Focus on Undergraduate Course in Risk Management and Insurance

Headlines from the salary-related articles at web sitemanagement jobs in cities ranging from Milwaukee to
read, "Lucrative Times for Risk Professionals," (Apr.Houston to Boulder, CO. Risk managers are needed
9, 2007), "Demand Pumps Pay in Risk Management,"at hospitals, firms with trading floors, manufacturing
(Jan. 7, 2007), "Hefty Increases to Risk Executives,"firms, and insurance firms. While managing legal and
(June 20, 2006), "Risk Sector View: Banks Gearingfinancial liability for a hospital is different from
and Paying Up," (Nov. 9, 2005), and "Risk Managermanaging risk with a portfolio of stocks and bonds,
Pay Jumps 15% Year on Year," (May 9, 2005).the same basic principles apply to each job. The risk
Michael Woodrow, president of the risk-managementmanager has to characterize the probability of various
search firm Risk Talent Associates, predicts continuedpossible outcomes and assign an expected cost or
high demand for risk management specialists withdollar value to each outcome.
experienced market risk and credit risk people gettingDo you have the aptitude to pursue a career in risk
packages of $500,000 or "much, much more."management? For the cost of enrolling in a
The results from a recent Risk Talent Associates3-semester hour on-line course, students can sample
compensation survey are as follows. "For riskthe work of a risk manager and decide if they like it.
management analysts or associates, average totalCharter Oak State College now offers the course
compensation in the U.S. grew from $111,000 in 2005"BUS 341: Risk Management and Insurance," which
to $121,000 in 2006. For senior associates orcan be used toward the upper level requirement in
managers, compensation rose $150,000 to $166,000.the Business Administration, Health Care
Vice presidents saw their compensation rise fromAdministration, Organizational Leadership, and
$242,000 in 2005 to $264,000 in 2006. Senior viceOrganizational Management concentrations. The
presidents garnered $420,000 in 2005 versuscourse emphasizes quantitative techniques used to
$462,000 in 2006, while managing directors'form judgments on risk exposure. Students work on
compensation rose from $900,000 in 2005 tocalculating expected values and variance of payments
$984,000 in 2006. Finally, chief risk officers earnedfor skewed distribution of outcomes (not the simple
$928,000 in 2005, but broke $1 million in 2006,"bell-shaped curves you may have seen in a business
according to the survey.statistics course). Insurance pooling arrangements,
Outside of Wall Street and the financial sector, risktechniques to limit exposure, and liability-driven
management salaries are not nearly so lofty, yet riskapproaches to asset management are analyzed. In
management can be a lucrative career option forjust 8 weeks, you can have a broad introduction to
today's graduates in any part of the country. In Junerisk management and learn if you want to pursue a
207, Web site listed 234 finance-based riskcareer in this exciting field.