Financial Planning & Services

Types of Degrees Financial Planning & Services Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many financial planning and services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	2,708
Bachelor’s Degree	750
Graduate Certificate	418
Master’s Degree	179
Doctor’s Degree	17
Associate Degree	14
Undergraduate Certificate	1

What Financial Planning & Services Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to financial planning were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Financial Planning Majors

Financial Planning majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Financial Planning Majors

A major in financial planning prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Financial Planning Majors

As a financial planning major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Financial Planning & Services Major?

People with a financial planning degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Credit Counselors	13.8%	$45,180
Personal Financial Advisors	14.9%	$88,890
Sales Agents, Financial Services	6.2%	$64,120
Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities	6.2%	$64,120

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Planning & Services?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 72% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of financial planning majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	27
Black or African American	31
Hispanic or Latino	53
White	564
International Students	31
Other Races/Ethnicities	44

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Financial Planning. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Financial Planning & Services Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Financial Planning majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $49,820 to $103,330 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Financial Planning & Services

Some careers associated with financial planning require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for financial planning careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.4%
Some College Courses	5.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	6.7%
Master’s Degree	6.6%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	2.2%
Doctoral Degree	18.3%

Online Financial Planning & Services Programs

In 2020-2021, 101 schools offered a financial planning program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	6	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	5	2
Bachelor’s Degree	22	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	26	8
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Financial Planning & Services Worth It?

The median salary for a financial planning grad is $98,770 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 148% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,177,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Financial Planning & Services

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to financial planning.

Major	Number of Grads
Finance	51,779
Banking and Financial Support Services	1,022
Other Finance and Financial Management Services	362
Investments and Securities	346
International Finance	123
Public Finance	48
Credit Management	10
Financial Risk Management	1

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Dave Dugdale under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.