The 13 finance categories
The curriculum covers the full range of modern finance, from how markets work to how AI is changing the industry:
- Markets
- Ethics
- ESG & Impact
- Equity
- Fixed Income
- Derivatives
- Macroeconomics
- Quant & Data
- Portfolio & Wealth
- Trading
- Risk & Behavior
- FinTech & AI
- Fundamental Analysis
Each category contains classes at different levels, so a learner can start with the basics and progress to advanced, specialist topics in the same area.
How the layers work
The curriculum map organises every class into four layers:
- Preparation classes build or refresh the foundations, such as an introduction to financial markets.
- Core classes cover the essential knowledge every finance professional needs.
- Specialization classes go deep into one field, such as portfolio management, algorithmic trading or AI-powered analysis.
- Elective classes let learners broaden their skills in areas that match their goals.
This layered design means a beginner and an experienced analyst can use the same platform. Each simply starts at a different layer.
Built for real finance careers
The map was designed by working backwards from real roles in banks, investment firms, funds and fintech companies. For each role, the academic team asked what a professional needs to know on their first day, and what they need to master to progress.
The answers shaped the classes, and the classes shaped the pathways that will later become Capital Academy's professional certifications.
What comes next
With the map complete, production moves to full scale across all 13 categories. Explore the Capital Academy class catalogue as classes are released.