Charles Sturt to offer planning course

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has joined the small band of Australian universities offering a Masters of Financial Planning degree after striking a deal with the Sydney-based Flowers Financial Group.

Kicking off in early 2005, the two year post-graduate course will involve both online and practical study components, including a practical internship working alongside financial planners.

The internship will be provided by Flowers subsidiary - the Flowers Institute of Financial Management - and will offer practical hands-on training to those taking the course.

According to Flowers Institute founder and educational director Nigel Flowers, the joint initiative has been designed by both academics and industry practitioners to incorporate a useful mix of industry skill and academic theory suitable for contemporary financial planning.

“This qualification has been purposely designed to increase the level of professionalism among financial planners. We would like to be integral in the industry’s push to ensure consumers have a positive experience when they visit their planner,” Flowers says.

Flowers says his group will also seek to expand its postgraduate and executive education programs to encompass other areas of business, finance and management.

For CSU, the addition of the Masters of Financial Planning course sees it join other institutions offering qualification in the field. These include Curtin University of Technology, RMIT University, Deakin University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast.