Best Financial Risk Specialist programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Analyze and measure exposure to credit and market risk threatening the assets, earning capacity, or economic state of an organization.
92 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,638 people a year. The job pays a median of $103,040 in Pennsylvania across about 2,370 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0801In Pennsylvania → | 2,391 | 42.4% | 49 | $53,572 | $23,672 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0301In Pennsylvania → | 2,255 | 40.0% | 83 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 3 | CIP 27.0305In Pennsylvania → | 334 | 5.9% | 12 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 4 | CIP 52.0215In Pennsylvania → | 162 | 2.9% | 3 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 52.0304In Pennsylvania → | 157 | 2.8% | 5 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0601In Pennsylvania → | 136 | 2.4% | 16 | $53,269 | $21,962 |
| 7 | CIP 52.1304In Pennsylvania → | 109 | 1.9% | 11 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0305In Pennsylvania → | 76 | 1.3% | 5 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 9 | CIP 52.0807In Pennsylvania → | 18 | 0.3% | 2 | $53,572 | $23,672 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 45 of the 92 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 866 | Finance, General | $68,552 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 2 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 491 | Finance, General | $58,807 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 3 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 394 | Finance, General | $82,008 | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 4 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 353 | Finance, General | $61,062 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 5 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 266 | Finance, General | $76,720 | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 6 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 264 | Finance, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 220 | Accounting | $63,425 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 8 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 188 | Finance, General | $66,072 | 79% | $34,418 | 89% |
| 9 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 154 | Accounting and Finance | $70,069 | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 10 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 137 | Financial Mathematics | — | 77% | $32,060 | 84% |
| 11 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 135 | Accounting | $70,453 | 80% | $25,834 | 81% |
| 12 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 117 | Accounting | $57,685 | 66% | $24,175 | 90% |
| 13 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 109 | Financial Mathematics | — | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 14 | La Salle University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 87 | Accounting | $54,772 | 57% | $21,997 | 97% |
| 15 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Abington Abington, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 85 | Finance, General | — | 20% | — | 97% |
| 16 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 83 | Finance, General | $47,912 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Erie - Behrend College Erie, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 78 | Finance, General | — | 44% | — | 97% |
| 18 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 64 | Finance, General | $47,651 | 56% | — | 87% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 62 | Accounting | $48,418 | 52% | — | 94% |
| 20 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 61 | Finance, General | $49,248 | 66% | — | 71% |
| 21 | Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 58 | Finance, General | $57,855 | 82% | $23,620 | 81% |
| 22 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Accounting | $47,640 | 54% | — | 93% |
| 23 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Finance, General | $61,304 | 82% | $23,111 | 72% |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Harrisburg Middletown, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 48 | Finance, General | — | 26% | — | 98% |
| 25 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 47 | Accounting | — | 43% | — | 92% |
All 92 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 866 | 4 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 491 | 5 |
| Villanova University | Villanova | Private not-for-profit | 394 | 4 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 353 | 2 |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem | Private not-for-profit | 266 | 5 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public | 264 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania State University - World Campus | University Park | Public | 220 | 3 |
| Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 188 | 4 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 154 | 2 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 137 | 2 |
| University of Scranton | Scranton | Private not-for-profit | 135 | 2 |
| Robert Morris University | Moon Township | Private not-for-profit | 117 | 4 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 109 | 1 |
| La Salle University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 87 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Abington | Abington | Public | 85 | 2 |
What financial risk specialists earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $117,330. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Financial Risk Specialists page.
How to become a Financial Risk Specialist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Pennsylvania
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Financial Risk Specialists12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 27.0305Financial Mathematics
- 52.0215Risk Management
- 52.0301Accounting
- 52.0304Accounting and Finance
- 52.0305Accounting and Business/Management
- 52.0601Business/Managerial Economics
- 52.0801Finance, General
- 52.0806International Finance
- 52.0807Investments and Securities
- 52.0808Public Finance
- 52.0810Financial Risk Management
- 52.1304Actuarial Science
Common questions
Answers for people weighing financial risk specialists programs in Pennsylvania.
What degree do you need to become a Financial Risk Specialist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Finance, General, which awarded 2,391 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 42.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Financial Risk Specialist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services, Finance and Financial Management Services, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 5,638 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do financial risk specialists earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $103,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.2% below the U.S. median of $117,330. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for financial risk specialists growing?+
BLS projects a +6.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 4,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+
92 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do financial risk specialists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Analyst, Risk Analyst, Risk Specialist, Securities Analyst among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2054.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card