STA Qualifications

Join this Live Online STA Level-II Course through LGCA.

The CISI accredited Diploma Part 2 Course is aimed at those who already know the basics of technical analysis and who wish to acquire in-depth knowledge. It is taught by market professionals, authors and Fellows of the STA and also prepares students for the Diploma Part 2 examination, an internationally recognised qualification, which is equivalent to the International Federation of Technical Analysts’ (IFTA) CFTe II accreditation.

The course starts in January of each year and consists of 12 Wednesday evening lectures (from 6.30-8.00pm) spread over 12 weeks. Traditionally held at the London School of Economics, given there hasn’t been much improvement on the Coronavirus situation and that many employees are not yet in their office full time – this Autumn’s STA Diploma Part 2 Course will be held online instead of central London. The lectures will be fully interactive with students being able to ask questions as they would in a classroom. Any students unable to watch live will be able to catch up with a recording post event and email the STA office if any questions. They may also post questions on the STA Student Forum which will be answered by course lecturers. Provision has been made for candidates to sit the exam(s) in their own personal space, using Zoom invigilation.

The cost of this course is £1,995 if booked before 31 December 2020 (early bird rate); £2,995 thereafter. The price includes twelve lectures, a printed exam preparation booklet and video and the Diploma Part 2 examination.

Dates for the 2021 course as follows: Lecture 1 (Weds 13 Jan); Lecture 2 (Weds 20 Jan); Lecture 3 (Weds 27 Jan); Lecture 4 (Weds 3 Feb); Lecture 5 (Weds 10 Feb); Lecture 6 (Weds 17 Feb); Lecture 7 (Weds 24 Feb); Lecture 8 (Weds 3 March); Lecture 9 (Weds 10 March); Lecture 10 (Weds 17 March); Lecture 11 (Weds 24 March); Lecture 12 (Weds 31 March).  The Diploma Part 2 Exam will take place on Thursday 22 April (daytime).

Note: Students who enter straight onto this course without having already passed the Part 1 examination should be aware that they will need to sit for this exam as well as the Part 2 exam before they can be awarded the STA Diploma.

To take the course you must be a member of the STA. The cost for 12 months membership for an Associate Member is £70.00.

Candidates, having successfully passed both examinations, will be awarded the STA Diploma in Technical Analysis and become Full Members of the STA. The STA Diploma is an internationally recognised qualification, which is equivalent to the International Federation of Technical Analysts’ (IFTA) CFTe II accreditation. The IFTA CFTe II certificate can also be obtained on payment of relevant dues.

Diploma Part 1 examination dates are in March, July and December and Diploma Part 2 examinations in October and April of each year.

– Fund managers

– Portfolio managers

– Market analysts 

– Traders

– Brokers

– Dealers 

– Other investment professionals

– Private investors

– Account Managers 

– Students 

– Graduates 

– Academics

The aim of the STA Diploma Part 2 Course and examination is to confirm that a candidate possesses the professional knowledge, understanding and skills to pursue a career in technical analysis within the investment community. In particular, at the end of their training period qualified technicians are expected to have a good understanding of, and practical experience in, the major techniques taught on the course, together with a wide range of timing and analytical tools and indicators to enable them to select the most advantageous portfolios, trades, hedges etc. for their clients, their employers or their own trading systems. 

The syllabus is therefore designed primarily to ensure that students will gain the necessary skills to pursue their careers to a more advanced level in a professional manner, and also to provide investors with the knowledge and confidence in technical analysis that will enable them to make better informed trading decisions.

In order to gain the MSTA designation (Member of the Society of Technical Analysts) students will need to pass the STA Diploma Part 1 and Part 2 examinations and be a current member of the STA. 

The STA Diploma Part 1 Examination is a two hour, 120 question, multiple choice examination and the STA Diploma Part 2 Examination is a three hour paper based examination.

Week 1:
The practical application of support, resistance and price objectives by market professionals – how they build on the essential basics of trend and pattern analysis and add advanced techniques such as Fibonacci targets.

Week 2:
Construction and applications of candle charts, candle patterns. Trading exercises.

Week 3:
How market professionals use the core theories: Dow, Elliott Wave and time cycles.

Week 4:
The professionals’ approach to using moving averages – simple, weighted, exponential, adaptive, centred. Moving average bands, including Bollinger Bands. Trading exercises.

Week 5:
Technical strategy – how market technicians work in different time frames, what chart scales they use, and how/where they place stop losses.

Week 6:
Construction and application of momentum indicators and oscillators – including ADX, CCI, Coppock, MACD, Parabolics, ROC, RSI, Stochastics.

Week 7:
The market technician’s use of relative strength charts, market breadth and sentiment measures.

Week 8:
Advanced applications of Point and Fgure charts, including Point and Figure moving averages and indicators.

Week 9:
How market technicians apply Gann Theory.

Week 10:
Ichimoku charts explained – their construction and interpretation, and their use in different time frames.

Week 11:
Market Profile™ – principle, construction, and the auction process. How this statistically based technique reveals the structure of the market, and how traders benefit from its use.

Week 12:
Behavioural Finance – history, the brain and money, prospect theory, mental accounting and other biases. Behavioural Finance and you, the markets and investment professionals.

Risk and money management; using technical analysis to control trading risk; technical trading systems.

“I found the course to be invaluable, providing tools, techniques and strategies in Technical Analysis that I am now able to apply as a private investor.”
Andrew Duck, student on the Diploma Part 2 Course 2018

“I found the course very informative. All the classes were interesting and I felt had good content.”
Paul Riddle, INTL FCStone, student on the Diploma Part 2 Course 2018

“Good balance of theory and practice with very useful insights from market practitioners.”
Jun Anthony Garcia, Credit Suisse, student on the Diploma Part 2 Course 2018

“Learnt ever so much. Would recommend this course to anyone, even if they are not in the financial industry as yet. Gives a great and detailed insight in to the world of technical analysis.”
Colin Jones, student on the Diploma Part 2 Course 2017

“The course has been the perfect balance of content. I feel I have solidified my knowledge on the general topics but it also exposed me to a vast array of not so general topics.”
Matt Craig, student on the Diploma Part 2 Course 2017

“Rewarding and worthwhile experience that gives you exposure to a range of experts in their field explaining their indicators and how they might best be used.”
Marco Meola, UBS, student on Diploma Part 2 Course 2016

“Generally a very good learning experience for me, after 13 years in futures trading I still came away from every lecture having learnt something new. Would thoroughly recommend it to any professional in the financial industry.”
Richard Lewis, Tradition, student on Diploma Part 2 Course 2016

“Fantastic course, great speakers.”
Pavandeep Punny, Triland, student on Diploma Part 2 Course 2016