Financial Planning Minor & CFP® Exam Eligibility

What You Need to Know:

• The Financial Planning minor is not registered with the CFP Board of Standards. The means the current minor pathway does not automatically qualify students for the CFP® Exam.
• The CFP Board requires exam candidates to complete a Financial Plan Development Capstone course.
• FINP 441 Financial Planning Capstone is not required for the minor. You can view the official program requirements for the Financial Planning Minor in the TAMU Course Catalog.
• The undergraduate sections of FINP 441 are restricted to Financial Planning majors.

How to Meet the Capstone Course Requirement:

• Students enrolled in the minor can meet the Capstone course requirement by completing FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development course through the Extended Learning Certificate Program.
• Courses taken for academic credit, including the minor coursework, will roll into the Extended Learning Certificate. There is no need to repeat courses, unless students do not meet the ‘C’ or better requirement.
• Upon completion of FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development, the Financial Planning Program automatically verifies student’s eligibility with the CFP Board, at no additional cost to the student.

Required Coursework:

No	Subject	Number	Course Title	Minor	CFP® Exam Requirement
1	FINP	435	Financial Planning for Professionals	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
2	FINP	436	Insurance Planning	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
3	FINP	437	Tax Planning	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
4	FINP	438	Investment Planning	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
5	FINP	439	Retirement Planning	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
6	FINP	442	Estate Planning	Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam
	FINP	441	Financial Planning Capstone	Not Required for Minor	Not available to students in the minor
7	FPCC	441	Financial Plan Development Capstone	Not Required for Minor	Required for CFP® Exam

How to Enroll in FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development:

Fill out a short application and we will send enrollment instructions to you.

Registration for FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development goes through the Extended Learning Certificate Program, not through Howdy. Courses in the Extended Learning Certificate are managed by the Financial Planning Program.

About FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development:

• Flat rate course cost: $575. No additional fees.
• Textbook: We use the same book as FINP 435 Financial Planning for Professionals.
• Course format: 100% online. You are not required to be on campus for any portion of this course.
• Course scheduling: We teach this section three times per year: spring, summer, fall. The course follows the TAMU Academic Calendar for semester start and end dates.
• CFP® Exam: To qualify for the CFP® Exam, students are required to earn a ‘C’ or better in FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development.

Students can take FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development at any time after meeting the Financial Planning Minor requirements.

This means you can take it before you graduate with your bachelor’s degree, or at any time after you graduate. If you decide to take FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development after graduation, we recommend taking it within 3 years of completing the minor requirements.

Disclaimers

Courses taken for Extended Learning Credit do not count towards a degree at Texas A&M University and are not transferable to an academic program. These courses are considered continuing education and fulfill the CFP Board’s financial planning education verification requirement to qualify for the CFP® exam.

Texas A&M does not award the CFP® marks.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.