Family Financial Planning Graduate Certificate: Financial and Housing Counseling option
Family financial planning is an emerging area with job opportunities in areas related to insurance, real estate, investments, retirement, tax and estate planning. Financial planners are increasingly in demand as Americans seek financial advisors to help manage their income, assets, and debts.
Students enrolled in the online financial and housing counseling graduate certificate are able to sit for the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) or Certified Housing Counselor (CHC) exams available through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE).
Career opportunities available to persons with special training in Family Financial Planning include:
- Financial Planning: Financial planners or financial management consultants use their knowledge of investments, tax laws, and insurance to recommend financial options to individuals in accordance with the individual's short-term and long-term goals. Some of the issues that financial planners address are retirement and estate planning, funding for college, and general investment options.
- Financial Analysts: Financial analysts assess the economic performance of companies and industries for firms and institutions with money to invest.
- Insurance: Insurance agents specialize in life and health insurance or property and casualty insurance and a growing number of "multi-line" agents sell all lines of insurance.
The online Financial and Housing Counseling Graduate Certificate consists of 18 credits and is offered through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA). For more information the Great Plains IDEA consortium go to: www.gpidea.org.
Graduate certificates are an excellent way to earn creditals and decide if a full master's program is right for you. Credits offered in this program can be transferred into the full online M.S. in HDFS: Family Financial Planning program.
Sample Plan of Study
Required Core Courses:
- HDFS 677 Financial Counseling (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 764 Family Economics (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 768 Housing and Real Estate (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 770 Fundamentals of Financial Planning (3 CREDITS)
Elective Courses: (6 CREDITS)
- HDFS 762 Retirement Planning, Employee Benefits and the Family (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 763 Personal Income Taxation (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 765 Insurance Planning for Families (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 766 Estate Planning for Families (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 771 Investing for the Family's Future (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 772 Military Personal Financial Readiness (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 781 Issues and Theories in Family Science (3 CREDITS)
- HDFS 794 Practicum (3 CREDITS)
Total Credits: 18
Graduate Faculty
For information about graduate faculty for this program as well as their current research interests, visit the Financial and Housing Counseling graduate certificate bulletin page.
Admission
Apply for admission
View Getting Started Guide
Students interested in this program should apply under the family financial planning graduate certificate option. For current admission requirements, visit the Financial and Housing Counseling graduate certificate bulletin page.
TUITION and fees
View Great Plains IDEA tuition and fee information.
Contact information
NDSU Department of Human Development and Family Science
Phone: 701-231-8269
Email: Joel.Hektner@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.edu/hdfs/
NDSU Distance & Continuing Education
Phone: 1-800-726-1724 or 701-231-7015
Email: NDSU.DCE@ndsu.edu
NDSU Graduate School
Phone: 701-231-7033
Email: ndsu.grad.school@ndsu.edu
Web: www.ndsu.edu/prospective/students/