ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Leadership Microcredential: Online distance learning
Duration: 6 weeks
Credits: 10 Academic Credits (PG)
Delivery: All course content is delivered on Moodle, our virtual learning platform. You will converse with the tutors and fellow students in online forums.
Timetable: Fully online and flexible, with no scheduled classes to attend.
Funding: £599 per place (See Fees & Funding section below)
College: College of Social Sciences
School: Adam Smith Business School
Course start date: Monday 20th October 2025
This course aims to introduce recent graduates and early career professionals in the financial services and financial technology sectors to the areas of ESG policy and compliance, data and analysis requirements, and organisational and strategic opportunities. By focussing on ESG leadership, the course aims to equip learners with the practical knowledge, skills and capabilities to evaluate the strategic positioning of their organisation and to develop an ESG plan for their organisation.
Why this course
This course takes a practical-application approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration into organizational practice. It introduces regulatory compliance, supply chain auditing, ESG data and analytics, and leadership and innovation practices as they relate to financial services, FinTechs, and among the relevant business ecosystems that Financial Services and FinTechs serve and support.
A key feature is in combining regulatory and compliance perspectives, which typically have annual reporting cycles, with the longer-term perspectives on value, strategic development, and leadership of organisations. In supporting professional education, learners will develop and ESG plan for their organisation and consider how this plan can be implemented and reviewed.
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Evaluate an organisation's ESG products and policies from perspectives within the organization and among investors and stakeholders
- Develop a comprehensive ESG plan for an organization in an industry of participant's choosing, with a particular focus on practical integration, strategy and leadership.
Course structure
The course will cover the following subjects:
- Module 1: Introducing ESG Principles and Practices
- Module 2: Organisational Development
- Module 3: Risk and Compliance
- Module 4: Procurement and Supply Chain
- Module 5: Analytics and Investment
- Module 6: From ESG Foundations to Strategic Leadership
- Assessment submissions date: 15 December 2025
Course alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours
to run all courses as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw
or alter a course. For more information, please see: Student contract.
Career prospects
This course is designed to prepare you for emerging careers in sustainability while enhancing your leadership capabilities to drive ESG transformation.
You’ll develop the strategic insight and practical tools needed to embed ESG into core business decision-making, positioning it not just as a compliance requirement, but as a source of long-term competitive advantage.
Fees & funding
Course fee: £599 per place.
A limited number of discounted places (typically offering 20% reduction in fees) are available for this course. These include (but are not necessarily limited to) discounts for alumni, group bookings, and former UofG SFC Upskilling learners. Discounted places are awarded to eligible applicants on a first come, first served basis. For any discount-related enquiries, please contact Keir.Elder@glasgow.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
It is suggested that learners on this course are educated to at least Undergraduate level and have an IELTS equivalent of 6.5. Learners will not be asked to prove their academic or professional history.
