WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Wayne, N.J.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in financial planning and an accelerated certificate program
Enrollment: 50 full-time majors, 32 full-time minors; 5 in the certificate program
Faculty: 2 full-time, 9 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 25:1
Tuition: For a New Jersey resident $5,847 per year; for an out-of-state resident $9,547
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: Now in its fourth year, William Paterson's full-time undergraduate program enrolls more than 50 full-time students. Among the school's attractions are its proximity to New York City, and the fact that it resides in a business school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Besides the bachelor's degree, the university offers a certificate program for working executives. Another advantage, according to the program's founder, Lukas Dean, is "that we have added professional sales training into [the] curriculum." The school said three of its students took the CFP exams in 2011; two passed.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Waco, Texas
CFP Board-registered programs: Bachelor of business administration financial planning major
Enrollment: 20
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 2
Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1
Tuition: $30,600 a year
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: As part of their core curriculum, undergraduates in planning at Baylor help run one of the largest student-managed investment funds in the country. Valued at about $5.2million, it is managed 60% by graduate students in other majors and 40% by undergraduates, says Tom Potts, director of the financial services and planning program. Proceeds from the funds are used to pay for scholarships and other student needs. The exercise is intended to teach investment management principles and techniques. Although the program doesn't enroll many students, Potts says, those students are making their mark: One of two Baylor teams that recently entered a financial planning case competition made it to the national finals. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of FPA honored one of Baylor's first graduates with a financial planning major at a banquet last month in Dallas.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Northridge, Calif.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. in finance with a sequence in personal financial planning and B.S. in business administration with an option in insurance and financial services and a sequence in personal financial planning
Enrollment: 40
Faculty: 4 full-time, 2 adjuncts
Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1
Tuition: For California residents $2,247, for out-of-state residents $4,479.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: In the spring of last year, California State University at Northridge registered its two undergraduate planning programs with the CFP Board, with the aim of improving financial literacy in and around Los Angeles. The administrators hope its students - many of whom are ethnic minorities and the first generation in their families to attend college - will become planners for underserved populations throughout the region. "We are excited to have received the approval from the CFP Board and believe it will be a major resource for students and the surrounding community," says Monica Hussein, associate director of the school's Center for Financial Planning & Investment.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
Clemson, S.C.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. in financial management with a concentration in financial planning
Enrollment: About 20
Faculty: 5 full-time
Student-to-faculty ratio: 4:1
Tuition: For South Carolina residents $21,726, for out-of-state residents $38,370.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Clemson's 18-year-old undergraduate degree in planning is back in operation this year after being out of commission for part of 2010 and all of 2011. The economic downturn created a cash crunch that forced the university to suspend the program. But roughly 20 students have enrolled in financial planning classes this year, according to John Alexander, the program director since 1998. "Thank goodness, we now have a commitment at the administrative level to staff these classes," says Alexander, a professor of finance who teaches portfolio management, while also serving as chief investment officer for the university's foundation. The program is rigorous, he says, especially since the advent of the new capstone class, which the CFP Board mandated this year for all of its registered programs. Alexander says Clemson planning graduates are heavily recruited, and often end up working for banks and corporations.
