High School
High school classes that will prepare you for college and an eventual career in risk management include English, speech, business, economics, mathematics, accounting, computer science, history, and social studies.
Postsecondary Education
Risk management professionals typically have bachelor’s degrees in risk management, insurance, finance, economics, business, accounting, computer science, or management information systems. Some companies prefer to hire those with graduate degrees—especially for high-level risk management positions. Fewer than 65 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada offer degrees in risk management. Visit https://www.aria.org/rmi-degree-programs for a list of schools that offer certificates and bachelor’s and graduate degrees in the field.
Certification
The Professional Risk Managers’ International Association offers a variety of certificate programs, including associate professional risk manager; credit and counterparty management; market, liquidity, and asset liability management risk management; and operational risk management certificates. Visit https://prmia.org/Public/Public/Certificate/Certificates.aspx?hkey=91f5d0d1-e2be-4cec-b9cd-f7a74faa6790 to learn more. The Institute of Risk Management offers several certificate programs, including international certificate in enterprise risk management, international certificate in financial services risk management, international certificate in operational risk management, and the digital risk management certificate. Visit https://www.theirm.org/qualifications for more information.
Other Education or Training
Participating in continuing education (CE) classes, workshops, and webinars is a great way to keep your skills up to date and learn about new developments in risk management; CE credits may also be required to renew one’s certification. Professional associations offer many CE opportunities. For example, RIMS-The Risk Management Society provides in-person workshops as well as webinars. Recent offerings included Cyber Risk and Data Security, Risk Management Techniques, Risk Analysis Forecasting Tools, and Applying Enterprise Risk Management Theory. The Global Association of Risk Professionals and Public Risk Management Association also provide professional development opportunities.