Business Administration (Risk Management) (BS)

The BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Risk Management at USC Marshall combines a broad business education with specialized training in how organizations identify, assess, manage and communicate risk across industries such as financial services, technology, real estate, healthcare, entertainment, sports and insurance. It is well suited to students interested in analytical business decision-making and careers where understanding uncertainty, protecting organizations and finding opportunities through effective risk management are important.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin by building a strong foundation in business and quantitative thinking through areas such as economics, accounting, mathematics, communication and business fundamentals. USC Marshall's core curriculum is designed around key areas including Micro and Macro Economics, Financial and Managerial Accounting, Business Analytics, Data Science, Operations Management, Communication and Business Strategy.

Year 2: Students develop their understanding of organizational and financial decision-making while progressing into upper-division Marshall coursework. They can build relevant analytical and business skills through subjects such as BUAD 311 Operations Management, BUAD 312 Statistics and Data Science for Business, and BUAD 425 Introduction to Business Analytics.

Year 3: Students begin developing their specialized risk-management knowledge, with RISK 380 Introduction to Enterprise Risk Management serving as the required gateway course for the Risk Management emphasis. They can then explore areas such as RISK 385 Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance and RISK 386 Managing Risks and Crises in Media, Hospitality, and Tech, developing practical approaches to identifying, analyzing and mitigating organizational risks.

Year 4: Students deepen their specialization through additional upper-division risk-management coursework and related business electives. Options include RISK 387 Risk Management in Entertainment, Sports and the Arts, RISK 388 Innovating Risk Solutions in Disruptive Environments, FBE 443 Introduction to Forecasting and Risk Analysis, and DSO 455 Project Management, allowing students to tailor their studies to specific industries and professional interests.

Focus Areas

Enterprise risk management, risk assessment and mitigation, risk management and insurance, financial risk, crisis management, forecasting and risk analysis, project management, business analytics, operations, strategic decision-making, risk solutions, industry-specific risk management

Learning Outcomes

Students develop the ability to identify, analyze, assess, manage, mitigate and communicate business risks; understand risk-management frameworks and insurance models; apply analytical and forecasting approaches to business decisions; and develop innovative solutions for controlling or transferring risk.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The Risk Management emphasis is an optional specialization within USC Marshall's BS in Business Administration. USC Marshall states that its undergraduate business degrees are STEM designated, and the Risk Management emphasis is also identified by Marshall as STEM-eligible, supporting its quantitative and technology-focused business curriculum.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

USC Marshall describes its undergraduate program as a top-ranked four-year business school and highlights its strong connections with companies and business leaders across Los Angeles, the United States and international markets. The Risk Management Program also reports that more than 40 employers, including banks, consulting firms and insurance firms, participated in its Meet the Risk Management Professionals networking and recruiting events during the past academic year.