Professional Learning Program
Cultivate your curiosity and advance in your career with professional learning (PL).
A commitment to keeping your skills sharp
Succeed in highly competitive and ever-evolving markets by committing to advancing your knowledge, skills, and abilities in pursuit of your professional goals. Participate in the Professional Learning program to improve your technical expertise, build on your foundations, and stay current on industry changes.
We encourage CFA® charterholders and members to earn at least 20 PL credits (including two credits in the areas of Standards, Ethics, and Regulations) throughout the membership year, whether you are using CFA Institute materials or resources from elsewhere.
Activities that qualify for PL credit
Participate in qualifying PL activities designed to contribute to your knowledge as an investment professional and lifelong learner. To earn your recommended 20 credits, including two Standards, Ethics, and Regulations (SER) credits each year, choose activities that:
- are educational in nature,
- relate to learning topics derived from the Global Body of Investment Knowledge (GBIK®), or
- are geared toward increasing your knowledge, skills, and abilities as an investment professional.
In addition to the opportunities offered through CFA Institute and local societies, a range of activities may qualify:
Self-study
Take a self-directed approach by choosing content relevant to your job, selecting the formats you prefer, and setting your own pace.
Employer based
Claim PL credit for any in-house or eligible on-the-job training you receive through your employer.
Third-party offerings
Live events, university courses, webinars, technical readings, and more opportunities outside of those delivered by CFA Institute or local societies may be eligible for PL credit.
Access the PL Guidebook
Get an overview of PL and find additional information about how to earn and calculate credit, determine eligible activities, and document your participation.
Awarding your dedication
We applaud the hard work of our members who pursue lifelong learning. When you renew, we will ask you whether you can attest to earning the recommended 20 PL credits, including 2 SER credits, for the membership year. In recognition of your commitment to continuing professional development, we offer our members the following...
Participation certificate
All members who participate in the PL Program can request a printable electronic certificate of achievement.
Digital badges
Members who have attested to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 consecutive years of PL receive a digital badge from Accredible, our digital badge provider, to share on their websites or social media accounts.
Milestone certificates
After claiming their digital badges, members who have attested to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 consecutive years of continuing professional development can claim a digital certificate. A printed certificate can also be requested for milestones of 20 years or more.
CIPM mandatory professional learning
As a CIPM® designation holder, you are required to complete a minimum of 15 PL credits annually to maintain your designation.
-
Earn and record a minimum of 15 PL credits
Complete 15 credit hours of qualifying activities following the year in which you earned or renewed your CIPM designation, and record your progress.
-
Attest to completing the requirements
When you renew your membership, you will be prompted to attest to your completion of the minimum annual required PL credits.
-
Maintain your documentation
Keep documentation of your activities for one year following the year you completed the activities in case of compliance review.
Access the CIPM MPL Guidebook
Get an overview of the CIPM Mandatory Professional Learning program and find additional information about how to earn and calculate credit, determine eligible activities, and document your participation.
Frequently asked questions
Customize your professional learning by choosing activities that are relevant to the challenges you face in the industry and within your role. Browse our professional learning resources to find opportunities that align to your professional interests and specialties.
When you renew your membership, attest to your participation in the Professional Learning Program.
Some specific examples of activities that qualify for PL credits include:
- Live events (e.g., conferences, seminars, forums, lectures): Duration of program minus breaks (networking breaks, lunch, etc.)
- Internet-based courses, webinars, and podcasts: Actual educational time dedicated to the activity
- Level I, II, or III of the CFA® Program exams: 40 PL credits, including 2 SER credits, for each exam level passed
- CIPM® Level I or Level II exam: 20 PL credits for each exam passed
- Certificate in ESG Investing: 20 PL credits, including two SER credits, for earning the certificate
- Climate Risk, Valuation and Investing Certificate: 20 PL credits for earning the certificate
- Data Science for Investment Professionals Certificate: 20 PL credits for earning the certificate
- Private Equity Certificate: 20 PL credits for earning the certificate
- Readings (e.g., journal articles, textbooks): Use the recommended reading calculations below (CFA Institute publications include recommended credit hours)
- One PL credit is equal to one hour of educational activity
- Credit may also be earned in quarter-hour increments (rounded to the nearest quarter hour)
- The minimum credit amount that can be assigned to any activity is 0.25
- If applicable, SER credit is a subset (either in part or whole) of the total credit earned
- For such activities as readings and reviewing content, calculate credit hours earned using one of the following methods:
- Clock time: Allocate the actual time you spent engaged in the educational activity
- Generalist readings: Allocate 2 minutes per page
- Specialized/highly technical readings: Allocate 4 minutes per pager
- Use the one-click button on eligible content on our website
No single self-study activity may earn more than 20 credit hours (e.g., reading a single textbook should qualify for no more than 20 credits).
Use the one-click functionality available on our website to add credit directly from PL-eligible content to your PL Tracker (this functionality requires members to be logged in). You can also use your PL Tracker to add credits for other PL-eligible activities you've completed.
We automatically enter PL credits after you have completed the following prequalified activities:
Events
- Attending select CFA Institute conferences
- Attending certain prequalified programs or events offered through local societies and select organizations
Volunteer
- Participating in certain CFA Institute committees or other eligible volunteer opportunities
You will receive an email notification each time your online record has been updated. Note: not every activity in these three categories will automatically record your credits.
Content that helps you stay current in the areas of ethics, professional conduct, standards, laws, and regulations relevant to an investment professional may be eligible for SER.
All relevant CFA Institute content that is eligible for SER credit will be clearly marked and can be claimed with the one-click functionality on our website (requires members to be logged in).
Some examples of SER topics include:
Applicable Laws and Regulations
- Governmental institutions, rules, and regulations
- US SEC and equivalent bodies around the world
- Rules and procedures regarding corporate transactions and insider trading
- Regulation of exchanges
- Establishment of company financial reporting standards
- Fiduciary standards
- Self-regulation
- Best practices and regulatory issues
Professional Standards of Practice
- CFA Institute Code of Ethics
- CFA Institute Standards of Professional Conduct
- Disciplinary sanctions for violations
- Best practices and regulatory issues
Ethical Practices and Guidelines
- Investment management
- Investment analysis
- Investment trustees
- Capital markets and regulations
- Corporate governance
- Soft dollar standards
- Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®)
- Fiduciary duty
- Insider trading
- Personal investing
- Research objectivity standards
- Trade management guidelines
- Analyst/corporate relations guidelines
- Best practices and regulatory issues
When you renew your CFA Institute membership, you can indicate your participation by attesting to completing at least 20 hours of PL, including two SER, for the membership year. Your annual attestation makes you eligible to receive recognition from CFA Institute for completing PL.
After you have earned more than 20 PL credits, including two SER credits, you can carry over up to 20 additional PL and two additional SER credits. You can manage this using the PL Tracker.
Use the PL Tracker to create and export reports, or email us at membership@cfainstitute.org to request a printable certificate.
As a CIPM designation holder, you may be subject to a compliance review of your PL activities. Learn more about our compliance review policy in our MPL guidebook
Professional learning resources
Explore our collection of educational resources designed to help you stay competitive in the investment management industry.