Financial Planning

Application Code:
1623
Degree Received:
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Academic Department:
Business Technology

Description:

The Business Technology Department is now offering a BBA degree in financial planning. Students receiving their AAS or AS degree in virtually any business concentration will be able to seamlessly transfer into this program and receive the BBA degree in four more semesters, which includes a full semester internship in the field.

Personal financial services is one of the most lucrative and rapidly expanding professions in existence. By combining expertise in estate planning, investment planning, risk management, insurance evaluation, tax planning, retirement planning, and employee benefits planning, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP)® offers one-stop comprehensive expert advice and planning which would have formerly required a prospective client to seek advice from a variety of different professionals. Students completing this four-year degree will be eligible to sit for the Certified Financial Planner® examination, a rigorous multipart exam that is one important step in becoming a CFP® practitioner. While there are numerous job opportunities for employment in various types of financial institutions such as banks, investment firms, and the insurance industry, perhaps the greatest earnings potential lies in becoming a self-employed CFP® practitioner.

Projected annual new job openings for individuals with a Financial Planning degree are estimated to be around 32,000 through the year 2006 in New York State alone. Much of the growth is attributable to the maturation of the "baby boom", most of which is entering its peak earning years and, for the most part, is unprepared to effectively manage its wealth. Whether in a big city or a small town, demand for financial planning professionals is everywhere.

This is an extremely rewarding profession. Not only is there tremendous earning potential, but it is also a very satisfying way to make a living because you are helping people bring order to their lives by teaching them how to acquire, and retain, wealth.

A laptop computer is recommended, but not required, for students entering this degree program.

This program is registered with the CFP® Board of Standards.

Entrance Requirements & Recommendations:

Required: Math A & B (algebra, geometry and trigonometry), SAT and/or ACT scores with a recommended combined SAT score of 1000 (critical reading and math) or a composite ACT score of 21.

Features & Facilities:

  • Designed for students interested in acquiring knowledge, skills, and insight to become personal financial planners or other financial planning professionals
  • State-of-the-art classroom and computer facilities featuring a wireless environment. Faculty include an attorney, a certified public accountant CPA), and a certifed financial planner (CFP)
  • There is a full-semester internship in the final semester of this four-year program

Career Opportunities:

  • Banking
  • Insurance
  • Investment Firms
  • Financial Planning Firms
  • Attorney's Offices
  • Self-Employment
  • Employee Benefits Specialists
  • Accounting Firms

Typical Semester Layout:

Most students are in a classroom setting 15-18 hours a week for formal instruction. Most courses required of this major are three credit hours, which equates to three-four hours per week in a classroom/lab and six-eight hours a week of outside reading and project assignments. Students are assigned a faculty adviser who works individually with him/her to set up schedules and choose appropriate electives.

First Semester credits
ACCT 1124 Financial Accounting 4
CISY 1003 Intro to Microcomputer Applications 3
MKTG 2073 Principles of Marketing 3
MATH 1123 Statistics I 3
COMP 1503 Freshman Composition 3
      17
Second Semester credits
ACCT 2224 Managerial Accounting 4
BUAD 2033 Business Communications 3
CISY 3023 Adv Micro Spreadsheets 3
LITR 2603 Intro to Literature 3
SPCH 1083 Effective Speaking 3
    Natural Science Elective 3
      19
Third Semester credits
BUAD 3153 Fund of Management 3
BUAD 3043 Business Law I 3
BUAD 4203 Intro to Personal Financial Planning 3
ECON 1013 Principles of Economics I 3
BUAD 4133 Investments 3
ACCT 3453 Tax Accounting I 3
      18
Fourth Semester credits
MKTG 1063 Salesmanship 3
ECON 2023 Micro Economics II 3
BUAD 4193 Insurance & Risk Management 3
    Western Civ Elective 3
    Other World Civ Elective 3
BUAD   Business Elective 3
      18
Fifth Semester credits
BUAD 5003 Management. Communications 3
BUAD 5023 Human Resource Management 3
FSMA 7023 Estate Planning 3
    Foreign Language Elective 3
FSMA   Free Elective 3
      15
Sixth Semester credits
FSMA 6003 Employee Benefit Planning 3
BUAD   Management Elective-upper 3
    Fine Arts Elective 3
    American History Elective 3
BUAD 5033 Retirement Planning 3
      15
Seventh Semester credits
BUAD 7013 Bus Succession Planning 3
FSMA 5003 Investment Planning 3
FSMA 5103 Tax Planning 3
FSMA 7103 Money and Banking 3
  xxx3 Business Elective 3
BUAD xxx3 Management Elective Upper Level 3
      18
Eigth Semester credits
FSMA 8112 Internship 12
Employment and Transfer Report
Employment and Transfer Rate:
100%
Survey Details200420052006
Receiving Degrees 4 7 9
Responding to Survey 3 (75%) 3 (43%) 6 (67%)
Employed 3 (100%) 3 (100%) 6 (100%)
Employed in Field 2 (67%) 3 (100%) 5 (85%)
Transfered -- -- --
Unemployed & Seeking Employment -- -- --
Unemployed & Not Seeking Employment -- -- --
Salary Information
NACE Annual Average Salary Survey Data
(2003-04 survey for associate degree program;
2006-07 for baccalaureate degree program)
$43,300
DOL Annual Mean Salary
(2006 survey for those employed in this career path)
$86,700