Administered by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Leading to the degree Bachelor of Science.
The Financial Counseling and Planning curriculum prepares students for careers in family financial services. Financial Counseling and Planning is a growing career field and appeals to students who want to work with individuals and families to help them meet their financial goals and improve their financial capability to better meet financial challenges. Coursework provides students with the family resource management and interpersonal skills needed to help families remain financially secure. Based on individual specific career goals, students may select courses that lead to fulfilling the education requirements for the leading designations and certifications in financial counseling and planning. Graduates of the program are prepared for employment in personal banking, financial services, insurance, financial counseling and planning, and human service organizations. Laboratory and practicum opportunities exist in the Iowa State University Financial Counseling Clinic and with industry partners. A field experience encourages students to apply their studies and to experience the profession in real-world settings.
Student Learning Outcomes
Financial Counseling and Planning graduates are prepared to:
- Help individuals and families make personal finance decisions using time value of money calculations.
- Deliver professional, competent, and ethical financial counseling and planning services to clients.
- Apply principles of client psychology within consumer and financial decision making.
- Measure individual and family financial health and use these measures in the financial planning process.
Total credits required: 120
Financial Counseling and Planning core: 21 credits
| HDFS 1020 | Human Development | 3 |
| HDFS 2390 | Consumer Issues | 3 |
| HDFS 2490 | Family Studies | 3 |
| HDFS 2830 | Personal Finance | 3 |
| HDFS 3170G | Field Experiences: Financial Counseling and Planning | 3 |
| HDFS 3830 | Fundamentals of Financial Planning | 3 |
| HDFS 4890 | Financial Counseling | 2 |
| HDFS 4890L | Financial Counseling Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Human Development and Family Studies Electives: 18 credits
| Select 18 credits from: | 18 | |
| Income Tax Planning * | ||
| Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits * | ||
| Insurance Planning * | ||
| Investment Planning * | ||
| Estate Planning * | ||
| Case Studies in Financial Counseling and Planning * | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Happiness Across the Lifespan | ||
| Family Stress, Abuse, and Resilience | ||
| Research Methods in Human Development and Family Studies | ||
| Death as a Part of Living | ||
| Aging and the Family | ||
| Trauma-Informed Practice | ||
| Children, Families, and Public Policy | ||
| Families Through a Social and Cultural Lens | ||
| Human Services Management I | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- *
CFP Board-Approved Coursework
HDFS orientation: 1 credit
| HDFS 1100 | Freshman Learning Community Orientation | 1 |
| or HDFS 1110 | New Transfer Student Seminar | |
| Total Credits | 1 | |
Communications and Library: 13 credits
| ENGL 1500 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
| Communication and U.S. Diversity | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Professional Communication | ||
| Communication and Conflict Management | ||
| Family Communications and Relationships | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Survey of Agriculture and Life Sciences Communication | ||
| Business Communication | ||
| Proposal and Report Writing | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Natural Sciences and Mathematical Disciplines: 9 credits
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Principles of Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| ACCT 2840 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| COMS 1130 | Introduction to Spreadsheets and Databases | 3 |
or Computer Science course | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Social Sciences: 9 credits
| ECON 1010 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| Social Science course from approved general education options | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Humanities: 6 credits
| Choose from one of the following: | 3 | |
| Moral Theory and Practice | ||
| Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society | ||
| Choose from approved Humanities list* | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Electives: 43 credits as needed to equal 120 total credits
Recommended electives include courses from accounting, community and regional planning, economics, finance, gerontology, human development and family studies, journalism, management, marketing, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Total credits: 120 credits
U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives Requirement: Students fulfill the U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives Requirement by choosing three credits of coursework from each of the university-approved lists.
The courses listed in this section are approved general education course options for this major.
Social Sciences: 9 credits. Coursework designed to help students develop an understanding of the principal methods of studying human behavior and an understanding of the structure and functioning of institutions.
| ACCT 2150 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| AESHM 4210 | Developing Global Leadership: Maximizing Human Potential | 3 |
| AFAM 3300 | Ethnic and Race Relations | 3 |
| AMIN 3100 | Contemporary Topics in American Indian Studies | 3 |
| AMIN 3150 | Archaeology of North America | 3 |
| AMIN 3220 | Peoples and Cultures of Native North America | 3 |
| Anthropology (ANTHR) - except 2020 | ||
| Economics (ECON) | ||
| FSHN 3420 | World Food Issues: Past and Present | 3 |
| INTST 2350 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| LING 2190 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 4710 | Language and Reading Development in Children | 3 |
| Political Science (POLS) | ||
| Psychology (PSYCH) - except 1310 | ||
| Sociology (SOC), including Criminal Justice (CJST) | ||
| WGS 2010 | Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | 3 |
| WGS 2030 | Introduction to Lesbian Communities | 3 |
| WGS 3010 | International Perspectives on Women and Gender | 3 |
| ENVS 3200 | Ecofeminism | 3 |
| WGS 3270 | Gender and Sexualities in Society | 3 |
| WGS 3280 | Sociology of Masculinities and Manhood | 3 |
| WGS 3460 | Psychology of Women | 3 |
| AFAM 3500 | Women of Color in the U.S | 3 |
| WGS 3850 | Women in Politics | 3 |
| FDM 1650 | Fashion and Society: An Introduction | 3 |
| FDM 3620 | Global Fashion | 3 |
| FDM 4670 | Consumer Studies in Apparel and Fashion Products | 3 |
Humanities: 6 credits. Coursework designed to assist students to develop an understanding of human cultural heritage and history, and an appreciation of reasoning and the aesthetic value of human creativity.
| AESHM 3420 | Aesthetics of Consumer Experience | 3 |
| AFAM 2010 | Introduction to African American Studies | 3 |
| AFAM 3340 | Africana Religions | 3 |
| AFAM 3470 | African American Literature | 3 |
| AFAM 3530 | History of African Americans I | 3 |
| AFAM 3540 | History of African Americans II | 3 |
| AMIN 2100 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 |
| AMIN 2400 | Introduction to American Indian Literature | 3 |
| AMIN 3460 | American Indian Literature | 3 |
| ARCH 2210 | Histories and Theories of Architecture to 1750 | 3 |
| Art History (ARTH) | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) | ||
| Classical Studies (CLST) | ||
| DANCE 2700 | Dance Appreciation | 3 |
| DANCE 3600 | History and Philosophy of Dance | 3 |
| DSNS 1830 | Design in Context | 3 |
| ENGL 2010 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2250 | Survey of British Literature to 1800 | 3 |
| ENGL 2260 | Survey of British Literature since 1800 | 3 |
| ENGL 2270 | Survey of American Literature to 1865 | 3 |
| ENGL 2280 | Survey of American Literature since 1865 | 3 |
| ENGL 2370 | Survey of Film History | 3 |
| ENGL 2400 | Introduction to American Indian Literature | 3 |
| History (HIST) | ||
| HSPM 2600 | Global Tourism Management | 3 |
| MUSIC 1020 | Introduction to Music Listening | 3 |
| MUSIC 3020 | Masterpieces of Music and Art in Western Culture | 3 |
| MUSIC 3040 | History of American Rock 'n' Roll | 3 |
| MUSIC 3830 | History of Music I | 3 |
| MUSIC 3840 | History of Music II | 3 |
| Philosophy (PHIL) | ||
| Religious Studies (RELIG) | ||
| THTRE 1060 | Performing Arts Today | 3 |
| THTRE 1100 | Theatre and Society | 3 |
| THTRE 4650 | Theatre History: Ancient to 19th Century | 3 |
| THTRE 4660 | Theatre History: 19th Century to Present | 3 |
| WGS 2010 | Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | 3 |
| WGS 3360 | Religion, Sex and Gender | 3 |
| WGS 3380 | Feminist Philosophy | 3 |
| WGS 3450 | Women's Literature | 3 |
| WGS 3700F | Studies in English Translation: French Topics on Women and Gender Studies | 3 |
| or WGS 3700R | Studies in English Translation: Russian Topics on Women or Feminism | |
| or WGS 3700S | Studies in English Translation: Hispanic Topics on Women or Feminism | |
| WGS 3740 | Sex, Gender, and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean World | 3 |
| World Languages and Cultures (ARABC, CHIN, FRNCH, GER, GREEK, RUS, SPAN) | ||
| FDM 2570 | Museum Studies | 3 |
| FDM 3540 | Fashion History I: Prehistoric to Mid-19th Century | 3 |
| FDM 3560 | Fashion History II: Mid-19th Century to the Present | 3 |
Financial Counseling and Planning
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS 1020 | 3 | HDFS 2390 | 3 |
| HDFS 1100 or 1110 | 1 | HDFS 2490 | 3 |
| HDFS 2830 | 3 | COMS 1130 (or Computer Science course) | 3 |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | Humanities General Education course*** (recommend: International Perspectives course) | 3 |
| ECON 1010 | 3 | Social Science General Education Course*** | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | 1 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGL 2500 | 3 | HDFS 3830 | 3 |
| ACCT 2840 | 3 | PHIL 2300 or 2350 | 3 |
| HDFS 2700, COMST 2100, COMST 2140, COMST 2180, or SPCM 2120 | 3 | STAT 1040 or 1010 | 3-4 |
| Social Science General Education Course*** | 3 | Electives* | 7 |
| Elective* | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16-17 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Electives* | 12 | HDFS 3170G | 1-6 |
| HDFS Elective** | 3 | HDFS Electives** | 6 |
| Electives* | 6 | ||
| 15 | 13-18 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS 4890 | 2 | HDFS Electives** | 6 |
| HDFS 4890L | 1 | Electives* | 9 |
| ENGL 3020, 3090, 3140, or AGEDS 3270 | 3 | ||
| HDFS Elective** | 3 | ||
| Electives* | 6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
- *
Electives: Courses from accounting, community and regional planning, economics, family and consumer sciences education, finance, gerontology, human development and family studies, journalism, management, marketing, political science, psychology, and sociology are suggested.
- **
See Approved HDFS Elective options
- ***
See Approved General Education options.
Students in Financial Counseling and Planning fulfill the U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives Requirement by choosing three credits of coursework from each of the university-approved lists.
This sequence is only an example. The number of credits taken each semester should be based on the individual student's situation. Factors that may affect credit hours per semester include student ability, employment, health, activities, and grade point consideration.
The Financial Counseling and Planning minor may be earned by completing 15 credits
| HDFS 2830 | Personal Finance | 3 |
| Twelve credits from the following: | 12 | |
| Consumer Issues | ||
| Income Tax Planning | ||
| Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits | ||
| Fundamentals of Financial Planning | ||
| Insurance Planning | ||
| Investment Planning | ||
| Estate Planning | ||
| Case Studies in Financial Counseling and Planning | ||
| Financial Counseling | ||
| Financial Counseling Laboratory | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Graduate Programs
A master's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences (MFCS) with a specialization in Family Financial Planning as well as a Family Financial Planning certificate are available. More information can be found at: https://online.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-degrees/family-financial-planning/.