67%

Students hold an internship while at the College of Business

Based on 2019-2020 First Destination Reports
80%

Job or educational placement rate within 180 days of graduation

$51k

Average starting salary for College of Business undergrads

Gain cross-disciplinary skills and learn to help people better prepare for their financial futures

Financial planners are responsible for guiding individuals through life’s big financial decisions. This concentration prepares you to enter the financial planning profession as a personal financial planner, investment adviser, or financial product representative. In careers like these, you’ll help people learn to manage their money in order to better support themselves and their families, successfully save for retirement or a college degree, manage estate planning, as well as navigate the complexities of tax and insurance planning.

The financial planning concentration is a CFP® Board Registered Program. Upon graduating from CSU’s College of Business, you will be on track to becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, prepared to uphold the highest ethical standards and maintain the fiduciary responsibility to put your client's interests above your own.

Through this focused concentration, you and your classmates will learn to promote financial literacy and help people plan for their futures.

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Financial Planning graduate Sara Godfrey
“CSU does a really good job of connecting students with that hands-on, real-life experience, whether it’s through classes or internships.”

— Sara Godfrey, 2020 Outstanding Graduate, Read her story

 

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Careers in Financial Planning

Beyond earning a respected degree with a concentration in financial planning, our College’s Career Management Center will support you as you find your calling in a career where you can use business for a better world. The CMC will help you with everything from landing an internship to preparing for job interviews, developing your resume, and connecting with industry professionals to get a better sense of what to expect after graduation.

Additionally, as a CFP® Board Registered Program, the financial planning concentration will give you an edge in the job market by preparing you to sit for the CFP® exam.

What can you do with a concentration in Financial Planning?

Financial Planning for a Better World

As the public’s understanding grows for how financial planners can help people improve the quality of their lives, demand is increasing for professionals with the capabilities to take on these challenges. Through an academic experience that explores and encourages ethical decision making, sustainable business practices, and giving back to the communities around us, financial planning graduates are on the frontlines of supporting our vision of using business to make the world a better place. 

Financial Planning graduate Cassie Alfaro
“I learned about financial literacy and the number of people struggling with their finances. I want to help people get better at saving money and planning for their future.”

— Cassie Alfaro, 2019 Financial Planning Graduate, Read her story

Engage With Career-Focused Coursework

Financial Planning Icon

To build a specialization into your undergraduate degree, you’ll select a concentration that will allow you to dive deeper into one – or even two – core business areas.

As a financial planning student, you’ll learn how to help people excel financially by blending concepts from a wide range of business topics. Through this approach you’ll gain an understanding of how cross-disciplinary concepts overlap and develop the skills needed to pursue a range of careers after graduation.

As you progress through your degree, you’ll be able to take courses related to all 10 concentrations offered at the College of Business – like management and innovation, finance, marketing, and more – before honing your focus on financial planning.

Students who choose the financial planning concentration must take at least 24 credits of financial planning-specific courses, in addition to the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) and College of Business core courses. Some of your AUCC requirements can be met by taking classes in the College of Business that can help simultaneously accelerate your path to graduation.

Full Curriculum Details

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Engage With Faculty Setting the Standard

22- 1

Faculty to Student Ratio

40

Average Class Size

275

Faculty and Staff

Our faculty draw on their industry experience and expertise conducting cutting-edge research to ensure their courses provide students with the most relevant information and help them master concepts that can be immediately applied in the real-world.

With industry experience in finance and a dedication to improving financial literacy, our faculty have specialized in several areas within the field. As a College of Business Financial Planning student, you’ll get insights into:

  • Investments - Understanding stock and bond markets and banking facilities
  • Retirement Planning – Planning for and funding retirement goals
  • Risk Management – Managing a variety of risks, both insurable and not
  • Debt Management – Understanding proper use of debt
  • Estate Planning – Creating protection and control of assets
  • Professional Conduct and Regulations – Advising properly and within the law
“The College of Business faculty ... really care and they're so knowledgeable and they just want to share that with students and see them succeed.”

– Sara Godfrey, 2020 Outstanding Graduate, Read her story

Join the College of Business

Financial planning is all about helping people, so let us help you figure out if becoming a business student is a good fit for you. If you want to learn more about our concentrations, we invite you to attend one of our upcoming information sessions. There you’ll have an opportunity to speak with an undergraduate academic advisor and current business students, as well as request more information. Once you’re ready, you can begin your application and take your first steps toward becoming a Biz Ram.

As a Biz Ram, you’ll have the chance to interact with students and faculty from the entire College of Business. At networking events, celebrations, in group projects, and more, you’ll quickly feel connected to the College and the rest of Colorado State University.

If you’re already a business major, get in touch with your academic advisor to learn more about how this concentration aligns with your interests, academic path and career goals.

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Upcoming Events

2/3/2024 10:00 AM - 4/6/2024 2:00 PM
Saturdays at CSU's College of Business from Feb. 3 to April 6
4/11/2024 - 4/13/2024
Save the date - more information coming soon