Personal Finance Courses at Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield
A lot of students ask if we teach a for-credit class on personal finance, and while we don't, we know our colleagues across the University of Illinois System do. Here's a look at what courses are available in Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield.
Urbana
ACE 240: Personal Financial Planning is an undergraduate course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, open to students from all majors. According to the course catalog, ACE 240 examines financial planning for individuals and households, including organizing and analyzing financial information, budgeting, acquiring financial assets, managing credit, investments, taxes, risk management, retirement, and estate planning. An online section is also available, making the course accessible to students across the University of Illinois System.
Students who complete ACE 240 can go on to ACE 241: Advanced Personal Finance, which builds practical, applied skills in risk management, investment decision-making, credit scenarios, and retirement and estate planning. The course includes an Action Learning Project, in which students create personal finance education materials for a community partner. ACE 240 (or an equivalent financial planning background) is recommended before enrolling.
Urbana students may also be interested in the Certificate in Personal Finance, an 11–12 credit-hour program built around ACE 240 and related coursework.
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Chicago
FIN 250: Personal Finance is offered at the University of Illinois Chicago and examines the interaction between the individual and society within the framework of financial decision-making and the U.S. financial markets, analyzing how financial choices affect individuals, families, and communities. The course is designated as a General Education Individual and Society course, which allows students from a variety of academic disciplines to enroll.
Graduate students in Chicago have their own version of the course: FIN 550: Personal Finance centers on creating a personalized financial plan for each student, covering financial planning, wealth accumulation, and wealth management to help individuals and households take control of their financial future. From there, students can advance into FIN 411/511: Retirement and Estate Planning, which builds directly on the personal finance coursework.
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Springfield
FIN 514: Personal Financial Planning is a graduate-level course at the University of Illinois Springfield that focuses on developing comprehensive personal financial plans aligned with individual and household financial goals, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, and return expectations. Students learn how to design, implement, and monitor personal financial plans.
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Planning Ahead or Filling Your Fall Schedule
The courses we found may not be available to help fill out your fall semester, so keep these options in mind to expand your financial knowledge in future semesters.
We also recognize that more colleges, departments, and individual instructors are incorporating financial topics into their courses across freshman and first-year seminars, extracurriculars, and classes like business or finance. However, you may find financial empowerment through courses that aren't traditionally associated with personal finance or in co-curricular activities like student clubs or entrepreneurial support efforts that exist across our dynamic universities.
If you know of other programs, resources, or opportunities for students to enhance their financial knowledge and well-being, please let us know by emailing studentmoney@uillinois.edu.
