Ranked among the best in the country, the UGA Financial Planning Master's programs provide you with knowledge, skills, and technical expertise to enter the marketplace as an advanced financial planner or financial counselor.
Why Financial Planning at UGA?
- Top-ranked financial planning program by Investopedia
- Highly-regarded faculty
- Registered with the CFP® Board, the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE), and the Financial Therapy Association
- Meets the education requirement to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®), the Certified Financial Therapist-I Certification, and the Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC®) exams
- Variety of career options offering competitive salaries with a high demand for graduates
- Experiential learning opportunities with the ASPIRE Clinic & Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Time to Completion
Varies according to degree, but generally two years.
Admission Requirements
In order to be admitted into the UGA professional master's program in financial planning, you must first be admitted by the University of Georgia Graduate school. See how to apply to the graduate school here.
Certifications & Opportunities
Depending on the option chosen, upon completion, students will be able to sit for the CFP® exam to pursue the Certified Financial Planner™ certification, the Accredited Financial Counselor® exam and certification, and the Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC®) exam and certification. The Behavioral Financial Planning/Financial Therapy option allows students to sit for the Certified Financial Therapist-I™ (CFT-I) examination.
Degree Options
We offer three tracks for a Professional Master's degree in Financial Planning at UGA, or a Master's with a thesis. Click the plus (+) sign on the options below to view each track in detail.
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Traditional Financial Planning Track
Listed below are the primary major classes needed to complete for financial planning. The button below will give you a sample track of what is needed in order to graduate with a master's degree in financial planning from UGA. For further questions, please contact Justin Miller at 706-542-4655 or miller.j@uga.edu.
Traditional Financial Planning M.S. Degree Requirements
FHCE 8025 Research Evaluation and Theory in Financial Planning
FHCE 8200 Financial Planning and Analysis
FHCE 6200 Advanced Wealth Management I
FHCE 6205 Advanced Wealth Management II
FHCE 6210 Advanced Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
FHCE 6220 Advanced Estate Planning
FHCE 6230 Advanced Family Tax Planning
FHCE 6250 Practice Management in Financial Planning
FHCE 7200 Advanced Financial Counseling and Client Communication
FHCE 7250 Capstone in Advanced Financial Planning
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Behavioral Financial Planning/Financial Therapy Track
Listed below are the primary major classes needed to complete for the behavioral financial planning track. The button below will give you a sample track of what is needed in order to graduate with a master's degree in behavioral financial planning from UGA. For further questions, please contact Justin Miller at 706-542-4655 or miller.j@uga.edu.
Behavioral Financial Planning/Financial Therapy M.S. Degree Requirements
FHCE 8025 Research Evaluation and Theory in Financial Planning
FHCE 7200 Advanced Financial Counseling and Client Communication
FHCE 6270 Behavioral Economics in Financial Planning for Families
FHCE 8500 Survey of Financial Therapy
FHCE 8550 Money and Relationships
FHCE 7205S Practicum in Financial Planning
12 hours of Electives in Financial Planning or Financial Therapy
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Joint Masters in Accounting & Financial Planning
The MAcc/MS Financial Planning (Non-Thesis) program is a 3-semester program designed for accounting undergraduates who are interested in the intersection of personal financial planning and taxation. Upon completion of the program, students will be qualified to sit for the CPA, CFP, and PFS exams and will earn two masters degrees, making them extremely marketable to a wide variety of employers. For further questions, please contact Justin Miller at 706-542-4655 or miller.j@uga.edu.
Joint MAcc/Financial Planning M.S. Degree Requirements
Accounting Courses:
ACCT 7415 Tax Policy & Research
ACCT 7420 Partnership Tax
ACCT 7430 Income and Transfer Tax Planning
ACCT 7435 Cross-Jurisdictional Taxation
ACCT 7440 Corporate Tax
ACCT 7605 Advanced Accounting
6 Hours of Electives in Accounting
Financial Planning Courses:
FHCE 6200 Advanced Wealth Management I
FHCE 6205 Advanced Wealth Management II
FHCE 6210E Advanced Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits (ONLINE)
FHCE 7200 Advanced Financial Counseling
FHCE 7250 Capstone in Advanced Financial Planning
FHCE 8200 Advanced Financial Planning and Analysis
9 Hours of Electives in Financial Planning
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Masters with Thesis
UGA’s Master Thesis program in financial planning provides students the ability to develop your expertise in not only creating, managing, and transferring wealth, but also in areas such as: tax matters, investment principles and estate planning. You will also enhance your ability to research and report on various theories that help build the profession of financial planning. For further questions, please contact Justin Miller at 706-542-4655 or miller.j@uga.edu.
M.S. with Thesis in Financial Planning Degree Requirements
FHCE 7020 Research Development I
FHCE 7025 Research Development II
FHCE 8000 Research Methods in Financial Planning I
FHCE 8050 Research Methods in Financial Planning II
FHCE 8100 or 8150 Theory of Households, Consumer Economics, and Financial Behavior I or II
STAT 6210 Statistical Methods I
STAT 6220 Statistical Methods II
FHCE 7300: Master's Thesis
18 Hours of Financial Planning Concentration Courses