# Financial Risk Specialists

> Analyze and measure exposure to credit and market risk threatening the assets, earning capacity, or economic state of an organization. May make recommendations to limit risk.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-risk-specialists
- SOC code: 13-2054.00
- Career family: Business and finance
- Median annual pay: $117,330 (10th percentile $64,820, 90th percentile $196,110)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +7.4%
- Openings a year: 4,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CIE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 11 |
| Investigative (I) | 66 |
| Artistic (A) | 5 |
| Social (S) | 25 |
| Enterprising (E) | 65 |
| Conventional (C) | 73 |

## Also called

Analyst, Bank and Savings Securities Trader, Bond Analyst, Business Risk Manager, Compliance Risk Manager, Corporate Securities Research Analyst, Credit Risk Analyst, Energy Risk Management Analyst, Enterprise Risk Manager, Equity Research Analyst

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)
- [Accounting and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5203) (CIP 5203, 1,951 colleges)
- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)
- [Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5213) (CIP 5213, 631 colleges)
- [Applied Mathematics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2703) (CIP 2703, 426 colleges)
- [Business/Managerial Economics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5206) (CIP 5206, 258 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $108,590 | $185,551 | $20,750 |
| [Harvard University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/harvard-university-1157) | Applied Mathematics | $145,554 | $170,689 | not reported |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $141,543 | $160,313 | $19,500 |
| [New York University NYU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $111,101 | $158,559 | $13,250 |
| [Brown University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brown-university-314) | Applied Mathematics | $135,449 | $157,822 | $8,125 |
| [Stevens Institute of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/stevens-institute-of-technology-2604) | Applied Mathematics | $105,295 | $156,419 | $23,250 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $125,147 | $153,279 | $11,250 |

## Related careers

- [Financial Quantitative Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-quantitative-analysts): $81,100 median pay
- [Financial and Investment Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/financial-and-investment-analysts): $102,740 median pay
- [Investment Fund Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/investment-fund-managers): $166,570 median pay
- [Personal Financial Advisors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/personal-financial-advisors): $105,070 median pay
- [Management Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/management-analysts): $101,860 median pay
- [Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/securities-commodities-and-financial-services-sales-agents): $78,660 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.