← All careers

Business & Finance

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$117,330

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$65k – $196k

Job outlook

+7% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Financial Risk Specialists

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,500–$153,000

Time to qualify

4.5 yr

Renewal

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Industry certification (optional for many roles)

    Certification

    Role-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.

    $500–$3,000 · 6 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Financial Risk Specialists" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Financial Risk Specialists Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Financial Risk Specialists

    Entry / Junior

    $64,820

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Financial Risk Specialists

    Established

    $117,330

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Financial Risk Specialists

    Senior

    $156,720

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

    Fields of study

    Any field

    Top colleges for Business & Finance

    Explore all

    Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.