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risk management

Types of Degrees risk management Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing risk management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	129
Master’s Degree	51

What risk management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for risk management develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that risk management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing risk management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Economics and Accounting — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a risk management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to risk management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, risk management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by risk management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Oracle Hyperion	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Tableau	Business intelligence and data analysis software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for risk management graduates include:

• Risk Adjustment Analyst
• Operational Risk Manager
• Market Risk Specialist
• Energy Risk Management Analyst
• Risk Management Consultant
• Analyst
• Securities Consultant
• Securities Analyst
• Risk Analyst
• Risk Management Specialist
• Risk Management Analyst
• Security Consultant
• Operational Risk Officer
• Equity Research Analyst
• Risk Control Consultant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to risk management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.3%
Master’s degree	18.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.5%
Some college courses	4.7%
First professional degree	3.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in risk management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 43.9% women and 56.1% men among risk management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	79	43.9%
Men	101	56.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of risk management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	114	63.3%
Asian	15	8.3%
Hispanic or Latino	17	9.4%
Black or African American	11	6.1%
Two or More Races	6	3.3%
Race Unknown	5	2.8%
International Students	12	6.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do risk management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of risk management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online risk management Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for risk management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in risk management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, risk management graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Accounting	58,956
Finance, General	49,828
Organizational Leadership	15,674
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	12,497
Operations Management and Supervision	12,273
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	10,865
Project Management	4,784
Accounting and Finance	3,502
Office Management and Supervision	3,126
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	2,454

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.