Rutgers School of Business – Camden

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Online MS in Finance–Financial Planning
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Tailored Skills for the
Stewards of Tomorrow

Rutgers CFP® Board Registered Online MS in Finance-Financial Planning (MSF) program prepares students to succeed in the field of financial planning. By helping others achieve their goals, you can lead a fulfilling career that offers substantial growth opportunities, flexibility, and financial rewards. For 50 years, the CFP® certification has been the standard of excellence for financial planners.

The financial planning industry is undergoing a significant transformation due to an aging workforce, ongoing technological innovations, and shifting demographics. These forces are fostering demand for fresh talent in financial advice and financial planning leadership. Rutgers School of Business-Camden’s MSF program prepares you to embrace the opportunities these transformational forces have created. Grounded in innovative courses, experiential learning opportunities, and a supportive community, the program helps you hone the holistic set of skills critical for success in financial planning.

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Strengthen Your Assets, Minimize Your Liabilities

  • 100% Online Degree
  • 30-credit degree program 
  • Complete in as few as 12 months*
  • Take classes on a full- or part-time basis
  • Three annual admission cycles—Fall, Spring, and Summer
  • GMAT/GRE Scores are NOT required 
  • Same tuition for in and out-of-state
  • AACSB Accredited

*Students wishing to complete the MSF program in 12 months must start in the fall semester and enroll full-time. Students who plan to complete the program over a period of more than 12 months may start in the fall, spring, or summer terms.

Note: The Online MSF program features classes that take place 100% virtually. Please note that, while international students may enroll in this program from their own country, US visas are not offered for this program. If you are interested in an on-campus program, please review our On-Campus MSBA or On-Campus MBA programs.

Online MSF Curriculum

The MSF program requires 30 graduate credits. The courses are delivered through a mix of synchronous and asynchronous online modalities. Students will complete 21 credits of core courses and 9 credits of approved electives.

Seven Core Courses (21 credits)

This advanced graduate course delves into the intricacies of financial planning, blending the fundamental principles from the CFP’s core knowledge areas with a deep focus on ethical considerations and critical thinking. Students will navigate various topics, such as professional conduct, investment strategies, tax implications, retirement and estate planning, and communication techniques. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on maintaining the highest ethical standards while using critical analysis to address contemporary financial challenges. By the end of this course, students will be proficient in creating comprehensive financial strategies that prioritize client goals, societal values, and regulatory standards. 

The investment setting, organization, and functioning of securities markets. Topics include efficient capital markets, modern portfolio management, asset pricing models, security valuation principles and practices, analysis and management of bonds and common stocks, derivative securities, and evaluation of portfolio performance.

Prerequisite: 53:390:506 Financial Management 

Explore the strategic world of insurance and estate planning in this comprehensive course. Master the art of risk assessment, learn strategies to minimize financial exposure, and unravel the intricacies of estate planning from trusts to tax maneuvers. Grounded in the principles of financial planning, this course prepares students to safeguard client assets and support their clients’ financial and philanthropic goals through effective insurance selection and estate preservation.

Delving into the intricacies of tax optimization and financial market regulation, this course marries academic theory with real-world practice. Viewed through the lens of financial planning, students will master strategic tax planning techniques and gain an understanding of the complexities of regulatory systems. Central to the coursework is a commitment to the ethical principles outlined in the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, preparing students for responsible and ethical financial leadership.

By unifying standard financial principles and descriptions of how people behave, behavioral finance bridges financial theory, empirical evidence, and practice and leads to an understanding of how human behavior affects financial decision making and financial markets. Studying people’s wants, cognitive biases, and emotional shortcuts and errors leads to insights on important issues in finance, such as investment, saving, and spending decisions, portfolio construction, asset pricing, and market efficiency.

Within the wealth management industry, technology has the potential to add value at all phases of the client lifecycle. In this course, students will learn about the key technological solutions in wealth management and how to critically evaluate their value propositions. Through partnerships with industry leaders, students will have access to software in areas such as customer relationship management (CRM), financial planning, portfolio management, risk assessment, and data analytics. The course will also explore the field of robo-advising.

Three Electives (9 credits)

MSF students with either complete a specialization in Fintech or Leadership OR choose a customized set of elective courses from an approved menu.

Leadership Specialization

For those looking to lead financial planning teams or organizations, our Leadership in Financial Planning specialization prepares you to become a future leader in the industry. Students in this specialization will take the following set of elective courses: 

  • Required Course: Foundations of Leadership and Teamwork
  • Leadership Electives (Choose 2):
    • Conflict Resolution and Negotiations
    • Fundamentals of Talent Management
    • Leading Change and Organizational Development
    • Leading Innovation and Creativity
    • Emotional Intelligence at Work
    • Digital Marketing Strategy
    • Social Media Strategy
leadership
fintech

Fintech Specialization

For those looking to delve deeper into Fintech, our Fintech in Financial Planning specialization equips you to harness the technology disrupting the financial planning industry. This concentration focuses on advanced financial technology, preparing you to lead and innovate in this dynamic field. Students in this specialization will choose three of the following four elective courses: 

  • Fintech and Financial Innovation
  • Financial Data Analytics
  • Investment Management and Machine Learning 
  • Generative AI and Textual Analysis in Finance

Why Choose RSBC’s Online MSF?

  • CFP® Registered: Sit for the CFP® examination following graduation
  • Innovative Courses: Immerse yourself in cutting-edge curriculum
  • Rutgers Faculty: Learn from experts in the field, including several CFP® professionals
  • Experiential Learning: Bridge the gap between the classroom and client meetings through our partnerships with Amplified Planning, eMoney, MoneyGuide Pro, Morningstar, and RedTail
  • Worldwide Alumni: Join our network of over 585,000+ Rutgers alumni

NOTE: Incoming students without an undergraduate finance major or finance minor will be required to complete a Finance Fundamentals Knowledge Seminar to satisfy the Financial Management prerequisite. Those with an undergraduate finance major or finance minor will have the Financial Management prerequisite waived.

The Online MSF program features classes that take place 100% virtually. While international students may enroll in this program from their own country, US visas are not offered for this program. If you are interested in an on-campus program, please review our On-Campus MSBA or On-Campus MBA programs. 

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More Information

For more information or guidance through the application process, contact a Graduate Recruiting Team Member at rsbc.info@camden.rutgers.edu or 856-225-6452.

Questions?

Check out our FAQs page for some answers.

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Contact Us

227 Penn St.
Camden, NJ 08102

Dr. David Pedersen

Program Director

david.pedersen@rutgers.edu

david-pedersen

Lucy Horton, MSM

Admissions Coach

lucy.horton@rutgers.edu

(856)-225-2739

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BLDP Executive Shadowing Application v2

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Shadowing

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Signatures

If I am chosen and matched with an executive, I will follow through and prepare a one-page report giving honest feedback about the experience. The written summary is due by the start of the next semester. By typing my name in the box to the right I am offering my digital signature in lieu of my handwritten signature.

After the shadowing event, I will write a personal thank you letter to the executive and copy Dr. Kaufman-Scarborough and Ms. Bridget Britton for their records. By typing my name in the box to the right I am offering my digital signature in lieu of my handwritten signature.

After notified of a match, students are responsible for providing personal information to the matched executive (e.g., current resume and cover letter with information on career ambitions). The information on this application is for internal use only, for us to match you as well as possible with and executive from among our alumni database.

BLDP Application

The Spring 2023 Application is now open! 

Priority will be given to applications received by November 18. Applications are accepted until all seats are filled. Space is limited, so apply early!

The seminar application process is our gateway for entry into the program. Upon acceptance into BLDP, students will be emailed their acceptance letter plus a special permission number allowing registration for the BLDP seminar.

Requirements

Seminar applications are solicited each semester and require the following:

  1. Completed application form (at the bottom of this page),
  2. For students with GPA 3.0 – 3.49, two (2) letters of recommendation (one academic; one other)

Rutgers-Camden students are invited to apply to apply for enrollment in the BLDP seminar. All applicants are expected to meet both of the following selection criteria:  (1) have sophomore standing or above and (2) have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above. First-semester transfer students will be evaluated based on their GPA earned at Rutgers. Students who fail to meet these admission criteria may still be allowed to apply for (and possibly enroll in) the BLDP seminar, but they will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The director balances evaluations to make final decisions on people accepted for the seminar (up to a maximum of 15-20 each semester).

Students who are admitted to the BDLP are required to adopt the BLDP Code of Conduct. A signed contract is required from each student.

Students may count activities toward “leadership units” that were initiated prior to taking a seminar, as long as those activities occured primarily during their enrollment in their academic program.

Application for Admission to BLDP Seminar

Applications for the BLDP Seminar will be ongoing until class is filled.

BLDP Program Application

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  • Contact Information

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  • Employment Information

  • List relevant employment history

  • EmployerPositionDates of Employment 

  • School Leadership Information

  • Provide evidence of leadership initiative while enrolled in school by listing all school-based organizations and activities in which you have held a leadership role while a student.

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  • Community Leadership Information

  • Provide a list of community or volunteer activities in which you engaged in a leadership role.

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  • Statement

  • In your own words (100-350), discuss the reasons why your application should be considered for the Business Leader Development Program, including what you hope to gain from the program and what you can contribute.

  • Additional Submission Instructions

  • If you need to submit two reference letters, please email them to ldrshp@camden.rutgers.edu. Ideally, you should receive one letter from an academic source (e.g., a former or current instructor), and one from a business source (e.g., a former employer - even if for a part-time or volunteer position).

    Please only submit one application. If you experience any technical problems or need to submit the application again, please contact ldrshp@camden.rutgers.edu.

    Thank you.