ASU Core Graduate Certificate
ASU Investment Management for Educators
FIN 594
NGPF Certification Course prerequisites:
- Investing
- Advanced Investing
NGPF/ASU Partnership
Guide for Graduate Credits
The Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business, NGPF, and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation have partnered to offer free graduate-level courses to U.S. high school personal finance educators who’ve completed specific NGPF certification course prerequisites. Take one course, two, or all three — and earn graduate credits from a top business school at no cost.
$1,750 tuition per course, fully covered.
First-timers pay a one-time $70 ASU fee; returning participants pay nothing.
What you’ll earn
- 3 graduate credits from ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business for each course you complete.
- Core Graduate Certificate after completing Investment Management and Risk Management for Educators.
- Specialization Graduate Certificate after completing all three courses.
- Credits transcript at ASU and can apply toward the ASU Master of Arts in Education through the Mary Lou Fulton College. Learn more →
ASU Graduate Courses for Personal Finance Educators:
ASU Core Graduate Certificate
ASU Risk Management for Educators
FIN 594
NGPF Certification Course prerequisites:
- Credit
- Insurance
ASU Specialization Graduate Certificate
ASU Psychology & Technology in Personal Finance for Educators
FIN 594
NGPF Certification Course prerequisites:
- Behavioral Economics OR Psychology of Money
- — AND —
- Cryptocurrency Basics
Each course runs for 5–7 weeks in Canvas depending on the session, with an expected time commitment of 1–2 hours per week. Work is fully asynchronous — no weekly deadlines, no live sessions.
CORE GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
Investment Management for Educators
Details of the Course:
Online and Self-Paced
3 Graduate Credits
7.5 Weeks
One-time $70 ASU Enrollment Fee as a Non-Degree Student
What You’ll Learn
- The tradeoff between consumption and saving, focusing on managing a household’s assets and liabilities
- The role of an investor’s personal characteristics, such as risk aversion and planning horizon, in establishing investment goals
- The techniques to align investment goals with allocating portfolios across asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and international assets
- Diversifiable and non-diversifiable sources of risk
- Financial products that provide diversification at a low cost
- An overview of selecting investment vehicles, constructing and rebalancing personal portfolios, and executing trades
Prerequisites
- NGPF Investing Certification Course
- NGPF Advanced Investing Certification Course
- An Undergraduate Degree
Timeline
This course will run from March 16, 2026, to May 16, 2026.
Graduate Certificate Earned
Graduate courses can be taken in any order. Graduate certificates are awarded when all necessary graduate courses corresponding to the certificate have been completed.
FAQ
Learn more about the process for participating in the NGPF/ASU graduate course program.
CORE GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
Risk Management for Educators
Details of the Course:
- Online and Self-Paced
- 3 Graduate Credits
- 7.5 Weeks
- One-time $70 ASU Enrollment Fee as a Non-Degree Student
What You’ll Learn
- The concept of risk and developing measures of risk
- The basics of interest rates and inflation
- The role of the Federal Reserve
- An understanding of how risk is involved in the valuation of cash flows
- Risks of common financial products for long-term savings and retirement planning
Prerequisites
- NGPF Credit Certification Course
- NGPF Insurance Certification Course
- An Undergraduate Degree
Timeline
This course will run from May 18, 2026. to June 26, 2026.
Graduate Certificate Earned
Graduate courses can be taken in any order. Graduate certificates are awarded when all necessary graduate courses corresponding to the certificate have been completed.
FAQ
Learn more about the process for participating in the NGPF/ASU graduate course program.
ASU SPECIALIZATION GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
ASU Psychology & Technology in Personal Finance for Educators
Details of the Course:
- Online and Self-Paced
- 3 Graduate Credits
- 7.5 Weeks
- One-time $70 ASU Enrollment Fee as a Non-Degree Student
What You’ll Learn
- Fundamental economic decisions most households make and their impact on long-term financial well-being
- Psychological biases that hinder savings and solutions
- How people make investment decisions, including common cognitive errors and ways to overcome them
- The psychology of debt management and developing tools for healthy debt practices
- An overview of emerging technologies in financial markets, such as cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and SPACs
Prerequisites
- NGPF Behavioral Economics or NGPF Psychology of Money Certification Course
- NGPF Cryptocurrency Basics Certification Course
- An Undergraduate Degree
Timeline
This course will run from July 1, 2026, to August 11, 2026.
Specialization Graduate Certificate Earned
Completion of this course earns you a 3-credit specialization graduate certificate. While the courses can be taken in any order, you must complete the core graduate certificate before this specialization graduate certificate will be awarded.
FAQ
Learn more about the process for participating in the NGPF/ASU graduate course program.
Who is eligible
Have an unusual situation?
Email abby@ngpf.org to check your eligibility.
You’re eligible to apply if:
- You’re a current high school classroom teacher in the U.S. (grades 9–12)
- You’ve completed an undergraduate degree
- You’ve completed the NGPF certification course prerequisites for the ASU course you’re applying to, before that cohort’s application opens
Also eligible: Special education teachers serving high school-age students (including 18–21 transition programs), and instructional coaches or curriculum specialists who currently teach at least one HS section.
Not currently eligible: Middle school-only teachers, college faculty, after-school staff, retired educators, and anyone not attached to a K–12 school.
(The program may expand to other educator audiences in the future.)
Current cohort
Next up
Investment Management for Educators, Spring A 2027
Running January 11 to March 2, 2027
Invitations to apply sentOctober 29, 2026
Applications closeNovember 12, 2026
Scholarship decisions sentNovember 19, 2026
Prerequisites must be complete by October 29, 2026 to be invited to apply for this cohort.
Each of the three courses is offered once per year in its own cohort, so you can take one course per cohort. The program is funded through 2028, with 900 total scholarships committed by NGPF and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation across three years. All three courses will be offered again in 2028.
Want to be notified when applications open? Make sure your NGPF account has up-to-date school information, and complete the prerequisite NGPF certification courses for the ASU course you’re interested in. Eligible educators receive a direct email invitation from NGPF when each application window opens.
How to apply
Returning participants: Re-apply through the same NGPF scholarship form each cohort. Your ASU credentials carry over from prior courses, so the enrollment process is shorter for you. Details in the FAQ →
- Wait for your invitation to apply. Eligible educators receive an email from NGPF when applications open for each cohort. This email confirms you’re eligible, not that you’ve been accepted.
- Submit the NGPF scholarship application — a short Google form. Applications are open for about two weeks.
- Watch for your scholarship decision on the date listed in your invitation. This is the email that tells you whether you have a spot.
- Accepted applicants receive personalized instructions from NGPF for completing ASU’s two-step enrollment. Step-by-step guidance lives in the FAQ →
What educators are saying
660+
teachers have already enrolled in these personal finance graduate courses
1330+
courses have been offered by NGPF to educators at no cost.
Questions?
Most questions about scholarships, eligibility, or the application process can be answered through our FAQ.
Go to FAQFor any other questions, email Abby Richards-Hatton at abby@ngpf.org.
