Qualifications
The qualifications for a credit analyst can be fairly diverse, but if we were to sum it up in a quick equation, it would probably be something like: math, plus college, equals job.
This job is all about that money, honey. You'll need to be a veritable number wizard before any hiring manager will so much as use your résumé for a paper fan when the air conditioner is busted. And where do wizards learn their magic? Wizard school, of course. Or, in this case, finance school. (Not as many owls, but lots and lots of pencils.)
All paths to credit analysis start with college. First up, you're going to need to bag a bachelor's in finance or accounting. For bonus points, make sure you're taking classes in statistics, ratio analysis, and financial statement analysis along the way (source).
You can follow that up with an MBA if you're the overachieving type, but the fastest route to being a credit analyst is to jump right out of that four-year program and straight into the field.
You might need to get your start as a lowly accountant or credit assistant, but that's just par for the course. Learn on the job, maybe score certification from the National Association of Credit Management, and soon you'll find yourself in an office with "Credit Analyst" on the door in big shiny letters.