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Personal Financial Planning
A Personal Financial Planning degree gives you the skills to help individuals and families navigate their financial futures. From wealth management and insurance to personal banking, you’ll learn how to balance risk and return while guiding others toward their financial goals. This major also aligns with Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification, helping you take the next step in your career.
To expand your expertise, consider courses in Social Media Marketing or Professional Sales to enhance your client communication skills. While students cannot double major in corporate and personal financial planning, this program fully equips you with the knowledge to succeed in a rewarding, in-demand field.
Experiential Learning
- Prepare for the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) exam
- Networking and professional development through the Financial Management Association
- Use Refinitiv/Eikon Datastream© which is the world’s most comprehensive financial time series database
- Opportunity to participate in a Student-Managed Investment Fund, an investment portfolio managed by students
- Mentoring relationships with faculty who are financial professionals and active researchers
Program Details
Finance Core – 19 hrs.
- FIN 200: Introduction to Finance (3 hrs.)
- ATG 201: Accounting Processes (1 hr.)
- ATG 301: Intermediate Accounting (3 hrs.)
- FIN 322: Business Finance (3 hrs.)
- FIN 325: Investment Analysis (3 hrs.)
- FIN 328: Financial Institutions and Markets (3 hrs.)
- FIN 422: Financial Analysis (3 hrs.)
Personal Financial Planning Courses -15 hrs.
- FIN 220: Personal Finance (3 hrs.)
- FIN 330: Financial Services Marketing (3 hrs.)
- FIN 331: Personal Investing (3 hrs.)
- ATG 479: Personal Tax and Estate Planning (3 hrs.)
- FIN 495: Personal Finance Capstone (3 hrs.)
Additional requirements – 7 hrs.
- MTH 115: Brief Calculus with Applications I (4 hrs.)
- QM 263: Quantitative Analysis II (3 hrs.)
Career Opportunities
The Personal Financial Planning major is just that – personal. It prepares students for careers in serving others through financial advisory services. Graduates have found jobs with Morgan Stanley, Equitable Advisors, Merrill Lynch, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), HSBC Bank USA, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, Edward Jones and Ernst and Young.
Minors
The decision analysis minor, which is open to all students, gives you a basic understanding of the mathematical and measurement tools valuable to making sound decisions in whatever career you choose. You take courses in quantitative analysis, then you can customize the minor to your career interests.
Finance minors obtain a fundamental understanding of making informed decisions about money. The minor is open to all students, and it enhances your financial decision-making skills as you pursue your chosen major. It shows you the importance of monetary and financial factors in business functions. The minor is often paired with business majors.