Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Finance planning manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a finance planning manager. Finance planning managers usually study accounting, business, or finance. 73% of finance planning managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,038 real finance planning manager resumes to see exactly what finance planning manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for finance planning managers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online finance planning manager courses to help get the education required to be a finance planning manager.
There are certain finance planning manager certifications that you should consider. These finance planning manager certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Six Sigma Green Belt.
What education do you need to become a finance planning manager?
What degree do you need to be a finance planning manager?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 2%
- Doctorate, 0%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a finance planning manager?
- Accounting, 30%
- Business, 28%
- Finance, 23%
- Economics, 5%
- Other Majors, 14%
Most common colleges for finance planning managers
| Finance planning manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 8.49% |
| Northeastern University | 7.38% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.27% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.90% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.90% |
Best majors for finance planning managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accounting | 29.8% |
| 2 | Business | 27.6% |
| 3 | Finance | 22.5% |
| 4 | Economics | 5.3% |
| 5 | Management | 2.5% |
Best colleges for finance planning managers
The best colleges for finance planning managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A finance planning manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for finance planning managers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become finance planning managers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for finance planning managers
Advertising disclosure
1. Engineering Project Management: Initiating and Planning
The goal of the course is to give you the tools to initiate a project plan, manage both stakeholders and relationships, organize their team, develop a project charter, and build a business case for a project. By the end of this course you will be able to: - Perform a project assessment using information from previous projects and lessons learned - Identify key deliverables based on business requirements while managing customer expectations - Perform a stakeholder analysis and create a...
2. Financial Planning & Analysis: Building a Company's Budget
Learn the Fundamentals of Financial Planning and Position Your Career for Success!...
3. Strategic Planning Skills
Strategic Planning Skills...
4. Plan the Project as a Business Analyst - IIBA Endorsed
Increase your value as a Business Analyst by learning how to plan projects successfully without a Project Manager...
5. Financial Planning Coaching Certification Holistic Coaching
Financial Planning Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in Holistic Financial Planning Coaching...
6. Learn Risk Management: Risk Planning in Agile and Scrum
Complete Risk Management and Risk Planning Training: Identify Project Risks, Create Risk Plan and Monitor Risks in Scrum...
7. Apply finance concepts for smart project management
Learn to read financial statements and make meaningful interpretations for business decisions in the age of big data...
8. The Complete Business Plan Course (Includes 50 Templates)
Everything You Need to Make a Great Business Plan by an Award Winning Business School Prof, VC & Successful Entrepreneur...
9. Project Management Fundamentals: Run projects effectively
Learn how to effectively analyze, plan, execute, and manage projects that consistently accomplish company objectives...
10. Complete Primavera P6 training; Project Planning
Master project planning and scheduling with Primavera P6 (Basic & Advance)...
11. Financial Statements: Balance Sheet, Income Stmt, Cash Flow
How To Quickly Read & Understand The Big 3 Financial Statements: Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement...
12. The Complete Finance Manager Course
Financial Management, ERP systems, Accounting, Capital budgeting, Presentation design, Management, and Negotiation...
13. Finance & Accounting for Management Consultants and Analysts
A practical guide that will help you understand financial statements & do financial analyses during consulting projects...
14. Financial Statement Analysis
Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...
15. Open To buy- Retail Merchandising Planning
Merchandise Financial Planning...
16. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management
Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...
17. Master Course in Project Management 2.0
Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...
18. The Personal Finance and Wealth Management Masterclass
Become an Expert in Personal Finance and Investing. Learn MBA-Level Financial Analysis. Master Finance Fundamentals...
19. IT Project Budget & Cost Management
Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...
20. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
Top 10 most affordable universities for finance planning managers
The most affordable schools for finance planning managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for finance planning managers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for finance planning managers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for finance planning managers
The hardest universities for finance planning managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for finance planning managers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for finance planning managers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for finance planning managers
The easiest schools for finance planning managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a finance planning manager without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for finance planning managers.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
Average finance planning manager salary by education level
| Finance planning manager education level | Finance planning manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $134,133 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $98,322 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $118,952 |
| Doctorate Degree | $140,169 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $98,311 |
Finance planning manager education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for finance planning manager jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025