M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences

Family Financial Planning and Counseling

Program Description

In this 30-hour master’s program, students will study economic and social influences on the family and learn how to help individuals and families achieve their financial goals. By taking two courses each semester, students may complete this degree in less than two years.

Careers

Family financial planning is predicted to be one of the fastest growing career tracks of the next decade. Financial planners may consider working in the following areas:   

private practices         insurance companies                 community action programs          

accounting firms         family service agencies              consumer credit counseling

brokerage firms         financial planning firms              employee benefits, estate planning

banks bankruptcy courts                       retirement planning departments    

Curriculum

Students must earn 30 hours of coursework including 21 hours in the area of family financial planning and counseling and 9 hours of electives in the area of specialization.

            Required Courses:

                        CSM 500  Personal Insurance Planning and Management (3 hours)

                        CSM 504  Personal Investment Planning and Management (3 hours)

                        CSM 510  Personal Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits (3 hours)

                        CSM 520  Personal Estate Planning (3 hours)

                        CSM 554  Personal Income Tax Management and Planning (3 hours)

                        CSM 559 Counseling Skills (3 hours)

CSM 560  Personal Financial Planning and Counseling Techniques (3 hours)

HES 509   Research

*Prerequisite courses: CSM 204  Introduction to Personal Financial Planning (3 hours), EC 110 & EC 111 Principles of Micro and Macroeconomics,

and ST 260 or BER 345 (BER 540 may be taken for graduate level credit).

Students must conduct a culminating experience prior to graduation.  This may be done through internships, jobs, comprehensive final exam, or an in-depth research report. 

Admission

Admission to this program requires one of the following:

· 3.0/4.0 GPA overall, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of professional goals.

• An entrance examination score (scoring 1000 on the GRE or 50 on the MAT with a GPA above 2.5 is acceptable), three letters of recommendation, and a statement of professional goals

The application process begins by being admitted to The University of Alabama’s Graduate School (http://graduate.ua.edu). List General Human Environmental Sciences as degree on the admission application. Check your application status by following the instructions listed at http://graduate.ua.edu/application/appstatus.html.

Financial Aid

If you are interested in seeking financial aid, call the Office of Student Aid at 205/348-6756, the fax number is 205/348-2989 or you may visit the Graduate School’s website.

CFP Certification

Students completing the family financial planning and counseling program are taking an important step toward establishing professional credentials. This program is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., so that students who successfully complete the concentration will be eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination that leads to the professional certification as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and CFP®.  The University of Alabama does not certify individuals to use the CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ marks.

CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board).  These marks are awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.  The University of Alabama does not certify individuals to use the CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ marks.  CFP® certification is granted solely by the CFP Board to individuals who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met ethics, experience and examination requirements.

Questions about semester registration?  Eve Pentecost, CFP® Assistant Professor College of Human Environmental Sciences The University of Alabama Box 870158 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0158 (256) 546-2886 Fax (256) 546-4837 epenteco@ches.ua.edu

Questions about the culminating experience/graduation? Jan Brakefield, CFP® Assistant Professor and Graduate Supervisor College of Human Environmental Sciences The University of Alabama Box 870158 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0158 (205) 348-6178 Fax (205) 348-8721 jbrakefi@ches.ua.edu

Please visit www.ches.ua.edu/CSM for more information on this program.

3/2007