UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Athens, Ga.
CFP Board-registered programs: B.S. degree 75 students, master's degree 10 students, Ph.D. 5 students. An online M.S. degree will be offered in 2013.
Faculty: 4 full time, 1 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1 for undergraduate; 3:1 for graduate
Tuition: Undergraduate $9,842 per academic year, full-time; graduate $3,795 per semester, full-time.
FPA student chapter: Student Financial Planning Association
Profile: Registered with the CFP Board just two years ago, UGA offers in-person degree tracks for undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. candidates, and next year plans to launch online masters and certificate programs. Director John Grable says he made the difficult decision last year to leave Kansas State's program for Georgia in part because of the strong administrative support it enjoys. Located in the Housing and Consumer Economics Department, the program teaches students in an intensively interdisciplinary environment that includes pro bono work in the community. Many local couples going through divorces receive free advice from students, not only from the financial planning program, but also from the law school, and finance and accounting departments (for taxes). As a result, Grable says, graduates gain strong technical and interpersonal skills. Last month, UGA students beat out a team from William Paterson University in a retirement knowledge quiz bowl at a national conference. "They blew everyone away," Grable says. "What's really impressive is their interpersonal skills and that ability to go out and meet with people." The school says that 10 undergraduates and 8 graduate students sat for CFP exams in 2011; their pass rates were 80% and 90%, respectively.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Champaign, Ill.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): 1 undergraduate
Enrollment: 76
Faculty: 30 full-time (in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1 in the classroom
Tuition: For Illinois residents $5,818 per semester, $12,889 per semester for nonresidents
FPA student chapter: Yes
Profile: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's financial planning program, which launched in 2009, is expanding through extensive new faculty hires. Following the introduction of an FPA student chapter this summer, students also can interact with more working planners by attending networking events and on-campus talks by corporations and professionals in the field. "A lot of new students enter the university wanting to do business, but don't want to end up spending their professional careers in a cubicle," says Theresa Miller, an academic advisor for the program. "We are able to attract a good number of these students because we offer the business aspect, along with the interaction with people."
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Baton Rouge, La.
CFP Board-registered programs (online and in person): B.S. in finance with financial planning specialization is up and running; the school has also registered an M.S. in finance with financial planning specialization and is applying for CFP Board registration of an MBA program.
Enrollment: 25
Faculty (full-time and adjunct): 30
Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
Tuition: For Louisiana residents $3,498 per semester, $11,136 per semester for nonresidents.
FPA student chapter: No
Profile: Although it has offered courses in financial literacy for decades, LSU registered its undergraduate and master's degrees in finance with a specialization in planning just last year with the CFP Board. It next plans to register an MBA with a financial planning specialization. The undergraduate program, which began in January, already has 25 students enrolled, but anticipates a rapid increase in enrollment, says program director Fran Lawrence. "There's extremely high interest," she says, adding that she hopes LSU may ultimately add a Ph.D. The fact that the program is located in the finance department of a business school offers a competitive advantage and visibility that benefits the entire planning profession, Lawrence believes. "Some other business schools are small," she says, "but LSU is known nationwide."
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
West Lafayette, Ind.
CFP Board-registered programs: Undergraduate and Ph.D. programs, online program coming soon
Enrollment: More than 300
Faculty: About 15 full-time and 1 adjunct
Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1
Tuition: For Indiana residents, $20,000 a year, including room and board, food and other expenses; $40,000 a year for nonresidents.
