Chief risk officer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chief risk officer. Chief risk officers usually study finance, business, or accounting. 69% of chief risk officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 830 real chief risk officer resumes to see exactly what chief risk officer education sections show.

The most common colleges for chief risk officers are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online chief risk officer courses to help get the education required to be a chief risk officer.

There are certain chief risk officer certifications that you should consider. These chief risk officer certifications include Certified Risk Manager (CRM) and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).

What education do you need to become a chief risk officer?

What degree do you need to be a chief risk officer?

The most common degree for chief risk officers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of chief risk officers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 18%

Associate, 5%

Doctorate, 3%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a chief risk officer?

You should major in finance to become a chief risk officer. 23% of chief risk officers major in finance. Other common majors for a chief risk officer include business and accounting.

Finance, 23%

Business, 20%

Accounting, 13%

Economics, 8%

Other Majors, 36%

Most common colleges for chief risk officers

Chief risk officers often get their degrees at New York University, Auburn University Main Campus, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for chief risk officers in the US based on their resumes.

Chief risk officer common college	Percentages
New York University	8.60%
Auburn University Main Campus	7.53%
Florida State University	7.53%
University of Central Florida	6.45%
DePaul University	6.45%

Show more common chief risk officer colleges

Best majors for chief risk officers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Finance	23.0%
2	Business	20.3%
3	Accounting	13.1%
4	Economics	7.8%
5	Criminal Justice	6.3%

Show more common chief risk officer majors

Best colleges for chief risk officers

The best colleges for chief risk officers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A chief risk officer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chief risk officers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become chief risk officers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for chief risk officers

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2. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

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(300)

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3. Informed Risk Taking: Risk Management Process - Analysis

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Risk Management Strategies : Risk Analysis Techniques : Risk Management Principles : Risk Management Process : Methods...

4. Learn Risk Management: Risk Planning in Agile and Scrum

4.4

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5. Project Management Fundamentals: Risk Management

4.4

(504)

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6. Project Risk Management

4.3

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Practice of identifying , analyzing, prioritizing and mitigating risks...

7. Operational Risks Management ORM

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Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

8. Enterprise Risk Management

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(3,561)

Develop the Risk Based Thinking for your Business Processes Apply ERM in 5 Simple Steps to any Business...

9. The Agile Methodology for Project Risk Managers

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The Agile Project Management and Risk Management for Project Professionals Full Course...

10. Implementing the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF)

4.6

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A practitioner's guide to using the NIST Risk Management Framework (RM) to protect your business or organization...

11. ISO 31000. Risk manager training

4.5

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Understand the framework for managing risk proposed by ISO 31000 and the risk techniques of IEC 31010...

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Planning Risk Management, Identifying Risk, Analyzing Risk and Responding to Risk by PMBOK6 (PMBOK7 Updated)...

15. Risk Management: An Introduction

(697)

An essential guide to understanding Risk Management...

16. Interest Rate Swaps: Structure, Pricing & Risk Management

4.5

(994)

Interest Rate Swaps Risk Management Hedging OTC Clearinghouses Swap Valuation Floating Interest Rates...

17. Risk Management for PMI Certification

4.5

(642)

Get Ready for PMI Risk Management Professional Certification Exam...

18. Financial Risk Management (FRM): Foundational FRM Principles

4.5

(960)

Minimize Financial Risks While Maximizing Financial Reward. + Financial Risk Management (FRM) Process Implementation...

19. Risk Management for Cybersecurity and IT Managers

4.5

(15,797)

The management's guide to understanding Risk Management decisions in cybersecurity and information technology (IT)...

20. Certified Risk Management FMEA ISO 31000 Expert Accredited

4.6

(734)

Certified Risk Management Expert ISO 31000: 2018 FMEA Enterprise Risk Management Risk Assessment Risk Analysis...

Top 10 most affordable universities for chief risk officers

The most affordable schools for chief risk officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for chief risk officers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for chief risk officers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chief risk officers

The hardest universities for chief risk officers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for chief risk officers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for chief risk officers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief risk officers

The easiest schools for chief risk officers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief risk officer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for chief risk officers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average chief risk officer salary by education level

Chief risk officers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $167,810 annually. With a Master's degree, chief risk officers earn a median annual income of $157,507 compared to $132,499 for chief risk officers with an Bachelor's degree.

Chief risk officer education level	Chief risk officer salary
Master's Degree	$157,507
High School Diploma or Less	$100,724
Bachelor's Degree	$132,499
Doctorate Degree	$167,810
Some College/ Associate Degree	$100,708

Chief risk officer education FAQs

What is the best college for Chief Risk Officers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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