Program Overview

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The program has been thoughtfully organized into a year-long curriculum to offer students the most logical sequence of coursework to maximize learning.

Fall Semester – Foundation Courses

The program begins with a traditional 14-week semester of course work covering the core tax areas important to estate and personal planning to ensure by the end of the fall semester, students have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of tax planning. Students also enroll in a course on the attorney's role in the estate planning and probate process.

Spring Semester – Focused, Modular Courses-Heckerling Institute-Estate Plan Preparation

One aspect of the spring semester is a series of one-week, one credit modular courses that integrate or build on the fall core courses. This format allows for full concentration on particular subject matter and an integrated curriculum covering a series of discrete topics. In addition to advanced-level tax planning topics, the spring semester includes coverage of important non-tax topics such as asset protection, elder law, fiduciary administration and investment planning.

The spring curriculum also includes a semester-long drafting course that culminates in the preparation of an estate plan under the direct supervision of a practicing estate planning attorney.

Students are also invited to attend the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the nation's largest educational conference for estate planning professionals held every January. Here students gain professional development and exposure to estate planning professionals, including attorneys, accountants, trust officers, insurance advisors and wealth management professionals.