Financial Planning Certificate
Interested in helping people manage their money and plan for the future? This certificate meets the educational requirements of the CFP board and will enable students to sit for the CFP exam after graduation.
The courses for this program are taken online and can be paired with other on-campus degrees. Fill out the form to get started.
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Highlights of CFP
For students interested in becoming a certified financial planner or seeking CPA certification down the road, this is a great option to add to your coursework as an undergrad. It provides a pathway to meaningful and employable skillsets.
Coursework can be started as soon as your sophomore year, so tell your advisor now if you're interested in fitting this into your 4-year schedule.
CFP Board Recognized
This program was the first consortium-based program to be recognized by the CFP board as a Registered Program.
Median Salary of $87,000+
Certified Financial Planners make a median salary of $87,850, and the field is growing with 5% job growth projected for the next 10 years.
Hybrid Learning Options
Some courses in this program are taken online & powered by Rize. The core curriculum will be taken on-campus, giving students the best of student life with the flexibility of some online learning.
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There are a variety of career options with a degree in financial planning.

Financial Management careers are growing by 17% over the next decade.
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Consumers have a strong preference for Certified Financial Planners.
Program Details
Information on what you'll learn, how the certificate is built, and the careers that are possible after graduation.
Certified Financial Planning (CFP)
The Certified Financial Planning certificate is an undergraduate certificate that meets all of the requirements to make students eligible for the CFP Board exam after graduation. Classes for this certificate are taught 100% online through our consortium agreement and enable scheduling flexibility for students pursuing a bachelor's degree on Adrian's campus.
Faculty Contributors
Christopher Kubik - Regis College: Dr. Chris Kubik is the Director of the LCMC’s CFP Registered program and Professor of Accounting and Finance at Regis College. He holds a DBA from Anderson University and an MBA from the University of Detroit. Dr. Kubik was the 2010 recipient of the Jack Jensen Teaching Excellence Award.
Ned Gandevani - Lesley University: Dr Ned Gandevani is a professor of Finance at Harvard University and Lesley University. He is, furthermore, a practicing Portfolio Manager, and has published multiple successful books on a variety of financial topics.
Helen Xu - Holy Names University: Dr. Helen Xu is a Professor of Finance at Holy Names University. She holds a PhD in Finance from the University of North Texas and an MA in Economics from Jinan University.
Erik Dellith - Mount Saint Vincent: Dr. Erik Dellith is an Adjunct Instructor at College of Mount Saint Vincent. He holds a PhD in Economics from Fordham University and an MA in Economics from SUNY Binghamton.
How does this degree align with the CFP Exam?
In order to become a Certified Financial Planner, students must complete four key requirements. This program
- Education
- Complete a bachelor’s degree
- Complete a seven-course sequence from a CFP Board Registered Program
- Exam
- Complete a 170 Question, 6-Hour Multiple-Choice exam offered in March, July and November
- Experience
- Complete 6,000 hours of professional experience relating to financial planning, or complete 4,000 hours of an apprenticeship. This experience must be completed within five years of sitting for the exam - see details here
- Ethics
- Complete the ethics declaration forms and pass a background check
Career Outlook
The undergraduate certificate in Certified Financial Planning provides real-world skills and a direct path to becoming a Certified Financial Planner with a median salary of over $87,000.
Other career paths include:
- Personal Financial Advisor - $89,330
- Wealth Management Advisor - $97,176
- Financial Manager - $134,180
Curriculum Highlights
- General Principles of Financial Planning
- Risk Management and Insurance Planning
- Investment Planning
- Tax Planning
- Retirement Savings and Income Planning
- Estate Planning
- Financial Plan Development
About the Partnership
For more information on the innovative partnership that allows us to offer this program, visit this page.
Ready for Professional Certifications
This program covers the educational requirements needed before graduates can sit for the 170-question CFP Board exam.

Start Your Application Today
You can begin your application in as little as two minutes, for free & online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the Certificate in Financial Planning.
Yes – the CFP board requires a bachelor’s degree for certification. Having a degree in Certified Financial Planning provides a massive advantage in earning potential and salary. People with a bachelor’s degree also have a 50% lower rate of unemployment, and on average they make an additional $630,000 to $900,000 over their lifetime, even more in high growth fields like this one.
As part of our program, Certified Financial Planning students take a 7-course sequence prescribed by the CFP board, preparing them to be officially CFP Board Certified and opening the door to loads of amazing, high-paying professional opportunities.
Yes! The only way to make sure our program gives you the skills you need to get hired and teaches you to work through real-world problems that actually matter is to partner with the people out there who are actually doing it. Our collaboration with Fortune 500 companies and subject matter experts means that their multi-billion-dollar expertise is reflected in everything you’ll study here.
Financial planning is huge, and our graduates can use their coveted skills to secure many different kinds of high-growth employment. If the idea of helping everyday people maximize their financial future is appealing, you may wish to work directly with families. If corporate strategy is more appealing to you , you may want to work in the finance department of a brand-name corporation. As a Certified Financial Planning grad, the high-paying possibilities available to you across industries are essentially endless.
A flipped classroom is one where the focus is not on lectures, but on discussion, projects, and problem-solving. Students in flipped classrooms get the chance for more instructor feedback, and as a result have been found to learn much, much faster.
If you are interested in the generation and growth of wealth, if you have a desire to help others reach their financial goals, if you are looking for a degree that opens a ton of doors to different high-growth careers, if you want to have a job that never gets boring, and if you want to gain a skill set that makes you more and more valuable as your career progresses, you should consider this program.
Flexibility. Optional Synchronous means our Supply Chain courses can be attended together at one time with other students, or on your own schedule. Many students prefer the learning that comes with live interactions, while other students love the flexibility of doing them whenever they fit into their schedule.
This major is part of an exclusive partnership between Adrian College and Rize Education, which means you’ll be learning with students from your campus, as well as students from a selective consortium of schools across the country. The goal is to help you begin building a national network of people in your industry before you’ve even graduated.
Nope! Although this program does involve math, the quantitative coursework is relatively light and does not cover abstract mathematical concepts. Rest assured that no matter how good (or bad) you are at math, this could be the program for you to launch a high-paying career!