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online master's degree of financial planning

Learn the financial strategies, analysis tools, and advising skills to help individuals achieve their financial goals through effective financial planning, investment, and risk management strategies. Graduates will be prepared for SIE, AFC, and CFP exams.
Summer term classes start in June.

100% online learning.

Earn your degree on your schedule

$680 per credit hour.
30 total credit hours.

advance your career with a master’s in financial planning.

The Master of Science in Financial Planning program at Bellevue University is designed for professionals who want to help individuals and families make confident financial decisions. Whether you’re looking to advance in your current career or make a strategic career change, this master’s program provides an in-depth education in personal finance, investment planning, tax strategies, retirement planning, and risk management. You’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to guide clients toward achieving their financial goals while developing expertise that enhances your professional credibility and career potential.

Build the expertise to lead in financial services.

Through applied coursework and hands-on learning, you’ll deepen your understanding of how financial markets operate and how to design personalized financial strategies. The program prepares you to address complex client needs with a blend of technical insight and interpersonal communication skills—key qualities for successful financial advisors. Graduates are prepared for a variety of roles including Financial Planner, Wealth Manager, Investment Advisor, Retirement Specialist, or Consultant, in an industry where the demand for qualified professionals continues to grow. Bellevue University’s Master’s in Financial Planning, recognized by both the CFP Board and AFCPE Board, meets high industry standards and equips you to make a real difference as a trusted financial advisor.

Prepare for industry certifications that advance your credentials.

The program’s embedded courses are designed to prepare you to sit for several leading industry certifications, including the AFC (Accredited Financial Counselor), CFP (Certified Financial Planner), and SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) examinations. These credentials are widely recognized across the financial services sector and can enhance your professional credibility and career mobility. Upon successful completion of these exams and the required industry experience hours, you’ll meet the standards to become a certified financial advisor—helping you stand out as a trusted expert in the field.

what you'll learn.

In this program, you’ll develop the analytical and planning expertise to guide clients toward financial success and prepare for key industry certifications.

upon graduation, students will be able to:
  • Demonstrate preparedness to sit for the SIE (Securities Investment Essentials) examination.
  • Apply valuation analysis to investment planning through stock market portfolio simulation.
  • Contrast risk management strategies of publicly traded companies at the global level.
  • Create a customized financial plan based on unique background.
  • Demonstrate preparedness to sit for the AFC (Accrediting Financial Counselor) certification program.
  • Demonstrate preparedness to sit for the CFP (Certified Financial Planning) certification program.
Take the next step to advance your career.

Awards

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Bellevue Stories
What do you do after you achieve your dream and become rich? Stay rich!
Dishant Pandya, Program Director

Financial Planning degree courses

Current students please login to BRUIN and select “Academic Progress” for your curriculum requirements.

Requirements (30 credit hours)

At least 30 graduate credit hours must be taken at Bellevue University

Emphasis is placed on understanding reported financial information used to assess a company's current performance, future risks, and business opportunities. Students develop skills necessary to understand the performance impact on financial statements and how economic events such as operating activities, corporate investments, and financing transactions affect the three main financial statements - the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Dual listed as MBA 520/MSF 520 Prerequisite: Graduate standing

This course presents fundamental micro and macroeconomic concepts relevant to managers and other policymakers in business and government. Students are challenged to recognize, apply, and assess these concepts to decision making in business management and public policy. Students address the applicability of economic concepts to themselves, businesses, and society. Concepts and implications fundamental to the market supply and demand economic framework are addressed with an emphasis on their application to the firm and individual. Additionally macro-economic concepts, including an overall aggregate model of the economy are addressed. Students are encouraged to take a holistic view of how economic concepts impact the firm. Dual listed as MBA 611/MSF 611 Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

The use of a variety of business analytics techniques, including quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis tools, to support informed decision-making serves as a major focus of this course. Techniques addressed include tabular and graphical displays of data such as the bar chart and histogram, numerical measures such as the mean and standard deviation, and linear regression. Critical evaluation of actual business scenarios will be conducted during this course. Cross-listed with MSF 624 MBA 624 Prerequisite: MBA/MSF 520 (concurrently or previously)

Students acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities to evaluate financial performance and strategies to utilize limited resources to optimize the financial value of a business. Key elements of the course include assessing financial performance, understanding financial and economic markets, computing the value of money and cash flows over time, performing risk analysis and project valuation. Dual listed as MBA 655/MSF 655 Prerequisite: MSF 624

This course focuses on federal income tax provisions and procedures used to compute tax liability for individuals. Included in the course are the concepts of income tax determination, problems of computing gross income, deductions and losses, tax credits, capital gains and losses, tax liability, and preparation of tax returns. Students will be expected to prepare basic tax forms and research tax issues using appropriate research materials. Prerequisite: AC 206 or MBA 641 or Graduate standing

This course includes fundamental principles and practices of risk management and insurance with an applied focus on risk management processes as well as institutional and contractual details of the insurance industry. Topics include risk identification; risk characterization; pricing of risk reduction techniques; risk retention; regulatory, legal and tax implications; insurance; and other hedging strategies. Additionally, personal, business, and public policy perspectives concerning life, health, property, and liability risk management and insurance are addressed. Prerequisite: MBA 520 and MBA 624 or MSF 624

Investment principles and practices are studied in the context of individuals or organizations operating in well- developed financial markets. The course will integrate accepted economic relationships and practices to provide students with an understanding of the current investment environment. Additionally, the course will survey the institutions and securities that make up the investment environment. Students will have an opportunity to understand and experience how individuals trade financial instruments, including: stocks, options, bonds, futures, and other derivative securities. Dual listed with BA 616A/MSF 616. Prerequisite: MBA 520 and MBA 624

This course has two main objectives. First, students study about people's attitudes, values, and biases to analyze sources of money conflict. Students also learn about sources of effective communication processes to provide financial counseling and manage economic crisis events. Second, this course provides an introduction of the operations of financial markets, as well as the evolving regulatory framework within which these markets operate. Prerequisite: MSF 520

The goal of this course is for students to learn how to prepare for post-working life. Students design a retirement plan that will meet a client's needs from a tax, retirement, and financial planning standpoint. Students also survey estate and gift tax planning, the unified estate and gift tax system, and the transfer of property through trusts and wills. Prerequisite: MSF 624

Students apply the financial planning process by considering the ethical, legal, and regulatory environment; appropriate communication; the standards of professional conduct; and other topics of relevance in financial planning and decision making. Students integrate employee benefits and retirement planning, investments, risk management and insurance, income taxes, and estate planning into a comprehensive financial plan. Prerequisite: AC 631, FP 601, BA 602, BA 616A, FP 619

30

Major Requirements Credits

= 30 total credits*

University Accreditation

Bellevue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission ( hlcommission.org ), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Whether a college, university, or program is accredited is important to students receiving financial aid, employers who provide tuition assistance, donors, and the federal government.

Accreditation Information

This program is considered a non-licensure degree/certificate program and is not intended for those seeking licensure or the practice of licensed profession. This program may be relevant to multiple occupations that do not require licensure and was not designed to meet educational requirements for any specific professional license or certification.

*Consult with an admissions counselor to determine your eligible credits, as well as to verify minimum graduation requirements for this degree. Transfer credits must be from a regionally accredited college or university. Bellevue University makes no promises to prospective students regarding the acceptance of credit awarded by examination, credit for prior learning, or credit for transfer until an evaluation has been conducted.

learn on your own time, from anywhere.

Our flexible online courses are designed to bring quality learning into a format that fits your schedule, without sacrificing meaningful faculty feedback and collaboration with peers across the country. Stay on track with the help of your Student Coach — with you from day one to graduation.
Flexible schedule.

Study on your own time with courses designed to fit your busy life—whether you're working, raising a family, or serving in the military.

Reliable technical support.

Access 24/7 tech support to keep you connected and focused on learning, no matter where you are.

Dedicated online student support.

From coursework access and connectivity issues to tutoring and resume assistance, we've got you covered.

Engaging online learning.

Enjoy interactive courses designed for real-world application, with multimedia content, discussions, and hands-on projects.

Prefer to learn On-Campus?

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Whether you’re preparing for your next promotion or changing careers to better support your family, we offer more than 80 career-focused programs with 100% online and flexible learning options tailored to your needs.

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grow with faculty who’ve been where you are.

Learn from experienced educators who have established careers across diverse fields of study. Our instructors have worked with both prominent institutions and innovative organizations from around the world. Through their expertise, students will gain valuable insights and develop essential concepts and skills in their area of study.

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