Skip navigation
A professional in a lobby: Explore Regent's online Master of Arts in Financial Planning and Law program.

M.A. in Financial Planning & Law

Boost Your Career with a Master’s in Financial Planning

Financial planners improve the lives of families and communities by providing knowledge, management, and coaching on financial matters. Uniquely housed in the School of Law, our program gives you access to experienced law faculty in courses such as insurance contracts, estate planning, and taxation. You will also receive expert instruction on finance from the School of Business and Leadership. To top it off, you can learn directly from CFP® Professionals who are currently working in private practice. Our 100% online program meets the CFP Board education requirement to sit for the Certified Financial Planner exam while meeting your needs for a flexible education experience. Discover what you can accomplish with a master’s in financial planning. 

Online
32
January 13, 2025
Download PDF

More Than a Certificate Program

Demonstrate leadership and advanced technical acumen within the financial planning profession with a Master’s Degree.

Sharpen Your Skills in a Caring Christian Environment

The faculty of Ph.Ds., J.D.s, and CFPs can prepare you to expand God’s Kingdom by increasing the prosperity of those you can go on to serve.

Make an Impact in Your Community

Help others succeed and flourish as a trusted Christian advisor. 

Please complete the Request Information form on this page to learn more about this program.

On completing the online Master’s in Financial Planning & Law, you can:

  • Demonstrate proficiency in investments, portfolio construction and analysis, risk mitigation, and tax efficiency.
  • Successfully compete for job positions in any of the career paths in the financial services field.
  • Maintain your desired level of work-life integration while guiding your clients to increased financial competence and confidence.
  • Establish your own practice or integrate into a team of like-minded professionals working with the individuals and groups you want to serve.

Career Opportunities

  • Investment Advisor
  • Financial Analyst
$150Thousand
Mean Annual Wage of a Personal Financial Advisor in the United States U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023

Ideal candidates for this program are those looking to find a career where they can prosper while helping others. Those with a military background are especially needed in financial services.

Featured Courses
FNCE 652Financial Planning3
Principles of risk, return, liquidity, horizon planning, inflation, and taxation applied to personal financial planning of discretionary income, saving, credit, investing, and retirement planning.
FNCE 653Financial Analysis3
Use and generate financial statements to perform comprehensive analyses of firm operating performance, financial position, and earnings management. Non-financial indicators and company reports are used to understand management incentives, firm investments and performance.
FNCE 654Portfolio Analysis3
Managing financial assets by establishing appropriate investment objectives, developing optimal portfolio strategies considering, risk-return tradeoffs, investing the assets, and evaluating of investment performance. Includes choosing stocks or bonds for a style-specific portfolio as well as setting an asset allocation across asset classes and choosing managers for each.
MLAW 513Foundations of Legal Thought3
(1) The philosophical and theological sources and nature of American law and justice; (2) the role of lawyers in the American justice system; and (3) jurisprudential thinking about what lawyers do, including select substantive legal issues.
MLAW 542Insurance Law & Planning2
Considers principles of risk and insurance, income taxation and business use of insurance, analyzes and evaluates risk exposures and insurance needs, and the selection of insurance company and policy; finally, examines the following forms of individual insurance; life, long-term care, disability income, health insurance, and annuities.
MLAW 543Prof. Conduct & Relationships1
Focuses on communicating with a counseling financial planning clients; discerning client and planner attitudes, values, biases and behavioral characteristics; and learning the Certified Financial Planning Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Rules of Conduct, Disciplinary Rules and Procedures, and Financial Planning Practice Standards.
MLAW 544Fundamentals of Estate Planning3
Fundamental areas of estate planning, which include methods of property transfer at death, characteristics and consequences of property titling, incapacity and elder law, powers of appointment, fiduciaries, sources of estate liquidity, use of life insurance in estate planning, estate planning documents (including wills and trusts, and planning for non-traditional relationships), IRAs and retirement plans, income in respect of a decedent, the types, features, and taxation of trusts, qualified interest trusts, charitable gifts/transfers and gifting strategies, marital deduction, intra-family and business transfer techniques, deferring and minimizing estate taxes, generation-skipping transfer tax, federal estate and gift tax compliance and tax calculation, and postmortem estate planning techniques. Prerequisites: FNCE 652, MLAW 542, MLAW 543, and MLAW 670.
MLAW 545Capstone in Financial Planning3
Involves case analysis and the integration of financial planning, insurance planning, investment planning, taxation, retirement and employee benefits, and estate tax planning in comprehensive personal financial planning. Students will learn how to manage case scenarios to identify issues, analyze client financial situations, and make and implement recommendations. Prerequisite: MLAW 500 as required for admissions. Prerequisites: MLAW 542, MLAW 543, MLAW 544, MLAW 670, FNCE 652, FNCE 653, and FNCE 654.
MLAW 670Survey of Taxation3
Considers the fundamentals of personal, business, and trust & estate income tax law and tax compliance, including basis, tax consequences of property sales, alternative minimum tax, passive activity and at-risk rules, charitable contributions and deductions, tax reduction techniques, and the tax implications of special circumstances.

2024-25 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.

SessionSemester Check-InSession Start Date
Session AFriday, August 9Monday, August 19
Session BFriday, October 11Monday, October 21
Session CWednesday, January 8Monday, January 13
Session DFriday, March 7Monday, March 17
Session EFriday, May 2Monday, May 12
Session FFriday, June 13Monday, June 23

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply to Regent University

Submit your application using the Regent University Online Application.

Note: If you are unable to complete our application due to a disability, please contact our Admissions Office at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu and an admissions representative will provide reasonable accommodations to assist you in completing the application.

Step 2: Submit Your Unofficial Transcripts

Submit your unofficial transcripts to regent.edu/items.

Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email requesting authorization for Regent University to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution. International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES, AACRAO or NAFSA approved agency.

Step 3: Submit Your Government-Issued ID

To ensure academic integrity, Regent University requires a copy of a government-issued ID. Please submit a scanned copy or photograph of it to regent.edu/items.


Please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu should you have any further questions about the application process.

Note: All items submitted as part of the application process become the property of Regent University and cannot be returned.

PART-TIME STUDENTS

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$7156$4,290
Master of Laws (LLM) in American Legal Studies$1,035 (On-Campus)6$6,210
Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights$1,035 (On-Campus)
$725 (Online)
6$6,210
$4,350
Juris Doctor (JD)$1,36011$14,960

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$7159$6,435
Master of Laws (LLM) in American Legal Studies$1,035 (On-Campus)9$9,315
Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights$1,035 (On-Campus)
$725 (Online)
9$9,315
$6,525
Juris Doctor (JD)$1,36015$20,400

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850 (Fall & Spring)
$700 (Summer)
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

J.D. Program Fees Per Semester

Student Bar Association$80 (per semester)
Bar Preparation Program Fee$430 (per semester)**
Classroom Response Tech Fee$17 (per semester)

**To be fully vested and eligible to receive the bar preparation review course upon graduation for no additional cost other than postage, a $250 refundable materials deposit, and state sales tax. J.D. students must pay the $430 fee for six semesters.

Estimated Total Cost of Attendance 2024-25
Full-time J.D. (Fall/Spring Combined)

Tuition$40,800
University Fees$1,700
Program Fees$1,046
Loan Fees$326
Books & Supplies$2,000
Food$5,792
Housing*$13,120
Transportation$4,224
Personal$5,056
Total$74,064

*Estimated off-campus housing cost. If living in on-campus housing, the amount may vary.

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

J.D. Program Fees Per Semester

Student Bar Association$80 (per semester)
Bar Preparation Program Fee$430 (per semester)**
Classroom Response Tech Fee $17 (per semester)

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

Part-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$7156$4,290
Master of Laws (LLM)$6906$4,140
Juris Doctor (JD)$1,29511$14,245

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$7159$6,435
Master of Laws (LLM)$6909$6,210
Juris Doctor (JD)$1,29515$19,425

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850 (Fall & Spring)
$700 (Summer)
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

J.D. Program Fees Per Semester

Student Bar Association$80 (per semester)
Bar Preparation Program Fee$430 (per semester)**
Classroom Response Tech Fee$13 (per semester)

**To be fully vested and eligible to receive the bar preparation review course upon graduation for no additional cost other than postage, a $250 refundable materials deposit, and state sales tax. J.D. students must pay the $430 fee for six semesters.

Estimated Total Cost of Attendance 2023-24
Full-time J.D. (Fall/Spring Combined)

Tuition$38,850
University Fees$1,700
Program Fees$1,046
Loan Fees$326
Books & Supplies$2,000
Food$5,792
Housing*$13,120
Transportation$4,224
Personal$5,056
Total$72,114

*Estimated off-campus housing cost. If living in on-campus housing, the amount may vary.

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

J.D. Program Fees Per Semester

Student Bar Association$80 (per semester)
Bar Preparation Program Fee$430 (per semester)**
Classroom Response Tech Fee$13 (per semester)

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

*Rates are subject to change at any time.
**To be fully vested and eligible to receive the bar preparation review course upon graduation for no additional cost other than postage, a $250 refundable materials deposit, and state sales tax. J.D. students must pay the $430 fee for six semesters.

What can you do with a master’s in financial planning?

After completing an M.A. in Financial Planning & Law, you can pursue a career as a wealth manager, financial analyst, or financial consultant. You can even follow the path to becoming a Chief Financial Officer.

A degree in financial planning and law will provide you with the knowledge you need to enact financial strategies while being mindful of ethical and legal practices.

“I use the knowledge I gained at Regent every single day.”
Ann Buwalda, Juris Doctor (J.D.), 1990 2020 Alumnus of the Year; Managing Attorney & Founder of Just Law International PC
“At Regent, I became interested in issues of social justice. A big part of my calling is really around leveraging the market to do good. I believe if God is leading students here, He will open the door to a meaningful role where they are making a difference in people’s lives.”
Kyle Westaway, J.D., 2006 Lecturer, Harvard Law; Managing Partner, Westaway Brooklyn, New York
“When I began working for the state of Texas, I immediately began putting the values of servant leadership and ethics I learned at Regent into practice. My Christian faith holds me together and helps me fight tooth-and-nail as an advocate for justice. ”
Grace Pandithurai, J.D., 2010 Assistant District Attorney
“So much of my teaching style and philosophy is modeled after that of Regent Law deans and professors. I am working in my calling and love equipping my students for their calling too through the gift of teaching the Lord has given me.”
Adeline Allen, J.D., 2011
“I was incredibly blessed to learn from committed men and women who were so knowledgeable about their field. They were also just as passionate and committed to their faith and investing in their students.”
Rebekah Woods, Doctor of Organizational Leadership, J.D., 2004, 1994