This post was originally published on September 8, 2021 and has been updated for relevancy on September 9, 2024.
With the growing popularity of online courses and digital learning experiences, there has never been a better time for people interested in finance to upskill. Whether you’re an experienced finance professional, a recent grad, or a novice considering a career in investment banking, you can almost certainly find a course that fits your requirements and preferences.
Free Investment Banking Courses and Certifications
1. Advanced Valuation and Strategy - M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital
Offered by: Erasmus University, Rotterdam via Coursera
Format: Online
Duration: 16 hours (5+ hours a week for 3 weeks)
Who It's For Grad students in finance, business, economics, and related fields, as well as corporate finance executives with real-world experience. This course is well-suited to private equity investors, CFOs, CEOs, venture capitalists, and investment banking analysts.
Course Review: Erasmus University is one of Europe’s finest institutes of higher learning, with a speciality in finance and economics. This course is available at three difficulty levels (Executive Summary, Student Level, and Honors Level), allowing learners to “choose their own adventure” based on their degree of prior knowledge/experience. The course offers an excellent primer into the theoretical and practical aspects of investment banking and includes a series of quantitatively challenging quizzes at each level to ensure students have grasped the key concepts.
2. Private Equity and Venture Capital
Offered by: Bocconi University via Coursera
Format: Online
Duration: 8 hours ( about 2 hours per week across 3 weeks)
Who it’s for: Individuals interested in private equity and venture capital with prior knowledge of corporate finance, accounting principles, and business administration. No experience/knowledge of private equity is required.
Course Review: This course covers four major topics: an introduction to private equity and venture capital, legal and tax issues in private equity, how private equity and venture capital funds are managed, and finally, company valuation and deal-making. The course concludes with a test, the successful completion of which leads to a certificate. While not an official qualification, it is endorsed by one of the world’s finest financial schools.
What stands out about this course is the participation of guest speakers and industry experts with hands-on experience in the topic areas. Learners get the chance to actually apply the theories and ideas discussed throughout the lectures. In addition, instructor Stefano Caselli is an engaging and enthusiastic teacher.
3. Wall Street Mojo Free Investment Banking Fundamentals Course
Offered by: Wall Street Mojo
Duration: 30+ hours
Format: Online
Who it’s for: Anyone with an interest in investment banking, especially those early in their finance careers.
Course Review: Don’t be put off by the cheesy name and marketing on display here.
This excellent free course covers all the fundamentals of investment banking, from equity research and asset management to financial markets and statement modeling. Enroll in this course for clear valuation examples, well-structured tasks, relevant case studies, and even handy Excel templates.
4. Essential Career Skills for Investment Banking and Finance
Offered by: NYIF and edX
Duration: 2 weeks for full course
Format: Online
Who it’s for: Aspiring and early-career investment banking and finance professionals, including financial analysts, venture capitalists, and newly-minted executives.
Course Review: While only the first module of this course is free, it offers a quick but thorough overview of what it means to work in investment banking. Students review the skills they’ll need for a career in this prestigious and lucrative field and build an understanding of different professional paths in finance.
5. Beginner Valuation and Investing
Offered by: Khan Academy
Duration: 3 hours
Format: Online
Who it’s for: Absolute beginners when it comes to valuation, stocks, and equity. Students do not need a finance background and may simply be curious about the stock market and their own investments.
Course Review: The first thing to note here is that any valuation course that lasts only three hours is not thorough enough. However, this course does offer a great primer for beginners and can always be complemented by further materials. We recommend following it up with Professor Aswath Damodaran’s NYU lectures on valuations, which are available for free on Youtube.
Paid Investment Banking Courses and Certifications
1. M&A Science Academy
Offered by: M&A Science
Duration: 100+ hours
Format: Fully online
Pricing: $175/month ongoing or $150/month for a yearly subscription.
Who it’s for: Professionals involved in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) process
Course Review: The M&A Science Academy teaches students about the practicalities of working in , and its many courses touch on everything from maximizing the value of a business prior to its sale to negotiating a term sheet to hiring the right risk management team.
Through lessons with industry practitioners, students can learn from real-life examples. The courses also offer excellent networking opportunities and an extensive library of reference materials.
2. Certified Financial Model and Valuation Analyst Certification (FMVA)
Offered by: CFI (Chartered Finance Institute)
Duration: 100+ hours
Format: Fully online
Pricing: $497 for self-study; $847 for full immersion
Who it’s for: Professionals at any level looking to start or grow their career in equity research, investment banking, corporate development, or financial data analysis.
Course Review: The CFI offers an outstanding range of courses related to investment banking, with an emphasis on quantitative skills like financial modeling and data science. Students who complete this rigorous certification program stand out to hiring managers and other industry professionals. The course contains 29 modules that learners can access for two years, exploring various specialist areas (e.g. M&A or private equity) with accompanying models, videos, and quizzes.
The full immersion option also includes access to Pitchbook and Capital IQ, giving the course solid grounding on the most current equity and finance information.
3. International Mergers and Acquisitions Expert
Offered by: Institute of Mergers and Acquisitions (IMAA)
Duration: 30 hours (in-person) or 60 hours (fully online)
Format: Online and in-person
Pricing: $3,290 (online); $5,490 (in-person)
Who it’s for: Middle managers, senior executives, members of the C-suite, board leaders and heads of strategy, as well as investment bankers, equity investors, and transactional lawyers. Participants must hold either an academic degree or a professional designation.
Course Review: Like the CFI, the IMAA has a growing reputation as a breeding ground for successful investment bankers. Drawbacks include the cost and the fact that participants are required to have an academic degree. As a result, these courses tend to be filled by students from finance-related backgrounds who want to move onto an investment banking path. While the course is strong and the certification is internationally recognized, it may not be worth the large expense.
4. Investment Banking Certification: Online
Offered by: New York Institute of Finance (NYIF)
Duration: 30 hours (in-person) or 60 hours (fully online)
Format: Online
Cost: $990
Who it’s for: Graduate students, recent grads, and financial professionals.
Course Review: The NYIF certification program has been very well designed by people who know what investment banking is all about! Participants begin their study with video modules in four foundation courses (finance for managers, financial statement analysis, quantitative methods and techniques, and free cash flow modeling) before moving into specializations like M&A, fund management, valuations, and capital markets. This fantastic course also comes with frequent networking opportunities with NYIF alumni.
5. Alternative Investments
Offered by: Harvard University
Duration: 5 weeks
Format: Online
Cost: $1,850
Who it’s for: Early-career and aspiring finance professionals.
Course Review: The word most often used by alumni of this course is “intense.” The material is very challenging and aimed at people who already have an undergraduate or postgraduate in finance. For those who complete it, however, the program provides valuable, actionable takeaways that can further their careers.
What to look for in an investment banking course, training, or certification
To decide which investment banking course or program you’d like to pursue, consider your desired career path and personal interests. Are you looking to get hired at a top investment bank, hedge fund, or wealth management firm, or are you considering a career at a fintech startup? Is there a particular niche you’d like to explore, such as derivatives, fixed income investments, portfolio management, equity research, or financial modeling? Do you want to obtain a certification or simply advance your knowledge or skill set?
Other considerations include cost, time commitment, instructor style, online vs. in-person, and additional benefits, like networking opportunities and access to reference materials, and mentor programs.
How we selected the investment banking courses on our list
We chose the above investment banking courses based on several factors, including pricing, duration, topics covered, quality of curriculum, and instructor experience and expertise. If there’s another course you think we should include, please let us know. We wish you luck in your ongoing investment banking education.
