The American College is a nonprofit private educational institution located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Bryn Mawr from Welsh for "big hill") is a census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue and the border with Delaware County...

. It offers several professional certifications and two types of Master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

. Annually, The American College educates approximately 40,000 students, mainly through distance education

Distance education

Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...

.

The institution was founded as The American College of Life Underwriters in 1927 by Dr. Solomon S. Huebner of the Wharton School

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...

 at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

. Huebner was a professional involved in the development of economic theory

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

. His theory of human life value is used in the field of insurance

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

. It was his vision for a college-level professional education program for insurance agents that led to the creation of The American College.

Today the college offers professional training to all types of financial practitioners. When the institution began, programs focused exclusively on providing education to life insurance

Life insurance

Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...

 professionals. The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation was the first credential

Credential

A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so....

 offered by the college.

Twenty full-time faculty members and financial experts work at the campus.

The American College campus was bought by the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in 2007.

The eighth and current president and CEO

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

, Larry Barton, Ph.D, joined the staff in 2002.

Curriculum

Current programs of study include:

• Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) - a program teaching product knowledge and sales skills for persons interested in pursuing a career in insurance and financial services
• Financial Services Specialist (FSS) - a training program to strengthen sales skills and technical knowledge for professionals in the insurance, securities, and banking industries
• Certified Financial Planner
  Certified Financial Planner
  The Certified Financial Planner designation is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc...
  
   Educational Curriculum (CFP) - prepares students for the certified financial planner
  Financial planner
  A financial planner or personal financial planner is a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning, which includes: cash flow management, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance...
  
   certification examination
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) - advanced life insurance and estate planning
• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) - advanced comprehensive financial planning
• Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL) - provides training in the special needs, issues, and decisions facing senior citizens
  Old age
  Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
  
  
• Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) - a program for financial advisors assisting clients with health care needs, including medical, disability income, and long-term care insurance
• Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) - specialty courses for financial advisors working in United States employee benefit
  Employee benefit
  Employee benefits and benefits in kind are various non-wage compensations provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries...
  
  s services
• Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF) - provides fundamentals of leadership, organizational structures and management of financial services organizations
• Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) - trains professionals dealing with wealthy individuals involved in philanthropy
  Philanthropy
  Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
  
  
• Master of Science in Management
  Master of Science in Management
  Master of Science in Management, abbreviated MSc or MSM, is a Master of Science academic degree that is common throughout the United States and Europe. It is similar to the MBA degree, and often requires a dissertation before a graduate is admitted to it. The MSc is a research-oriented program...
  
   (MSM) - a Masters degree program that focuses on leadership and financial services organizations
• Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) - a Masters degree program that focuses on financial planning topics, including business succession planning, pensions, charitable giving and asset management

The campus itself is located in the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation Hall in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The building includes a library, conference room, television studio, a classroom and meeting rooms.

Notable alumni

• David R. Brinkley
  David R. Brinkley
  David R. Brinkley is a Republican State Senator in Maryland, United States.-Early life, education, and pre-political career:...
  
  , Maryland politician.
• Alfred W. Redmer, Jr.
  Alfred W. Redmer, Jr.
  Alfred W. Redmer, Jr. , was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, District 8 in Baltimore County prior to being appointed Maryland Insurance Commissioner in 2003.-Background:...
  
  , Maryland politician.

External links

• The American College official site