The master’s curriculum includes the academic areas of personal financial planning, financial analysis, and finance. Throughout the courses, you will use a variety of computer software and research techniques to arrive at solutions. The technical expertise gained, and the essential experience found in the application of this knowledge through realistic case studies, will be critical to your work. All master’s courses are based on an instructor-led study model, making the pursuit of this degree possible for the working individuals whose demanding lifestyles require flexibility.

After you have completed all your course requirements, you will begin the Capstone course where you apply the financial concepts and techniques you have learned. The Capstone course provides a comprehensive case scenario for the personal financial planning and financial analysis majors, including background information and goals. You will prepare a written analysis of the case, consolidating knowledge gained throughout your studies to demonstrate your ability to understand and apply the principles you learned in the master's program. Students who elect the finance major will complete a thesis relative to a work-related process or a literature-based research effort.

The College for Financial Planning’s Master of Science degree program with a major in Personal Financial Planning is approved by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and satisfies the educational requirement for the CFP^® Certification Examination.

The College for Financial Planning’s Master of Science degree program with a major in Financial Analysis incorporates the CFA Body of Knowledge learning objectives developed by the CFA Institute, the organization that administers the CFA Program and awards the Chartered Financial Analyst^® designation.

The finance, personal financial planning, and financial analysis majors are offered by the College for Financial Planning, Inc., which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools.

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The program has three majors: finance, personal financial planning, and financial analysis. You must complete 39 semester credit hours for the personal financial planning and financial analysis majors, and a minimum of 36 for the finance major. Transfer credit may be accepted. If you are a graduate of the College for Financial Planning’s CFP^® Certification Professional Education Program, some of those credits may be applicable to your master’s program.

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Purchase your required or recommended textbooks at www.cfpbooks.com.

The textbooks for the FA major are subject to change each session. Please do not order textbooks or start assignments until you have the syllabi for the session in which you are enrolled. Purchase your required or recommended FA major textbooks at www.efastcom.com/CFABookstore/control/curriculum.

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The master’s program is self-directing, which means that you, the student, must take responsibility for your own education. Our goal is to educate and graduate financial professionals who are successful in directing their own learning—not only in their classes, but also in the future.

The goal of the program is to enhance your development as a financial professional. Your performance in each course is measured according to attainment of the curriculum objectives, based on a variety of evaluation strategies. You have to develop projects, diaries or journals, interviews, and other vehicles to encourage your interaction with the instructor.

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The Master of Science degree program allows you to

• gain a graduate-level education in your financial area and enhance your expertise,
• strengthen your technical skills,
• apply the course work immediately and directly to your practice and clients,
• serve a specialized market niche and add to the success of your business,
• attract clients with special or sophisticated needs,
• increase your professional recognition and credibility,
• become more competitive,
• work with case studies,
• keep pace with the rapid changes in your industry, and 
• distinguish yourself by attaining the Master of Science degree—the highest level of financial education available from The College for Financial Planning.

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Please carefully consider your commitment to studying for the Master of Science degree. Upon submission of your application and enrollment in your initial course, the College assumes that you are committed to earning the degree and are in agreement with the following expectations to

• review the policies and procedures that apply to the program and your courses,
• commit the time and energy required to complete your program,
• take courses continuously until you earn the degree (many successful students make their way through the master’s program in about two years, although some students take longer),
• use word processing and spreadsheet programs, and 
• have access to a telephone, e-mail, and the Internet. You must be proficient in using all these technologies (you will use these tools to receive and transmit your projects, assignments, and exams).

All students are required to successfully complete COM 500, Communication and Research Techniques for Master’s Students, as their first course. This one-credit course provides a basic introduction to Internet research, the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, and use of the College Web site.

To complete the master’s program you must demonstrate

• mastery of the elements of personal financial planning, financial analysis, or finance;
• the ability to analyze arguments, case studies, and issues;
• development of logical reasoning patterns to help you understand the assumptions and biases underlying positions;
• the ability to identify weak or unsound arguments;
• confidence in your ability to evaluate methods and materials relative to the subject areas; and 
• appreciation of emerging issues and important contributions that have been made in each area.

The College provides additional resources to support your distance education experience. You can take advantage of faculty counseling via telephone, regular mail, fax, or e-mail. The College’s Web site provides detailed course information, including current study materials, syllabi, frequently asked questions, and a connection with course projects.

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The College publishes a quarterly electronic newsletter entitled, “The Master's Minute.” It contains news about the Master's program and the College for Financial Planning including tuition, course and policy updates, and information about faculty and staff.

If you are enrolled in the Master's program, you should receive this publication each quarter by e-mail. If you do not currently receive “The Master's Minute,” e-mail the Student Services Center to subscribe.

You can view the current edition, as well as back issues in the Press Room. 

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Enrolled students have special subscription pricing available for the printed versions of The Wall Street Journal and Barron's. If you would like to order a subscription to these publications at the greatly discounted student rate, please visit http://wsjstudent.com and http://barrons.com/student. You will need the following information:

School information: The first three digits of the school ZIP code are 801. The school name is College for Financial Planning.

Student Information: For the referring professor choose your instructor. You will also need to know the first four characters of your student ID#.

If you prefer, call 1-800-568-7625 and give this information to the representative.

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