Certificate in Financial Planning: Accounting majors
Advising one-pager · BBA in Accounting, 2026-27 catalog · Gatton College, September 2026
Download the printable PDF Updated 2026-09-17
What it is
Financial planners help people manage money across investments, taxes, retirement, insurance, and estates. Personal financial advisors earned a median of $105,070 in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The six courses satisfy the education requirement for CFP® certification; the exam, experience, and ethics requirements complete it. Open to any major, and full-time on-campus undergraduates add it in myGPS at no additional tuition. Every course requires 60 completed credit hours: most students start as juniors, and students with AP or dual credit can often start as sophomores.
The six courses
| Area | Course | Offered | For an Accounting major |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | FIN 350 | Fall, spring | free elective |
| Tax | ACC 407 ✓ | Fall, spring | fills the ACC 403/407/418 choice |
| Investment | FIN 410 or FIN 357 | FIN 410: fall, spring. FIN 357: spring only | free elective |
| Estate | ACC 457 ✓ | Fall, spring | counts as an ACC 400-level course |
| Retirement | FIN 358 | Fall only, no alternate course | free elective |
| Capstone | FIN 359 | Fall, spring; taken last | free elective |
ACC 356 and ACC 357 do not count toward the Accounting major, and ACC 357 cannot follow ACC 407, so Accounting majors should use FIN 350 and ACC 407.
The posted four-year plan, with the certificate on top
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman | CIS 110, MA 109, UK Core ×3 | CIS 111, MA 123, UK Core ×3 |
| Sophomore | AN 105, ACC 200, ECO 201, STA 296, MKT 300, elective | ECO 202, ACC 201, MGT 301, MA 162, elective |
| Junior | ACC 301, ACC 424, ECO 391, FIN 300, FIN 350 | ACC 302, ACC 407 ✓, AN 300, CIS 300, MGT 340 |
| Senior | ACC 457 ✓, ACC 400-level, FIN 358, FIN 410 | ACC 475, FIN 359, elective ×2 |
Roadmap course Counts for roadmap and major ✓ Major requirement UK Core, electives Italic = recommended One term only
The certificate takes four of the plan’s eight electives; ACC 407 and ACC 457 count toward the major. Junior spring has no elective, so FIN 410 (both terms) is the natural investment course; FIN 357 works only if a spring elective opens before the final term.
Three things to know
- 1.
- It counts twice. ACC 407 fills the major’s tax choice and ACC 457 counts as an ACC 400-level course, so the whole certificate costs four electives.
- 2.
- Take FIN 358 in a fall, and never leave it for last. It has no second term and no substitute, so a student who starts in senior spring, or reaches that term without it, cannot finish before graduating (Executive Education afterward costs $895 a course).
- 3.
- It fits the CPA path. Students working toward the 150-hour CPA requirement can count the certificate’s hours toward it and leave with a second credential.
After the certificate
- Students can sit for the CFP exam as soon as their completion is reported. The experience requirement (6,000 hours, or 4,000 through an apprenticeship) and the bachelor’s degree can both be finished after the exam.
- Licenses depend on the job: Series 65 or 66 for RIA roles; SIE, Series 7, and 63 or 66 for broker-dealers; state life and health for insurance. We recommend the SIE for every student: it needs no sponsoring firm and is not required for the CFP.
- Get involved: the Finance Society’s Financial Planning Pathway.
To add the certificate: talk with an advisor, then myUK → myGPS → My Program of Study → Request a Major Change → Add a Major, and search for Financial Planning.
Details: gatton.uky.edu/certificate-financial-planning, or use the link at the top.
Terms. Free elective: any course the student chooses that counts toward graduation hours. SIE: Securities Industry Essentials, FINRA’s entry-level exam. ACC 403/407/418
choice: the major requires one of these three courses. ACC 400-level: the upper-level accounting courses the major requires.
Director: Will Gerken, CFP®, will.gerken@uky.edu ⋅ Plan: posted 2026-27 Accounting sample curriculum; the catalog year a student entered under
governs.
A general guide, not official advising. Compiled from publicly posted UK catalog and curriculum pages; requirements change and no warranty is given. Confirm your plan with your academic advisor and your myUK GPS degree audit.
Which sheet? Wealth management or financial planning: CFP. Investment research or portfolio management: CFA. Investment banking or private equity: Investment Banking. Real estate lending, investment, or development: Real Estate. Students can combine them. All sheets: willgerken.com/roadmaps