BOZEMAN — Montana State University’s online family financial planning graduate program has been approved as a CFP Board Registered Program, allowing students who complete the required coursework to satisfy the coursework requirement for CFP certification and become eligible to sit for the exam.
The program has been re-envisioned to address the financial planning needs of Montana and the surrounding region, said Nicole Wanago, assistant professor and coordinator of the program.
The master’s degree program is housed in the Department of Human Development and Community Health in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development.
The program combines technical preparation in areas such as investments, insurance, retirement, taxation and estate planning with a family-centered approach that examines how relationships, behaviors and life circumstances influence financial decisions.
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“Speaking to our land-grant mission, we really wanted to tailor some of our courses around meeting the CFP certification requirements while preparing professionals for the unique financial planning needs of Montana families,” Wanago said.
“We want to continually work with our students to have the kind of competence and humility to truly engage with families, understand how their values shape financial decisions and recognize what financial well-being means to each family,” she added.
MSU Extension helped shape the program’s coursework by contributing financial education resources, reviewing curriculum and providing guest lectures.
Joel Schumacher, an associate Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics and Family and Consumer Sciences program leader, taught guest lectures that were recorded for the spring session of the program, including on topics such as life insurance.
"I think it's really going to help fill a gap, not just in Montana's rural areas, but also across the board to have some more folks trained in helping Montanans with the questions they face daily,” Schumacher said.
Marsha Goetting, an MSU Extension family economics specialist and CFP professional, reviewed estate planning course materials and recommended Extension publications addressing Montana laws to supplement the national curriculum, including more than 50 Extension MontGuide publications.
Drawing on her experience providing financial education across the state, Goetting also suggested assignments that asked students to examine their own financial situations and apply what they learn.
“If they're going to be a CFP practitioner out there, they're going to be advising families,” Goetting said.
The fully online program accommodates working professionals and full-time students. Students can apply to begin the program in the fall, spring, or summer and complete it in three to six semesters, depending on their needs, Wanago said.
