Division of Personal Financial Planning

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Undergraduate ProgramGraduate ProgramCourse DescriptionsFaculty

 

About the Program

The Division of Personal Financial Planning is administered by the Department of Applied and Professional Studies. The program offers classes leading to the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning
• Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning
• Doctor of Philosophy in Personal Financial Planning

Dual-Degree/Joint Programs

• Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning / Master of Business Administration (General Business)
• Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning / Master of Science in Business Administration
• Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning / Doctor of Jurisprudence

Mission and Vision. The mission of the Division of Personal Financial Planning is to educate students to the highest standards of excellence; foster intellectual, ethical, and personal development; and generate the highest quality of meaningful research.
The division will excel as the national leader in higher education in personal financial planning, manifesting excellence, inspiring confidence, and engaging the financial planning profession and society at large.

The Division of Personal Financial Planning will:

• Achieve and maintain national recognition as the premier financial planning program, attracting the highest quality students and faculty.
• Prepare students to be leaders, decision-makers, and scholars who are highly competent, articulate, ethical, principled, innovative, and confident in financial planning.
• Generate quality research thus expanding the boundaries of knowledge in financial planning.
• Promote excellence in scholarly and professional organizations through faculty service in leadership roles.

Undergraduate and graduate degree programs in personal financial planning are registered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board). The term CFP® identifies a financial planning professional who has met educational standards, passed the CFP® Certification Examination, satisfied a work experience requirement, and agreed to the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. The terms CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ represent the most respected professional certification in the financial services industry.

Undergraduate Program

Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning. Students majoring in personal financial planning are prepared for careers in financial planning in private practice, financial institutions, and governmental and social agencies. The multidisciplinary program includes courses in business, accounting, economics, family studies, and communications in addition to personal financial planning. Students will develop a background for graduate study and for certifications as financial planners and counselors.

Students studying personal financial planning must earn a C or better in all support and major course requirements and maintain a 2.8 or better GPA to enroll in upper-division classes. A 2.8 or better GPA is needed to transfer into the Division of Personal Financial Planning. The program also requires a paid internship in the financial planning/services industry, typically completed the summer prior to the senior year. planning/services industry, typically completed the summer prior to the senior year.

Accelerated Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Degree Program. The Accelerated Bachelor’s-to-Master’s degree program allows academically capable students to accelerate their undergraduate degree programs, begin graduate work in their fourth year, and finish both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a total of approximately five years. This is accomplished by allowing six hours of graduate coursework in personal financial planning to count towards the undergraduate degree and the master’s degree.

Minor in Personal Financial Planning. A student may minor in personal financial planning by completing a minimum of 27 hours to satisfy the education requirements set by the CFP® Board of Standards.

Minor in Personal Finance Studies. A student may minor in personal finance studies by completing a minimum of 18 hours from selected courses. This minor will not satisfy CFP® Examination requirements but may be appropriate for students wanting to work in affiliated professions.

Curriculum Table

• Personal Financial Planning

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Graduate Program

The Division of Personal Financial Planning supervises degree programs leading to the Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Personal Financial Planning.

M.S. students must earn a C or better in all courses unless otherwise noted. Ph.D. students are required to earn a B or better in all courses counted toward their degree. Only 6 hours of PFP courses can be transferred from another university.

Master’s Programs

Nonthesis Master’s. The nonthesis master’s degree in personal financial planning requires a minimum of 42 hours. Appropriate leveling coursework may be required.

Dual Degrees. Personal Financial Planning offers three dual degrees at the master’s level:

• Law/Personal Financial Planning, J.D.–M.S.
• General Business /Personal Financial Planning, M.B.A.–M.S.
• Business Administration (Finance)/Personal Financial Planning, M.S.–M.S.
  

Doctoral Program

The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 78 semester hours of graduate work beyond the bachelor’s degree, exclusive of credit for the dissertation. Students develop their courses of study in consultation with a graduate advisory committee. Following the completion of all coursework, a qualifying examination for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Graduate School.

Admission. Applicants should contact the division concerning admission requirements, program of study, and financial assistance. Admission to a graduate degree program is a two-part process requiring the recommendation of both the division and the Graduate School.Back to Top

 

Course Descriptions

• Personal Financial Planning (PFP)

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Faculty

Click here to view alphabetical listing of all TTU faculty and their academic credentials.

Vickie Hampton, Ph.D., Director

Professor: Hampton
Associate Professors: Durband, Finke, Huston, Gustafson, Katz, Korb
Assistant Professors: Akay, Gilliam, Lauderdale, Salter
Adjunct Faculty: Evensky
Instructor: BarnhillBack to Top