The SMU Certificate Program in Financial Planning is designed primarily
to train those currently employed in the financial services industry who
would like to build upon their prior professional experience and expand the
breadth and value of their services.
All registrants must have earned a bachelor's degree before beginning
the course. No particular major or emphasis is required.
Beginning January
1, 2007, CFP Board requires candidates for CFP® certification to hold
a bachelor's degree before they receive the CFP® certification. Refer to CFP
Board's Web site for more information regarding the CFP® certification.
Students must take courses in numerical order by term, and are required to enroll in the Fundamentals 101 course in their first
quarter of the Program. For part-time students, those taking one course
each quarter, the Fundamentals course must be their first. For full-time
students, those taking two courses each quarter, the Fundamentals course
may be paired with one other course, but must be taken in the first term.
Requirements for Completion
In their first quarter of the
program, all students are required to enroll in the Fundamentals 101 course.
Pacesetter Path students may pair it with Investments 103. All Students must
take the CPFP courses in numerical order per term, and must complete courses
with a grade of 'C' or better. For part-time students (Traditional Path), those taking one course
each quarter, the Fundamentals course must be their first. For
Pacesetter Path
students, the Fundamentals course
may be paired with one other course, but must be taken in the first term.
Students can be expected to spend at least 6 hours a week, outside of
class time, on each required course. Students have 5 years from the first
day of their first course to matriculate.
Transfer of course work from another CFP Board Registered-program to the
SMU Certificate Program in Financial Planning is possible. Requests must
be made in writing to the Program Director, and an official transcript of
record from your school must be sent along with course descriptions from
the school's catalog. Final approval will be made by the director. Students
must complete at least fifty percent of their coursework in the SMU program
(including the capstone course Financial Planning Strategies and Case Studies),
exclusive of transfer credit, to qualify for a certificate. To
download the transfer form,
click here.
Students are highly encouraged to attend an Information Session prior to
their first quarter. To enroll in a free Information Session,
click here.
Get Started!
- Choose a starting date. Students may join the SMU Program in April or September on the main campus in Dallas, or in January at SMU-in-Plano.
- Choose a track. Students may elect to take one course per quarter, on the Traditional Path, or take 2 courses per quarter on the Pacesetter Path (at a discounted rate). Students in the SMU CPFP in Plano program move through the program one course at at time, at an accelerated pace; each of the seven courses in the program are taught in 6-week modules. For an overview of the course paths, click here.
- Enroll in an Information Session. Offered throughout the year, these 1-hour sessions are packed with information about the SMU Program and the CFP® certification process. Register now.
- Meet program instructors, view prerequisites and course fees.
- Complete the program application. Click here to complete the SMU program application.
- Register for class. After the application has been approved, students may enroll online, by phone, or by fax. Traditional Path and Plano students begin the program with course 101; Pacesetter Path students begin with courses 101 and 103.