University offering Series 7 prep course for financial planners
Friday, Aug. 22, 2014
MANHATTAN — The personal financial planning program at Kansas State University is offering a first-of-its-kind credit course that prepares students to take the general securities licensing exam.
The exam, called Series 7, is required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority of registered representatives within broker-dealer financial services firms.
Students who successfully complete the course, available online, will be eligible to sit for the exam upon graduation.
The course is made possible by a $5,000 donation from Edward Jones in St. Louis, Missouri. The donation covers cost of materials and training. Edward Jones is a financial services company.
"There is a dramatic need for financial advisers," said Sonya Britt, associate professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services and director of the personal financial planning program, both in the university's College of Human Ecology.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the financial adviser's job growth rate is nearly 30 percent over the next 10 years.
"The addition of this course will help us better facilitate the induction and engagement of recent program graduates into the personal financial planning profession," Britt said. "By partnering with Edward Jones and Securities Training Corp., Kansas State University students will now be even more attractive to prospective employers, as they will have completed educational requirements to sit for two of the most commonly sought-after credentials in the personal financial planning profession."
The course also prepares graduates to take the certification examination to earn certified financial planner designation.
Only two other universities in the country are incorporating the Series 7 course in their programs.
Kansas State University's financial planning program offers an undergraduate degree, a personal financial planning certificate, a financial therapy graduate certificate, an online master's degree and a hybrid doctoral program where students take online classes during the fall and spring semesters and participate in intensive 10-day summer experiences on campus and internationally.
More information on the program, including degrees and certifications offered, is available at http://ipfp.k-state.edu/.
