Suffolk’s Graduate Certificate in Investments (GCI) is recognized by the CFA Institute and closely tied to professional practice. The program covers the key principles of asset management, security valuations, capital markets, portfolio management, and securities issuance.

As a part-time student, you can complete this graduate certificate program in as few as nine months. This certificate can also be completed full time in as few as four months.If you apply to the MSF or MSFSB within a year of completing this certificate, and had a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA, you won’t need to take the GRE or GMAT to enroll in the master's program.

Paying for Graduate School

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester: March 15 (priority), then rolling
Spring Semester: October 15 (priority), then rolling
Summer Semester: April 1 (priority), then rolling
Learn about the advantages of priority applications.

Application Materials

• Completed online application
• $50 application fee
• Resume
• Goal statement (essay)
• Letter of recommendation (Learn more)
• Official TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE-Academic scores (international students only)

Note: Students must have passed a university-level statistics course in the past five years or have equivalent industry experience.

Waiver/Transfer Policy

Graduate certificate courses, if waived, will need to be substituted with an approved elective. To substitute with an approved elective for a required course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the five years prior to matriculation ("B" or better") and provide official transcripts (with English translation, if applicable).

Candidates who apply within one year of completing their graduate certificate will have applicable courses applied to a Sawyer Business School (SBS) graduate degree program, in the same discipline as the certificate, as long as the grade of "B" or better was earned in that course.

Candidates who apply beyond one year or from a certificate program outside their discipline will have coursework evaluated on a case by case basis for relevancy, current degree requirements, and current Sawyer Business School waiver and transfer policies.

Transfer credits from the graduate certificate must have an earned grade of "B" or better and have been taken within five years prior to entering an SBS graduate degree program. However, at the discretion of the program director, some courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion.

Gainful Employment Disclosures

View the Federally Mandated Gainful Employment Disclosure for the Graduate Certificate in Investments.