We recommend you have a bachelor's degree and at least two years of professional experience in a financial services field to register for the Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning.
If you don't have experience using financial calculators, we recommend that you take Basic Financial Mathematics and Financial Calculators BUS ADM 1002 before enrolling in Survey of Personal Financial Planning BUS ADM X433.
The curriculum consists of 8 required courses and 1 elective course for a total of 18 semester units (270 hours of instruction). Candidates must pay a nonrefundable program registration fee.
You must take all courses for a letter grade. To receive the certificate, you must maintain an overall minimum 2.5 grade point average, with a grade of C or better in each course. A Certificate with Distinction will be awarded to those who complete the certificate with a GPA of 4.0 or higher (effective to those who register beginning Sept. 1, 2017). All coursework must be completed within five years.
By registering, you declare your intention to complete the curriculum. To register online for the Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning, complete these two steps:
- Submit the online registration, and complete your student account profile if you are a new student.
- Pay the nonrefundable registration fee through your shopping cart. Please allow 3–5 business days for the registration to appear in your student account.
Each course is priced individually, and you pay the course fee at the time of enrollment. The program has an estimated cost of $10,700 (not including course materials or registration fee). Course fees are subject to change.
Once you have completed the program coursework, notify UC Berkeley Extension that you have completed the curriculum and request your certificate. Send an email to extension-business@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-4231. After your records have been reviewed, verified and approved (usually within two to three weeks), your certificate will be mailed to you.
After grades and course completion have been verified, the CFP Board will be notified of the student's eligibility to take the national exam.
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Online Information Session
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
The Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning is accredited and registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. This registration allows those who have successfully completed the UC Berkeley Extension program and who wish to obtain the CFP certification to take the national CFP Certification Examination. Coursework is designed to cover 101 topics tested on the exam. To sit for the exam, please email us at extension-business@berkeley.edu for additional details.
CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ are federally registered marks of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. See the CFP Board for details.
UC Berkeley Extension does not certify individuals to use the CFP and Certified Financial Planner designations. CFP certification is granted only by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board–registered program, have met its ethics, experience and examination requirements.
For information regarding CFP certification, please write to the CFP Board at 1670 Broadway, Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202; call (303) 830-7500; or email mail@cfp-board.org.
Brian Kozel, CFP®
Partner, Lead Adviser
North Berkeley Investment Partners
Chair, Advisory Board
UC Berkeley Extension
Chuck Bowes, CFP®
Co-Founder and Senior Wealth Manager
Waypoint Wealth Partners
Kurt F. Carrasquilla, M.B.A.
Vice President, Wealth Management
Financial Adviser
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Gordon Dunne
THE Financial Services NETWORK
Eric Flett
CEO and Principal
Concentric Wealth Management
Campbell Judge
Senior Vice President
Fidelity Investments Institutional Services
Craig Kirkpatrick
President
Orinda Funds
Tim Kochis, J.D., M.B.A., CFP®
Founder
Kochis Global
Daniel Lee, CFA®, CFP®
Wealth Manager
Plancorp
Michael Ma, CFP®, ChFC®
Principal
Parallel Advisors
Lieve Mertens, CFA®, CAIA®, CFP®
Senior Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager
Wells Fargo
Terrance Odean, Ph.D.
Rudd Family Foundation Professor of Finance
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Frank Paré, CFP®
President
PF Wealth Management Group
Marilyn Suey, CFP®, AIF®, PPC®
Principal and CEO
The Diamond Group Wealth Advisors
Kate Wilusz, CFP®
President, Financial Advisor
Wilusz and Associates