When thinking about the future of the planning profession, it's useful to consider the past of another one: dentistry. A century ago, people went to the barber to have their teeth pulled. Thankfully, in the intervening years, an entire profession supported by academic research has emerged to keep people's teeth healthy.
As it turns out, dental health is intimately connected with overall health. The same concept holds true with personal finances. With only a couple of hundred thousand planners to help the many millions of Americans who need them, there simply isn't enough expertise to go around - at least not for this generation.
Leaders in the planning profession are working to ensure that financial care keeps pace with professions like dental care for the next generation. Doing so requires the development of a rich and varied academic support system that will educate future planners and inform them with in-depth research. "The key is to establish a recognized body of knowledge," says Alan Goldfarb, chairman of the CFP Board.
In our latest look at the nation's leading schools for financial planning, we chart this progress with a snapshot of the evolution of colleges, universities and institutions that teach planning to the swelling ranks of practitioners. It's a rapidly evolving space: In the past two years, the number of CFP Board-registered undergraduate degree programs has jumped 20%; including graduate and certificate programs, the total is now 336. In addition, there are another 40 new programs in development, according to the CFP Board.
Of those programs already up and running, 176 are certificate programs offered mainly to mid-career professionals; 109 are undergraduate baccalaureate programs filled predominantly by college-age students. Another 45 are master's programs and, a decade after Texas Tech registered the first Ph.D. program with the board, there are now six doctoral programs. Many bachelor's and master's degree programs are taught online or partially online, enabling institutions to reach increasing numbers of students.
"We see all of these programs as partners of ours," says Charles Chaffin, the CFP Board's manager of academic programs, whose department reviews the curricula and faculty for each of the programs annually. "We have a vested interest in making sure they are successful."
In choosing the 25 schools - listed alphabetically by degree and certificate programs, degree programs only and certificate programs only - Financial Planning relied on a group of experts, both planners and academics. Our story is not a ranking - it's comprised of many of the schools on students' short lists. It also represents the wide range of ways planners are now learning their trade. Many excellent institutions do not make an appearance - at least not yet.
ACCIDENTAL PLANNER
You can catch a glimpse into the industry's evolution in the story of one recent graduate: Amanda Lott, who received her bachelor's degree in planning from Texas Tech in 2008. Four years earlier, she followed a boyfriend to the university, majoring at first in mathematics before switching to psychology. However, neither concentration felt quite right to her. She wondered how to bridge her love of numbers and analysis with her desire to help others.
Despite the fact that Texas Tech runs one of the best-known planning programs in the country - and certainly one of the best-funded - Lott knew nothing about it. Moreover, she had never even heard of the profession. She's hardly alone.
Awareness of financial planning as a career track, especially in academia, remains so low that many students transfer into it only after entering college. That's the route Lott followed. As she paged through her university's catalogue of majors and course offerings over a Christmas break, she stumbled upon a new career.
"I was just thinking how lucky I got," Lott says. "I followed a boy to Tech. I'm thankful for my teenage heart that I ended up there and that I found my new love, financial planning. I got very lucky that I happened to be in one of the greatest environments to learn about this industry."
Texas Tech is working to remedy that visibility problem; this fall, the program became only the second financial planning program in the country to be elevated to departmental status.
Meanwhile, Lott already has been promoted from the rank of analyst to financial advisor at RegentAtlantic in Morristown, N.J. Her firm has a clear partnership track that will offer her an equity stake if she continues to perform. It's a route that, at the age of 25, she says she wants to follow.
"For me, there's no need to re-create the wheel and start my own practice," Lott says. "If I can find a firm that shares my own values, I would like to be a part of that for the long term."
In other words, Lott - who is in the process of earning her master's in taxation from another school on this year's list, Fairleigh Dickinson University - is an exemplary new member of the next generation of planners. And it's worth noting that if she'd gone to Harvard or Stanford or to most other top institutions of higher learning in the country, the profession probably would not have her today.
FOR NEW GRADS, TOUGH PATH
Lott's story is striking in another way in that she secured a position right after graduating. Despite the strong need for planners nationally, many new graduates who emerge with planning degrees often leave the profession for higher salaried work in banking or selling insurance.
"There's a lot of reasons for that," Goldfarb says. Whether seeking a firm placement or trying to build a client base from scratch, new planners must take initiative to market themselves, something many programs don't equip them to do. "There is a degree of salesmanship, for want of a better word, involved with it."
As a result, more institutions need to teach not only real-life planning skills, Goldfarb and others say, but offer real-world apprenticeships for their students.
In part to address this issue, the CFP Board earlier this year issued a list of 220 learning objectives that it wants every program to teach its students. Northwestern University, for one, decided to revamp all of its certificate courses around the new objectives.
"It's a massive curriculum overhaul," says Peter Kaye, Northwestern's dean of undergraduate and professional programs. "We really do want to have an educational program that reflects the skills that people need to do the job well professionally."
PHILOSOPHICAL DIVIDE
And that points to a related, ongoing debate: Should programs focus on helping students pass the CFP Board's certifying exam, or provide them with a more well-rounded education as planners? The latter approach typically covers more marketing, communication and people skills.
Different programs tend to take different approaches. Many certificate programs are aimed at mid-career professionals and focus primarily on passing that exam, whereas undergraduate degree programs usually take a more holistic teaching approach. Not that this rule holds everywhere. Northwestern, for one, is seeking to bridge this divide in its certificate-only offerings.
In the future, some experts would like to see certificate programs disappear entirely, and be replaced by degree programs - as is standard in the medical and legal fields. But, with so many working professionals in other industries looking to become planners, that day is not likely to come any time soon.
In the meantime, Lott suggests a goal that the entire profession could surely get behind. "When we get to the point where we have people in grade school saying, 'Hey I want to be a financial planner,'that [will mean] our industry has arrived," she says.
DEGREE and CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
American College
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): Undergraduate certificate, master's
Enrollment: 30,000 (mostly online) in all finance courses
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 19 full-time, 10 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: Not avail.
Tuition: $4,645
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: The American College boasts that it's the nation's largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services (although it declined to provide exact enrollment figures). The college also asserts that the number of planners it educates annually is among the highest. As a partner with banks, brokerage firms and insurance companies, it derives much of its student population from these fields. The college also produces educational materials used to teach planners everywhere. As the owner of the ChFC designation, the American College used to promote the designation as the only valid mark for financial planners, although it now promotes the CFP mark as well, according to Alan Goldfarb, chairman of the CFP Board. Two months ago, the college received a $2.5 million grant to establish a new center for ethics as a response to Bernie Madoff's crimes and other financial scandals. Classes are offered in person and online.
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): certificate, MBA
Enrollment: 170 online, 18 in person
Faculty: 4 full-time, 12 expert, 14 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1
Tuition: For MBA, $745 per credit unit (the MBA consists of 48 credit units, for a total cost of $35,760); for certificate, $550 per credit unit (the certificate consists of 24 credit units, for a total cost of $13,200).
FPA student chapter: No
Profile:Cal Lutheran offers the country's largest MBA program (by enrollment) with a financial planning focus. This intensive boutique program tends to attract seasoned professional students. More than 80% enroll in the online option, and many already have CFP designations. "The MBA resonates well with a lot of our students' clients, especially those with closely held businesses," says Harry Starn, the program's associate director. Located down the street from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Cal Lutheran has gained praise from directors of other planning programs nationwide for its rigor and immersive teaching. The program graduated 34 students last year. "We do fill a niche," says the program manager, Cindy Grether, "but I think we are still kind of a big secret out there." Students can transfer credits for up to five courses taken at many University of California campuses, including Berkeley, Davis and Los Angeles.
COLLEGE FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING
Greenwood Village, Colo.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): M.S. financial planning, personal financial planning certificate, CFP certification program
Enrollment: 30,000 in all programs, including 4,200 in the CFP program and 130 in the master's in financial planning program
Faculty: 15 full-time, 20 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: For master's program, 9:1; varies for online courses
Tuition: For M.S. in financial planning, $380 per 1-hour credit; for personal financial planning certificate, $1,140 per 3-hour credit; for CFP certification program, $4,485.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: The for-profit College of Financial Planning, founded in 1972, occupies a historic position in the profession; it was founded at a time when there were no dedicated programs or teaching materials for financial planning. It now claims one of the largest enrollments of students studying for a degree or certificate in financial planning at any one time: 4,330. It offers an array of distance learning, full-time and certificate programs. Since its inception, the college claims to have produced 65,000 CFPs. Its other programs cover a multitude of planning- related subjects, including retirement planning, portfolio analysis and financial analysis. Recently, the college has integrated e-books and tablet-based instruction into its classes. "We want [students] who truly believe in pursuing financial planning as a profession," Jim Pasztor, a working planner who is the school's chairman, has said. The college says 86% of its students who sat for CFP exams in 2011 passed.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kan.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): Undergraduate, master's, Ph.D. and graduate certificate
Enrollment: 40 undergrads, 40 certificate, 40 master's, 33 Ph.D.s.
Faculty: 5 full-time, 5 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
Tuition: For an undergraduate (3-credit) course, $805 for a Kansas resident, $2,015 for out-of-state student; for an M.S. course, $1,455; for a Ph.D. course, $1,530; for a graduate certificate, $1,455 per course or $5,828 up front for the entire program.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Since registering its undergraduate degree program in planning in 1993, Kansas State has added a certificate, a master's degree and a doctorate to the program. The courses cover a variety of subjects, from financial therapy to client communication. The university seeks out instructors who are leaders in the field. "When we look for adjunct professors, we look for those [with] a specific skill," combined with teaching ability, says assistant professor Ann Coulson. "Many adjuncts have experience in the field, but it's another thing to be able to translate that to students." K-State students put themselves on the map this year by winning the 2012 National Collegiate Financial Planning Championship; they have placed in the top three in seven of the last 11 years of the competition, which is sponsored by the CFP Board, Ameriprise and the FPA. "We're proud of our students," Coulson says, "because they work hard and live up to our expectations."
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Columbia, Mo.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person):2 online (M.S. and certificate, through Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance membership); 7 on site (B.S. in human environmental sciences with an emphasis in personal financial planning, M.S. or Ph.D. in personal financial planning, post-baccalaureate certificate; PFP minor with an agricultural economics B.S., PFP minor with a finance B.S. or B.A, and PFP M.S. with a law degree)
Enrollment: 191
Faculty: 3 full-time, 2 non-tenure track, 3 extension, 1 tenure track opening, 3 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 48:1 tenure-track faculty, 33:1 including non- regular faculty
Tuition: For an online course, $485 per graduate credit hour (a certificate requires 18 hours and an M.S. requires 42 hours). For classroom courses, Missouri residents seeking an M.S. pay $269.40 per credit hour with $411.34 in other fees; nonresidents seeking an M.S. pay $470.30 per credit hour with $411.34 in fees; for a resident B.S. (14hours per semester) $9,272; for a nonresident B.S., $22,440.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: The University of Missouri is home to the oldest departmental-level financial planning program in the country, but it took a while to get there. In the 1960s, the program was the Department of Family Economics and Management before becoming the College of Home Economics. In 1987, the name changed to the Department of Consumer and Family Economics and, finally, in 2000, the Personal Financial Planning Department, three years after the program was registered with the CFP Board. "It wasn't that we wanted to be the first one at all, it's just that I got tired of explaining what we do," says the department chairman, Rob Weagley, only half-jokingly. The program offers a certificate track and several degree tracks, including a Ph.D. Larger universities resist elevating financial planning to departmental status, Weagley says, because they focus on "pure" or theoretical finance, which is largely divorced from real-world financial needs. "But at programs like ours," he says, "all we care about is the application. We care about the people."
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
San Diego
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in financial services with a certificate in personal financial planning; M.S. in financial and tax planning, executive financial planning advanced certificate
Enrollment: 115 in bachelor's, 16 in master's, 22 in executive
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 15 for bachelor's and master's programs; 5 for executive
Student-to-faculty ratio: 9:1
Tuition: For a California resident seeking a bachelor's degree, $3,538 per semester; nonresident bachelor's, $9,118 per semester. For a California resident master's, $3,952 to $7,567 per semester (depending on course load); nonresident master's, $6,184 to $12,031 per semester. For an executive certificate, $7,416 for the complete program.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: The oldest, continuously operating financial planning program in the country, San Diego State University's program resides in the finance department of the business school. That placement was a conscious choice by Tom Warschauer, who founded the program in 1980 and still runs it. Programs in some other universities share space in home economics or even communications departments. SDSU's new capstone course - which the CFP Board mandated this year for all its registered programs - covers counseling and communication skills as well as financial planning software. "There are at least a half-dozen areas that are important in our program," Warschauer says. The graduate degrees require rigorous specializations in either wealth management or tax planning, in addition to regular planning courses. The programs were the country's first to be at a school certified by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and all courses are for credit. The school said that 32 students sat for CFP exams in 2011 and that 67% of the bachelor's students passed, along with 80% of the master's students and 60% of the executive students.
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Lubbock, Texas
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 11, ranging from undergraduate to Ph.D., including minors and dual graduate degrees in financial planning and business or law, and one certificate
Enrollment: 100 PFP undergraduate majors, 60 undergraduate minors (studies in personal finance), 90 PFP master's students (including dual-degree law, dual-degree MBA, and dual-degree finance majors), and 33 PFP Ph.D. students
Faculty: 12 full-time, 2 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:3 for the PFP major courses
Tuition: Texas-resident undergraduates (12 hours) $3,760 per semester, out-of-state undergraduates $4,471 per semester, Texas-resident graduate students (12 hours) $4,359 per semester, out-of-state graduate students $8,570 per semester.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: This September, in a historic move, the well-known financial planning program at Texas Tech was elevated to departmental status - alongside finance, physics and philosophy. Texas Tech is just the second college or university to bestow financial planning with this stature, after the University of Missouri. "We had to grow big enough and have enough faculty and enough students to get to departmental status," says Vickie Hampton, the department's chairwoman. Yet even this granddaddy of academic financial planning programs lacks visibility. A large percentage of the planning graduates from Texas Tech every year discovered the major only after they were already on campus, studying other subjects. But the school is pushing to raise awareness of financial planning as a profession. The CFP Board gave the university a $2 million, seven-year grant in 2002 to help it send its graduates out to populate other academic programs, and this migration continues. Texas Tech said 19 undergraduates and 19 graduate students took the CFP exams in 2011; 26% of the undergraduates and 51% of the grad students passed.
WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Wayne, N.J.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in financial planning and an accelerated certificate program
Enrollment: 50 full-time majors, 32 full-time minors; 5 in the certificate program
Faculty: 2 full-time, 9 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 25:1
Tuition: For a New Jersey resident $5,847 per year; for an out-of-state resident $9,547
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Now in its fourth year, William Paterson's full-time undergraduate program enrolls more than 50 full-time students. Among the school's attractions are its proximity to New York City, and the fact that it resides in a business school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Besides the bachelor's degree, the university offers a certificate program for working executives. Another advantage, according to the program's founder, Lukas Dean, is "that we have added professional sales training into [the] curriculum." The school said three of its students took the CFP exams in 2011; two passed.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Waco, Texas
CFP Board-registered programs: Bachelor of business administration financial planning major
Enrollment: 20
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 2
Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
Tuition: $30,600 a year
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: As part of their core curriculum, undergraduates in planning at Baylor help run one of the largest student-managed investment funds in the country. Valued at about $5.2million, it is managed 60% by graduate students in other majors and 40% by undergraduates, says Tom Potts, director of the financial services and planning program. Proceeds from the funds are used to pay for scholarships and other student needs. The exercise is intended to teach investment management principles and techniques. Although the program doesn't enroll many students, Potts says, those students are making their mark: One of two Baylor teams that recently entered a financial planning case competition made it to the national finals. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of FPA honored one of Baylor's first graduates with a financial planning major at a banquet last month in Dallas.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Northridge, Calif.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. in finance with a sequence in personal financial planning and B.S. in business administration with an option in insurance and financial services and a sequence in personal financial planning
Enrollment: 40
Faculty: 4 full-time, 2 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
Tuition: For California residents $2,247, for out-of-state residents $4,479.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: In the spring of last year, California State University at Northridge registered its two undergraduate planning programs with the CFP Board, with the aim of improving financial literacy in and around Los Angeles. The administrators hope its students - many of whom are ethnic minorities and the first generation in their families to attend college - will become planners for underserved populations throughout the region. "We are excited to have received the approval from the CFP Board and believe it will be a major resource for students and the surrounding community," says Monica Hussein, associate director of the school's Center for Financial Planning & Investment.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
Clemson, S.C.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. in financial management with a concentration in financial planning
Enrollment: About 20
Faculty: 5 full-time
Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
Tuition: For South Carolina residents $21,726, for out-of-state residents $38,370.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Clemson's 18-year-old undergraduate degree in planning is back in operation this year after being out of commission for part of 2010 and all of 2011. The economic downturn created a cash crunch that forced the university to suspend the program. But roughly 20 students have enrolled in financial planning classes this year, according to John Alexander, the program director since 1998. "Thank goodness, we now have a commitment at the administrative level to staff these classes," says Alexander, a professor of finance who teaches portfolio management, while also serving as chief investment officer for the university's foundation. The program is rigorous, he says, especially since the advent of the new capstone class, which the CFP Board mandated this year for all of its registered programs. Alexander says Clemson planning graduates are heavily recruited, and often end up working for banks and corporations.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Athens, Ga.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. degree 75 students, master's degree 10 students, Ph.D. 5 students. An online M.S. degree will be offered in 2013.
Faculty: 4 full time, 1 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1 for undergraduate; 3:1 for graduate
Tuition: Undergraduate $9,842 per academic year, full-time; graduate $3,795 per semester, full-time.
FPA student chapter: Student Financial Planning Association
Profile: Registered with the CFP Board just two years ago, UGA offers in-person degree tracks for undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. candidates, and next year plans to launch online masters and certificate programs. Director John Grable says he made the difficult decision last year to leave Kansas State's program for Georgia in part because of the strong administrative support it enjoys. Located in the Housing and Consumer Economics Department, the program teaches students in an intensively interdisciplinary environment that includes pro bono work in the community. Many local couples going through divorces receive free advice from students, not only from the financial planning program, but also from the law school, and finance and accounting departments (for taxes). As a result, Grable says, graduates gain strong technical and interpersonal skills. Last month, UGA students beat out a team from William Paterson University in a retirement knowledge quiz bowl at a national conference. "They blew everyone away," Grable says. "What's really impressive is their interpersonal skills and that ability to go out and meet with people." The school says that 10 undergraduates and 8 graduate students sat for CFP exams in 2011; their pass rates were 80% and 90%, respectively.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Champaign, Ill.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 1 undergraduate
Enrollment: 76
Faculty: 30 full-time (in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1 in the classroom
Tuition: For Illinois residents $5,818 per semester, $12,889 per semester for nonresidents
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's financial planning program, which launched in 2009, is expanding through extensive new faculty hires. Following the introduction of an FPA student chapter this summer, students also can interact with more working planners by attending networking events and on-campus talks by corporations and professionals in the field. "A lot of new students enter the university wanting to do business, but don't want to end up spending their professional careers in a cubicle," says Theresa Miller, an academic advisor for the program. "We are able to attract a good number of these students because we offer the business aspect, along with the interaction with people."
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Baton Rouge, La.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in finance with financial planning specialization is up and running; the school has also registered an M.S. in finance with financial planning specialization and is applying for CFP Board registration of an MBA program.
Enrollment: 25
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 30
Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
Tuition: For Louisiana residents $3,498 per semester, $11,136 per semester for nonresidents.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Although it has offered courses in financial literacy for decades, LSU registered its undergraduate and master's degrees in finance with a specialization in planning just last year with the CFP Board. It next plans to register an MBA with a financial planning specialization. The undergraduate program, which began in January, already has 25 students enrolled, but anticipates a rapid increase in enrollment, says program director Fran Lawrence. "There's extremely high interest," she says, adding that she hopes LSU may ultimately add a Ph.D. The fact that the program is located in the finance department of a business school offers a competitive advantage and visibility that benefits the entire planning profession, Lawrence believes. "Some other business schools are small," she says, "but LSU is known nationwide."
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
West Lafayette, Ind.
CFP Board-registered programs: Undergraduate and Ph.D. programs, online program coming soon
Enrollment: More than 300
Faculty: About 15 full-time and 1 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1
Tuition: For Indiana residents, $20,000 a year, including room and board, food and other expenses; $40,000 a year for nonresidents.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Fundamental research into consumer behavior defines Purdue University's Ph.D. track in planning, which prepares students for academic careers. "We make no apology for it," says Sugato Chakravarty, head of the department of Consumer Science. "Our masters' students are trained to be in the corporate world and our Ph.D.s. are trained to be academics." The university also has a large undergraduate degree program, and now Purdue plans to add a new practitioner-focused online master's program in financial planning. "The CFP board in Washington is extremely excited about our move to the online master's program because they feel that, with our academic underpinnings in consumer behavior, our program will stand out," Chakravarty says. He expects the first class next fall to attract a small class of 40 students and then expand rapidly.
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
Orem, Utah
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in financial planning
Enrollment: 68
Faculty: 2 full-time, 6 from other departments, 2 to 3 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 6:1 (including full-time and adjuncts)
Tuition: For Utah residents $2,400 per semester, $6,800 for nonresidents.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Following the launch last year of its CFP Board-registered financial planning programs, Utah Valley has managed to nearly double it student enrollment. Its inaugural three graduates, set to receive degrees next month, already have full-time job offers, says program director Jacob Sybrowsky, as do most members of the senior class. "We have a number of juniors and even a number of sophomores who are working full-time as well," he adds. "That's just great for the students." The university is working on plans to launch its first online certificate program for roughly 20 to 35 students, to be drawn from the local Provo-Orem and Salt Lake Valley areas, and is discussing whether online students should be required to attend their first classes in person. "We've seen a demand for such a program grow," Sybrowsky says. "It's coming from mid-profession career changers, banks, wirehouses and a few business-related fields that want to come into financial services."
VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY
Blacksburg, Va.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. applied economic management, B.S. finance
Enrollment: 155 combined
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 6 full-time, 2 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
Tuition: For Virginia residents $4,593 per semester, $11,787 per semester for nonresidents.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Virginia Tech University offers two full-time bachelor's programs that are registered with the CFP board. With 70 members, the country's largest student FPA chapter is very active, organizing speaker forums and inviting industry professionals to campus, says Derek Klock, professor of practice in finance. Recently the chapter launched a series of philanthropic activities, including teaching financial literacy to junior high school students. "The Virginia Tech programs also have a history of doing very well in competition against other schools," Klock adds. In the past year, the school won the national iOMe (for "I owe me") Challenge, a national competition offering college students a platform to talk about financial problems and the future. Students also took second place in the National Collegiate Financial Planning Championship held jointly by FPA, Ameriprise and the CFP Board.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Boston
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 2 certificate programs, 1 online and 1 in person.
Enrollment: 1,250 online, 155 in person
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 23 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 22:1
Tuition: $5,295 for an online accelerated program, $3,495 for online self-pace and $7,360 for a classroom program that includes a review/exam preparation course.
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Boston University administrators used to vet prospective students to make sure online learning was for them - but, nearly a decade later, online learning is so common they don't have to do that anymore, says Ruth Ann Murray, director of the Center for Professional Education at BU's Metropolitan College. BU's online courses enrolled close to 1,250 students last year; its in-person classes drew 155 people. BU's CFP Board-registered programs are approved for credit by the American Council for Education. Bob Glovsky, director emeritus of BU's financial planning program, who helped the CFP Board write its first exam in 1988, says one day he'd like to see many more degree programs available for planners. But for now, he adds, certificate programs play a critical role in educating would-be planners and building out the profession. "The delivery [mechanism]," Glovsky says, "is a secondary goal."
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Chicago
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 9-credit certificate program offered both online and in person
Enrollment: 150 to 200
Faculty: 13 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1 at the downtown campus, 6:1 at the suburban campus
Tuition: $5,400
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: DePaul, the largest Roman Catholic university in North America, launched its nine-credit certificate program in 1999 and relies heavily on a pool of local CFPs to serve as faculty and create customized study materials. "[About] 90% of our faculty are from the industry," says Dorothy Jagonase, program manager of the university's Financial Planning Education Center. Students can supplement their in-class work by studying online. According to Jagonase, the school is also proud of its professionally diverse student body, which hails from the brokerage, banking, tax, legal and compliance fields. The school says 50 of its students sat for CFP exams in 2011 and had a 60% pass rate.
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
Teaneck, N.J.
CFP Board-registered programs: Financial planning certificate course
Enrollment: More than 200 a year
Faculty: About 100 part-time adjuncts in multiple locations
Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1 in the classroom
Tuition: $5,995
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Fairleigh Dickinson draws from a large pool of industry professionals as adjunct faculty, teaching courses at multiple locations. (It will introduce one online class next year.) One of the first institutions nationwide to offer a financial planning certificate, FDU's program dates back 27 years. Students are primarily mid-career professionals already working in the financial planning industry, says Valerie Barnes, the program's director; she says they receive a substantial amount of focused one-on-one counseling and instruction. For students who want more interaction with faculty, Barnes says, "we provide instant access." Although the school does not have a student FPA chapter, students work closely with the New Jersey chapter of the FPA.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 3 in total: online certificate program, in-class certificate aimed at students also completing an undergraduate degree and in-class certificate for master's or doctoral students
Enrollment: 15 undergraduate, 5 graduate
Faculty: 2 full-time, 1 adjunct
Students-to-faculty ratio: 5:1
Tuition: Undergraduate certificate is $3,000, graduate-level certificate and online certificate are both $9,750
FPA student chapter: Forming
Profile: Registered with the CFP Board just last fall, the University of Florida's master's program in financial planning is taught in a virtual classroom that makes use of cutting-edge technology. Recently, Zywave donated NaviPlan, a leading financial planning software, to the school, so students now use this and other tools to learn how to manage personal financial risk efficiently, while being exposed to other areas of planning. "While many other schools teach their students through paper-case studies, we are one of the few schools that connect students with real-life clients as they work toward completion of their capstone," says associate professor Michael Gutter. "Meanwhile, in the heat of all this, we never lose sight of our mission - which is to develop a strong commitment toward household and family goals."
KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
Online with classrooms in New York and San Francisco, as well as several private corporate programs
CFP Board-registered programs: 3 in total: Self-paced and accelerated online programs, plus in-person classes at 12 U.S. universities
Enrollment: Not available
Faculty: 7 full-time, 20 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: Not available
Tuition: Accelerated virtual or traditional classroom $5,599, including a review course; self-study $4,043.
FPA student chapter: Kaplan is an institutional member of the FPA
Profile: A big name in education and for-profit test preparation, Kaplan University says it takes pride in the high number of students who take and complete its financial planning courses - but it won't reveal that number, citing competitive reasons. The 10-year-old program crosses boundaries between traditional classroom and online study, allowing students to customize study tracks to suit their schedules. This means high flexibility for students of all backgrounds. "Of all the things this program offers, we are most proud of our throughput rate, or completion rate," says school Vice President Joyce Schnur. "[It] is attributed to the flexibility of our program that is sensitive to the needs of our students."
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
New York
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 1 certificate
Enrollment: 729 combined
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 8 (all adjuncts)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1 in classroom
Tuition: $5,540 for traditional classroom program, $5,650-$7,500 for a "live" online course, $2,495-$4,295 for self-paced online
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: New York University's certificate program offers students the flexibility to complete coursework in one of three ways - in person with an instructor, live online and led by an instructor or self-paced online. Geared toward professionals and college graduates, the program leverages NYU's geographic advantage, offering students a great number of opportunities to work with companies in the city.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Chicago and Evanston, Ill.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 2 online and 2 classroom certificate programs
Enrollment: Almost 240 online, 90 classroom
Faculty: 20 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1 overall
Tuition: $5,545-$6,050 for classroom program, $5,600-$7,500 for online live, $2,495-$4,295 for self-paced online program
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Northwestern's financial planning certificate program is undergoing a massive overhaul this year. The new curriculum, developed closely with the CFP board, was a "happy accident," says Peter Kaye, assistant dean of undergraduate and professional programs at Northwestern. The timing of the program's revamp coincided perfectly with the CFP board's release of new learning objectives, giving Northwestern the opportunity to reconsider its coursework with the board's recommendations in mind. As a result, practicality rules at this institution, with the classes designed to simulate a financial planner's daily life. "We wanted the curriculum structured in such a way that it's not just a means of preparing for an exam," Kaye said. "We really want to have an educational program that reflects the skills that people need to do the job well professionally."
UCLA
Los Angeles
CFP Board-registered programs: traditional evening/online program and accelerated hybrid
Enrollment: 250 to 300
Faculty: 20 adjunct instructors
Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1 for traditional evening/online, 15:1 for accelerated hybrid
Tuition: $4,287 to $4,750 for certificates, depending on options; $1,000 for CFP exam review
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Every quarter, the University of California at Los Angeles Extension runs two programs that are CFP Board certified. Its newer program, revamped this year, is a six-course accelerated hybrid track in which students meet monthly for three days of in-person instruction, followed by seven days of online review and testing. "The [accelerated] students have to have three years of experience to enroll, so that is primarily for veteran financial advisors who want to get to the exam more quickly," says Rich Burnes, the director of UCLA's financial management programs. "Many of our undergraduate students have at least an undergraduate degree [if not] a master's degree, so they are not looking for a degree, but they need this body of knowledge." Burnes says he often refers graduates who want to pursue a degree to Cal Lutheran's program, which accepts UCLA course credits.
Ann Marsh is senior editor and the West Coast bureau chief of Financial Planning.Additional reporting by Teck Lim and Madhura Karnik.
