College of Business
Personal Financial Planning
Bachelor of Science | Major
Business Administration, BS—Personal Financial Planning Specialization
Available online and in-person, the Personal Financial Planning (PFP) specialization prepares you to become Certified Financial Planner®.
Completion of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specialization at CWU qualifies you to take the Certified Financial Planner® exam. Financial planners help families set and meet financial goals by analyzing income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. In complex cases, financial planning can also involve investment management, estate planning, education funding, retirement planning, insurance needs analysis, and tax strategy. As one of only two universities in the Pacific Northwest to offer a bachelor's degree in the subject, we believe personal financial planning has the power to improve lives and support communities.
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Finance & Supply Chain Department
Shaw-Smyser 413
You belong here
What You'll Study
Academic Catalog | Finance and Supply Chain Management Department Website
Business Foundation Courses
- ACCT 251 - Financial Accounting
- ACCT 252 - Managerial Accounting
- BUS 102 - Business Computer Skills
- BUS 110 - Professional Development 1
- BUS 221 - Introductory Business Statistics
- OR MATH 211 - Statistical Concepts and Methods
- BUS 241 - Legal Environment of Business
- ECON 201 - Principles of Economics Micro
Select one from the following:
- ECON 130 - Foundations for Business Analytics
- MATH 130 - Finite Mathematics
- MATH 170 - Intuitive Calculus
Select one from the following:
- MATH 153 - Pre-Calculus Mathematics I
- MATH 154 - Pre-Calculus Mathematics II
- MATH 170 - Intuitive Calculus
- MATH 172 - Calculus I
- MATH 173 - Calculus II
Business Core Courses
- BUS 301 - Contemporary Approaches to Personal and Professional Development
- OR MGT 200 - Tactical Skills for Professionals
- BUS 310 - Professional Development 2
- COM 301 - Public Speaking for Business and Organizations
- ECON 202 - Principles of Economics Macro
- ENG 311 - Business Writing
- FIN 370 - Introductory Financial Management
- MGT 382 - Principles of Management
- MIS 320 - Business Process Analysis and Systems
- OR MIS 386 - Management Information Systems
- MKT 362 - Essential Marketing Concepts
- SCM 310 - Supply Chain Management
Personal Financial Planning Specialization Courses
- ACCT 303 - Tax Planning for Personal Finance
- ACCT 340 - Income Tax Accounting I
- PFP 310 - Introduction to Financial Planning
- PFP 440 - Estate Planning
- PFP 450 - Insurance and Risk Management
- PFP 475 - Financial Planning Investments
- FIN 475 - Investments
- PFP 460 - Retirement Planning
- PFP 480 - Financial Planning Capstone
College of Business Capstone
- BUS 489 - AACSB Assessment
- MGT 489 - Strategic Management
Opportunities
Graduates with a BSBA in Personal Financial Planning can move into roles like associate advisor, personal financial planner, wealth management advisor, or client services advisor. Starting your own firm is also an option.
Career-Ready
Graduates of our program are academically qualified to sit for their Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) exam and work for registered investment advisory (RIA) or broker-dealer firms such as Moss Adams, Charles Schwab, and more after graduation.
Demand Driven
CWU’s PFP program offers the only bachelor’s degree in the state and is one of only two in the northwest. Additionally, there is a major shortage of programs nationwide and a significant shortage of new professionals entering the field as a result. Our program has excellent placement rates with extremely competitive compensation packages for its graduates.
High Starting Salaries
Starting salaries for personal financial planners range from $60,000 to $80,000.
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of-a-kind
Our program is the only one of its kind in Washington state.
Your Skills
One of your capstone courses will be an ACCSB assessment, testing your skills according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business standards.
Foundations
A specialization in Personal Financial Planning at CWU will be a well-rounded business degree with 41 required credits in foundational courses including statistics, math, professional development, supply chain management, and marketing.
Why Study Finance and Supply Chain at Central?
- Our small class sizes allow for more personalized attention from faculty, creating a collaborative and supportive learning environment
- Through internships, case studies, projects, and access to industry-standard datasets, tools, and software, you’ll gain hands-on experience that prepares you for the job market
- CWU has strong connections with local, regional, and national employers and can help connect you with various companies in finance, banking, and corporate sectors
Communication is Key
The ability to communicate complex topics at a level appropriate to the intended audience is essential in this profession. Skillsets developed in this degree are primarily focused on written and verbal communication skills. Relationship buidling is also a critical component of successful financial planners who ideally will have clients for a multitude of years.