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-baccalau-reate 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)
