for mobilizing critical finance. Alexis Abramson, Dean of the Columbia Climate School, emphasized the urgency of the program, stating, “The world needs problem-solvers to address the global climate crisis. Everyone at the Climate School is committed to developing solutions, and bringing together fields like climate and finance as a multidisciplinary approach is pivotal, as we need all hands on deck to respond to this urgent global challenge.”

The one-year program, set to welcome its first cohort this fall, will combine courses on climate science, adaptation and mitigation strategies, international climate finance, capital markets, and energy and infrastructure financing. Costis Maglaras, Dean of Columbia Business School, underscored the significance of the initiative, noting, “Climate change is going to impact every sector and all aspects of our lives. Only by combining ideas from climate science and finance can we address these challenges.”

Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and Associate Professor at the Climate School, will serve as the Director of the new Climate Finance Program. She highlighted the growing demand for climate finance expertise, stating, “There is a real demand in business and finance for practitioners who understand climate variability, climate risk, the difference between mitigation and adaptation, and emerging investment opportunities. And there is a global demand for graduates who understand the challenges of climate finance and have the expertise to close the financing gaps.”