Financial Planning and Wealth Management (B.S.)

As many employees are now tasked with managing their own money both before and after retirement, a growing number of individuals and families need financial planners to help them make important financial decisions.

By using your financial planning skills to provide this much-needed skill to those in need of help, you’ll have access to a wide variety of career options ranked high in job satisfaction.

By choosing a career in financial planning and wealth management, you’ll become part of an industry that has been consistently ranked as one of the 10 best career choices, with employment opportunities on track to expand rapidly.

Program Highlights

Hands-on Learning

As a Lerner College financial planning and wealth management major, you will complete specialized courses in investments, insurance, income tax, retirement planning and estate planning. During your final semester of senior year you will complete the capstone course. The capstone course is a “real world” experience. You will work on 4 client cases throughout the semester, working closely with members of the Financial Planning Advisory Board to build financial plans for each. The board is a committee of 9 UD alumni who have built their own successful financial planning practices. This means you’ll get hands-on training that takes you through the full financial planning process from start to finish – before you even graduate.

Certified Financial Planning Accreditation

The Certified Financial Planning (CFP) Board has accredited the Lerner College’s financial planning and wealth management program. Individuals who wish to take the CFP Exam must first complete a series of educational requirements. Graduates of the financial planning and wealth management major at UD will have satisfied the CFP education requirement. This means that our graduates can sit for the CFP Exam immediately after graduation.

Seminar Series

You will have opportunities throughout the year to hear from finance industry professionals from public and private institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve Bank and the nation’s top bank and trust companies like JPMorgan Chase, PNC and Wells Fargo.

Research Databases

As a financial planning and wealth management student, you’ll have access to industry-specific research databases maintained by the Department of Finance. The most commonly used databases are Bloomberg, eMoney and Morningstar.

Student Organizations

• Blue Hen Investment Club
• Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting
• Financial Management Association
• Women in Business
• Minority Business Student Association
• Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity
• Lerner Student Advisory Board
• Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity

Program Requirements

For the most accurate and up-to-date degree requirements, visit UD’s course catalog. Under the Department of Finance, select “Display Programs” to find your degree and view course options and sequencing.

Career Opportunities

Within 6 months of graduating, for the class of 2024, 97% of Lerner’s financial planning & wealth management graduates are employed (earning a mean starting salary of $72,154) or pursuing further education. For more information on career resources please visit the Lerner Career Services Center.

Top Employers

Some of the top employers of Lerner’s financial planning & wealth management graduates include:

• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Goldman Sachs
• Bank of America
• BlackRock
• Citi
• Morgan Stanley
• Vanguard
• Fidelity Investments

Top Jobs

Job titles of recent graduates with a financial planning & wealth management degree include:

• Associate
• Financial Advisor
• Corporate Analyst
• Wealth Manager
• Security Operations Associate
• Portfolio Management Assistant

Visit the Career Outcomes of Lerner financial planning & wealth management students to see more top employers, job titles, salaries and locations.

News

• Lerner Career Lab Prepares Students for Real-World Careers - Lerner Career Services introduces Career Lab, a monthly workshop using employer-designed job simulations to help undergraduate and graduate business students gain hands-on experience, explore career paths and build job-ready skills.
• Lerner Team Reaches Finals of Private Equity Competition - The team consisting of four Lerner students was one of four schools to reach the final round.
• Lerner Students Provide a Wealth of Knowledge at New FPC - Seniors Natalie Radebaugh and Giacomo D'Alessandro, along with certified financial planner Caleb Ray, are providing free professional coaching to UD students and employees in the new center.
• $71.5 Million Gift to UD Will Transform Lerner College - UD announces largest gift in University's history which will help create Lerner College's Siegfried Hall.
• Charles Schwab Foundation Announces Support for UD Lerner Financial Planning Center - UD's Lerner College is proud to announce a new partnership with the Schwab Advisor Services and the Charles Schwab Foundation to establish a new, state-of-the-art Financial Planning Center.

Learn More

Contact Richard Jakotowicz
richj@udel.edu
302-831-7226

Admissions Information

Learn more about undergraduate admissions requirements, deadlines, tuition and financial aid available to you.