Certificate in Financial Planning: Economics majors
Advising one-pager · BS in Economics (Business), 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 Economics major |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | FIN 350 (or ACC 356, if already taken) | Fall, spring | free elective |
| Tax | ACC 357, or ACC 407† | ACC 357: fall only. ACC 407: fall, spring | free elective |
| Investment | FIN 357 | Spring only | free elective |
| Estate | ACC 457 | Fall, spring | free elective |
| Retirement | FIN 358 | Fall only, no alternate course | free elective |
| Capstone | FIN 359 | Fall, spring; taken last | free elective |
FIN 410 also satisfies Investment but requires ACC 301, which is not in the Economics plan, so FIN 357 is the investment course.
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 | ECO 401, FIN 300, ECO 391, FIN 350, ACC 407† | ECO 402, AN 300, MGT 340, CIS 300, FIN 357 |
| Senior | ECO 300-level ×3, FIN 358, ACC 457 | ECO 400-level ×2, FIN 359, elective |
Roadmap course Counts for roadmap and major ✓ Major requirement UK Core, electives Italic = recommended One term only
The certificate takes six of the plan’s nine electives. Junior spring has no elective and FIN 357 runs only in spring, so the plan shown moves that term’s ECO 300-level course to senior fall, where the plan already has two, and puts FIN 357 in its place. Confirm the swap with the student’s Economics advisor.
Three things to know
- 1.
- It fits in the electives. Six of nine, with three still open.
- 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.
- Plan FIN 357 for a spring before the last term. It is the only investment course open to Economics majors and runs only in spring, and FIN 359 comes after it.
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 407:
Accounting majors and double majors only. Other majors take ACC 357 (fall only).
ECO 300-level and 400-level: upper-level economics courses the major requires; which ones, and in which term, is flexible.
Director: Will Gerken, CFP®, will.gerken@uky.edu ⋅ Plan: posted 2026-27 Economics (Business) 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