The family financial planning master's degree is a 36-credit distance degree program that is offered through a consortium of eight mid-western and western land-grant universities through Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GP-IDEA).

The program is registered with the Certified Financial Planner® Board of Standards and meets the education criteria for individuals who wish to fulfill the education component for obtaining CFP® certification. Students may also take the six core courses to fulfill this CFP® education requirement, rather than the full master's program.

As a participating university in this consortium, Montana State University offers two of the twelve required courses, in addition to a three-credit practicum experience and a three-credit professional paper. The program is designed to be a part-time program for fully or partially employed students. Applicants apply at their home institution and take approximately two to three 3-credit courses via distance delivery from each of the participating universities, at a uniform tuition rate determined by the consortium. Two plans for program completion are available: the professional paper plan and the course work-only plan.