Bridgewater College expands academic offerings with financial planning minor

A new minor at Bridgewater College will train and educate students in certified financial planning, allowing them to complete the CFP examination and enter one of the fastest-growing business careers in the U.S. job market upon graduation.

Beginning in the fall, the Department of Economics and Business Administration in Bridgewater’s School of Professional Studies will offer the minor in certified financial planning. This program is available to all students who meet prerequisite requirements, regardless of major.

“This minor was created with students across the liberal arts and sciences in mind to help them build the necessary financial planning skills and, most importantly, apply them and meet the educational requirements to take and pass the Certified Financial Planning exam,” said Dr. Holly Caldwell-Taylor, Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Business Administration. “This minor provides an amazing opportunity for any student at Bridgewater, regardless of major, who has an interest in financial planning to learn the fundamentals.”

The CFP minor includes 21 credit hours of coursework in subject areas including tax planning, estate planning, insurance, risk management and more.

The coursework, taught in a hyflex model over eight weeks of online courses, prepares students to take the national examination to become a Certified Financial Planner.

Certified financial planning is listed in the top 10 best business careers by U.S. News & World Report, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated personal financial advisor occupations are expected to grow faster than employment in other occupations at a rate of 15 percent through 2031.

For more information on the certified financial planning minor, visit bridgewater.edu/CFPminor.