Nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), in partnership with Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, announces the return of the Personal Finance Specialization for K-12 educators. The specialization allows educators to earn graduate credit in financial education and apply those credits toward a Master of Arts in Education at Arizona State University.

Funding for this initiative is provided by NGPF and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation. 

Each of the three graduate-level personal finance courses offered will be taught once per year over the next three years, with 100 scholarships available for each course:

• Investment for Educators
• Risk Management for Educators
• Psychology and Technology in Personal Finance for Educators

This relaunch comes as 30 states now require personal finance as a high school graduation requirement, nearly triple the number in 2021. These policies are increasing the demand for educators trained to teach the subject.

“Personal finance is becoming a core part of a student’s high school education, and teachers deserve access to high-quality education,” said Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance. “This partnership with ASU, a market leader, gives educators the confidence and expertise they need to build the content knowledge required to effectively teach these challenging topics.” 

“Kids are only 25% of the population but represent 100% of our future,” said David Nicholson, chairman and founder of the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation. “Supporting the financial education of these talented teachers provides a leveraged impact on the ability of students to survive and prosper financially.”

The Personal Finance Graduate Certificate Program, originally launched as a pilot in August 2023, has exceeded enrollment expectations. Since its launch, more than 800 scholarships have been awarded, and the program has maintained a pass rate exceeding 99%.

Educators interested in applying for the graduate course offering and available scholarships can find more information on the program website.

About the W. P. Carey School of Business

The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is the largest and one of the top-ranked public business schools in the United States. The school is internationally regarded for its programs and the research productivity of its distinguished faculty members. Students come from more than 120 countries, and W. P. Carey is represented by over 130,000 alumni worldwide.

About ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College creates knowledge, mobilizes people, and takes action to improve education. Nationally recognized as a leader in teacher preparation, leadership development and scholarly research, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College prepares over 8,000 educators annually. MLFTC faculty create knowledge by drawing from a wide range of academic disciplines to gain insight into important questions about the process of learning, the practice of teaching and the effects of education policy. MLFTC mobilizes people through bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs, through non-degree professional development programs and through socially embedded, multilateral community engagement. MLFTC takes action by bringing people and ideas together to increase the capabilities of individual educators and the performance of education systems. Visit Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College for more information.

About Next Gen Personal Finance

NGPF is the number one source for more than 130,000 educators looking for high-quality, engaging personal finance curriculum to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the future. NGPF invests in teacher professional development with live Virtual Professional Development, 11 Certification Courses, and 40+ asynchronous On-Demand modules. NGPF has been recognized by Common Sense Education as a "Top Website for Teachers to Find Lesson Plans" and also named NGPF a “Selection for Learning.” Visit ngpf.org for more.

About the Author

Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.