Career prospects
You may envision working at a traditional finance-focused organisation that aims to make better financial and investment decisions by considering sustainability. Or you may aspire to work for an investment firm that explicitly aims to use investments to generate societal benefits as well as financial benefits. The Sustainable Finance and Investment programme equips you with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in these areas of finance.
Students who complete the programme can pursue a career as, for example:
- (junior) portfolio manager of (sustainable) investments at a financial institution (e.g. pension funds or asset managers such as APG, Blackrock and Robeco);
- (junior) investment manager for impact-driven financial institutions (e.g. Triodos, ASN and FMO);
- financial or sustainability/ESG analysts for an investment research provider (e.g. MSCI ESG Research);
- engagement specialist at shareholder engagement service providers (e.g. Federated Hermes and BMO); and
- consultant in the sustainability departments of corporate and investment consulting firms (e.g. Deloitte and KPMG).
The Finance Section of Utrecht University School of Economics maintains close connections with the financial industry, companies and regulators, so you can interact with relevant practitioners in the field. In many courses, experienced practitioners conduct guest lectures sharing their real-world views on the theory and practice of sustainable finance and investing. These guest lectures, as well as the opportunity for Master’s theses research internships, visits to financial institutions and career events, will help you to connect with a network of professionals for career opportunities.
The programme aims to facilitate the connection between the student and the job market, in particular through:
- guest lectures from experts in the field;
- inviting alumni to take part in various activities on campus, including informative presentations about their current employer and working environment, and/or social and networking events such as the annual career event;
- career events organised by students in cooperation with the student association;
- business challenges brought in by established companies in various tutorial elements of the programme;
- workshops aimed at developing your professional skills; and
- the option to focus your thesis on research questions proposed by established organisations.
UU Career Services
UU Career Services offers training related to career orientation and job application skills; examples include writing an application letter and CV and conducting a job interview. You can find more information about career services on UU Career Services for Dutch students or UU Career Services for international students. Furthermore, the alumni network supports graduates with workshops and meet-ups after graduation to expand networks and skills.
UU Careers Day
Once a year, Utrecht University organises a Careers Day. The Careers Day event offers the opportunity to sign up for workshops and group training sessions, and to meet recruiters at the careers fair. It is also possible to take part in a job application training session or have your resume reviewed.