Ideal curriculum for financial planning students

Here's a mashup of university program directors' ideas for which courses would best prepare next-gen financial advisers.

We asked program directors at four universities — San Diego State, Texas A&M, Utah Valley and Virginia Tech — what the ideal curriculum would be to prepare next-generation financial planners. Here’s a mashup of their picture-perfect course list.

Required courses:

Fundamentals of financial planning
Investment planning
Retirement planning
Estate planning
Life insurance planning
Tax planning
Capstone: Developing a financial plan

Advanced classes:

Advanced investment planning
Advanced tax strategies
Technology
Professional sales
Special/current topics in financial planning (e.g., tax reform, special needs planning, case studies)
Financial counseling and behavioral finance
Implications of debt for the household
Internship

The future of financial planning:

Financial planning policy and compliance
Communication and emotional intelligence
Peer-to-peer financial counseling
Practice management
Financial planner in residence (a financial planner comes into the classroom three-four days at a time, and teaches on
advanced concepts they see in practice. Repeat with various planners throughout the semester.)

Prep courses: