Course Catalog

The Extended Learning Certificate Program is classified as continuing education. Courses taken for extended learning credit do not count towards a degree at Texas A&M and are not transferrable to an academic program. The courses listed on this page are only available through the Extended Learning Certificate Program.

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FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals

This foundational course introduces students to the essential tools, techniques, and concepts of comprehensive personal financial planning. Serving as a prerequisite for all other courses in the program, it provides the groundwork for understanding how to develop effective, client-centered financial plans.

Topics include financial statement analysis, goal setting, time value of money, education funding strategies, debt management, insurance fundamentals, investment basics, retirement planning, and key economic principles. Students will also explore the psychological aspects of financial decision-making and learn how to gather and analyze client data.

Prerequisites: Introductory finance course, basic accounting

Semesters offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

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FPCC 436 Insurance and Risk Management

This course equips students with the knowledge and tools needed to evaluate personal and business risk exposure and recommend appropriate insurance solutions. Students will learn how to conduct an insurance needs analysis for clients and evaluate insurance contracts for life, disability, long-term care, and health insurance.

By the end of the course, students will be prepared to identify risk exposures, compare policy options, and integrate risk management strategies into a broader financial planning framework.

Prerequisites: FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals; can be taken concurrently with 435.

Semesters offered: Spring, Summer

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FPCC 437 Tax Planning for Professionals

This comprehensive course provides students with an understanding of income tax planning principles to effectively boost household income after tax. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on gaining a deep understanding of tax laws, concepts, and rules, as well as highlighting opportunities for effective planning. Students will be well-versed in the application of tax planning principles to a range of financial scenarios, enabling them to provide effective guidance to clients and individuals alike.

Prerequisites: FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals; can be taken concurrently with 435. Students should not take this course concurrently with FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone.

Semesters offered: Summer, Fall

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FPCC 438 Investment and Portfolio Management

In this comprehensive course, students will learn how to evaluate different asset classes to achieve client investment objectives. They will also examine quantitative investment concepts, investment theories and strategies, and asset pricing models. Through this comprehensive approach, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to build successful investment portfolios tailored to individual and family needs, and to create effective investment programs for individual investors.

Prerequisites: FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals; can be taken concurrently with 435.

Semesters offered: Fall only

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FPCC 439 Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits

Throughout this course, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate and compare the features of different retirement plans. This will allow them to recommend the most suitable plan based on a given situation. The curriculum includes tax-deferred retirement plans, IRAs, nonqualified plans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, distribution strategies, taxation of distributions, and regulatory considerations. Students will learn about the benefits and limitations of each plan, and how to assess which plan aligns with individual retirement goals.

Prerequisites: FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals; can be taken concurrently with 435. Students should not take this course concurrently with FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone.

Semesters offered: Spring, Fall

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FPCC 440 Estate Planning

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the estate planning process and its essential role in holistic financial planning. Students will learn how to evaluate a client’s estate planning needs and apply advanced strategies to preserve wealth, manage tax exposure, and ensure efficient transfer of assets across generations.

Topics include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, property titling, beneficiary designations, and the probate process, as well as the fundamentals of federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Students will explore tax-efficient planning techniques, lifetime gifting strategies, incapacity planning tools, and the use of trusts for charitable and multigenerational wealth transfers.

Prerequisites: FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals; can be taken concurrently with 435. Can also be taken concurrently with 441.

Semesters offered: Spring only

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FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone

In this advanced course, students will integrate the concepts learned in previous coursework to create a comprehensive financial plan for a client. Students will work on a final project where they will prepare and orally present a comprehensive financial plan to faculty, which will be recorded as a self-recorded video. Additionally, students will gain hands-on experience with financial planning software, advanced financial calculators, and Microsoft Excel. A solid understanding of education planning, tax planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management, and estate planning is essential for enrollment.

Prerequisites: 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, and 440. If you need to take a course concurrent with 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone, we recommend: 436, 438, or 440.

Semesters offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Course Schedule

Course	Spring 2025	Summer 2025	Fall 2025	Spring 2026
FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals	•	•	•	•
FPCC 436 Insurance & Risk Management	•	•	N/A	•
FPCC 437 Tax Planning for Professionals	N/A	•	•	N/A
FPCC 438 Investment & Portfolio Management	N/A	N/A	•	N/A
FPCC 439 Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits	•	N/A	•	•
FPCC 440 Estate Planning	•	N/A	N/A	N/A
FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone	•	•	•	•