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.
Total credits required: 120
Financial Counseling and Planning core (AFC exam ready): 24 credits
Emphasis: 15-16 credits from courses listed below.
| HD FS 234 | Adult Development | 3 |
| HD FS 249 | Parenting and Family Diversity Issues | 3 |
| HD FS 360 | Housing and Services for Families and Children | 3 |
| HD FS 369 | Research Methods in Human Development and Family Studies | 3 |
| HD FS 377 | Aging and the Family | 3 |
| HD FS 378 | Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits * | 3 |
| HD FS 395 | Children, Families, and Public Policy | 3 |
| HD FS 449 | Program Evaluation and Proposal Writing | 3 |
| HD FS 479 | Family Interaction Dynamics | 3 |
| HD FS 482 | Family Savings and Investments * | 3 |
| HD FS 484 | Estate Planning for Families * | 3 |
| HD FS 485 | Capstone: Family Financial Planning * | 3 |
| HD FS 491 | Internship | 4 |
| FIN 361 | Personal Risk Management and Insurance * | 3 |
* Required elective to meet CFP® education requirements.
Communications and Library: 13 credits
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Information Literacy | 1 |
| 3 |
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | |
| Interpersonal Communication | |
| Conflict Management | |
| 3 |
| Business Communication | |
| Proposal and Report Writing | |
| Technical Communication | |
| Total Credits | 13 |
Natural Sciences and Mathematical Disciplines: 10 credits
| STAT 101 | Principles of Statistics | 4 |
| 3 |
| ACCT 284 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| |
| Total Credits | 10 |
Social Sciences: 9 credits
| ECON 101 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| SOC 134 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 |
Humanities: 6 credits
HD FS orientation: 1 credit
| HD FS 110 | Freshman Learning Community Orientation | 1 |
| or HD FS 111 | New Transfer Student Seminar |
| Total Credits | 1 |
Electives: 41-42 credits as needed to equal 120 total credits
Courses from accounting, community and regional planning, economics, finance, gerontology, human development and family studies, journalism, management, marketing, political science, psychology, and sociology are suggested.
Total credits: 120 credits
U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives Requirement: Students fulfill the U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives Requirement by choosing three credits of coursework from each of the university-approved lists.
