The core risk management course, ACCT 380x: Introduction to Enterprise Risk Management, is  a requirement that must be completed before declaring this emphasis and is the best course to help students decide if this Emphasis is right for them. We encourage students interested in the Risk Management Emphasis to enroll in ACCT 380x as early as possible. Students learn the basic elements of risk management and its importance to the survival and flourishing of all sorts of organizations from start-ups and non-profits to the largest public companies and governmental agencies.

The USC Risk Management Program oversees the Risk Management Emphasis. To learn more about the Program, careers, and professional development activities, students can visit the Risk Management Program website.

The Risk Management Society at USC (RMS) is a student organization whose mission is to promote awareness of the risk management industry among USC students. Please email RMS (rmsusc@gmail.com) if you are interested in speaking with an officer at RMS about the Emphasis and careers in risk management.

Several Marshall alumni have completed the Risk Management Minor (as the Risk Management Emphasis was not available until mid-2021) and are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including banking, consulting, and insurance. They are happy to speak with students. Please reach out to Professor and Risk Management Program Director Kristen Jaconi at kjaconi@marshall.usc.edu if you would like to speak to recent graduates.

The USC Risk Management Program oversees the Risk Management Emphasis. An Advisory Council of over 60 representatives from the business community supports the Program. Advisory Council members are happy to speak with students about the benefits of pursuing the Risk Management Emphasis. Please reach out to Professor and Risk Management Program Director Kristen Jaconi at kjaconi@marshall.usc.edu if you would like to speak to an Advisory Council member.

In addition, each semester the USC Risk Management Program hosts a networking and recruiting event, Meet the Risk Management Professionals, focused on careers in risk management. Over 40 employers, including banks, consulting firms, and insurance firms, participated in these events during the past academic year.

Recent Risk Management Minor graduates put together a video describing how they benefited from the Risk Management Minor.

Students who enjoy solving problems and are intellectually curious and open-minded will thrive in the Risk Management Emphasis.

Students will gain critical skills in how to identify, assess, control, finance, and report risk. Students will also begin to perceive the world differently, through a lens of risk, adding a level of sophistication to their understanding of the business environment, its complexity and interconnectedness.

All careers and industries involve risk management. Many companies have risk managers and risk management departments. The more mature risk management programs tend to be found in highly regulated industries, such as banking, energy, and healthcare. Given the growing complexity and interconnectedness of the global economy, more and more employers are seeking talent with risk management skills. Students who have completed the Risk Management Minor have taken entry-level positions in a variety of industries, including asset management, banking, consulting, and insurance.

In addition, each semester the USC Risk Management Program hosts a networking and recruiting event, Meet the Risk Management Professionals, providing an opportunity for students to explore careers in risk management. Over 40 employers, including banks, consulting firms, and insurance firms, participated in these events during the past academic year.

A Risk Management Emphasis will stand out on students’ resumes. Not many colleges and universities offer an Emphasis or any degree in Risk Management. The risk management courses often open up professional opportunities students did not recognize prior to taking the courses.

For Marshall and Leventhal students, the Risk Management Minor requires 20 units of courses—the core course requirement, ACCT 380x (Introduction to Enterprise Risk Management), and 16 additional units outside Marshall and Leventhal. The Risk Management Emphasis requires 16 units of courses, all of which are Marshall and Leventhal courses.

No. Students can only pursue one Emphasis. If students are interested in pursuing two Emphases, one of those being the Risk Management Emphasis, students could pursue the other Emphasis and a Risk Management Minor. 

It is the student’s decision. For Marshall and Leventhal students, the Risk Management Minor requires 20 units, whereas the Risk Management Emphasis requires 16 units. Thus, Marshall students may find it easier to pursue the Risk Management Emphasis and, if they have additional space in their course plan, take on other Minors. Students should speak with their academic advisers to understand the courses needed to complete the Risk Management Minor or the Risk Management Emphasis.

Two particular programs make the Risk Management Emphasis unique: First, a student declaring the Risk Management Emphasis can participate in the Risk Management Program Mentorship Program. A student is paired with a mentor from the risk management profession for the academic year.

In addition, each semester the USC Risk Management Program hosts a networking and recruiting event, Meet the Risk Management Professionals, providing an opportunity for students to explore careers in risk management. Over 40 employers, including banks, consulting firms, and insurance firms, participated in these events during the past academic year.

Yes. A student declaring the Risk Management Emphasis can participate in the Risk Management Program Mentorship Program.

It is the student’s decision. Students should speak with their academic advisers to understand the courses needed to complete the Risk Management Minor or pursue the Risk Management Emphasis. For Marshall and Leventhal students, the Risk Management Minor requires 20 units, whereas the Risk Management Emphasis requires 16 units. Thus, Marshall students may find it easier to pursue the Risk Management Emphasis and, if they have additional space in their course plan, take on other Minors.

Unfortunately, at the moment these requirements can be satisfied only at USC and study abroad units cannot be used.

This emphasis has been approved by the university to be STEM-eligible under the Department of Education CIP code of 52.1301 designation of Management Science. The degree stated on the I-20 refers to this designation. Students can find a memo of support from the department for the CIP code designation here.