All written case studies and the thesis (or two comprehensive financial plans) are to be submitted to IBF by e-mail (www.icfs.com) or mail. If a case study or thesis receives a failing grade, there is no charge to resubmit a new case study, thesis, or financial plan.

Each case study (only required for certification programs) is comprised of a one-page fact pattern, based on a hypothetical client. The student is expected to answer the questions raised in the fact pattern along with explanations. The students' word-processed response must be less than two pages.

The two comprehensive financial plans are based on a more comprehensive fact pattern. Since the two plans are in lieu of a thesis, a more thorough response and justification are required. The student should expect to hand in a 15-30 page word-processed response for each financial plan.

Some MSFS candidates prefer to complete a formal thesis based on an independent study conducted by the student. Quantitative as well as qualitative studies are acceptable as long as the research is clearly explicated. The required steps for completion of the thesis are: (1) submission to IBF of an original research proposal, including a clear formulation of the research question to by answered by the inquiry-the proposal should include a plan for collection and analysis of relevant data; (2) written approval of the proposal from an IBF faculty member; (3) when data analysis has been completed, the student submits a progress report to IBF, including an outline of the total thesis report with sections for presentation, interpretation, and discussion of study findings, their implication for practice, study limitation, and overall conclusions; (4) written approval of the progress report from IBF; and (5) submission of the thesis for approval by IBF faculty.