Actuarial science

Undergraduate degrees

Actuarial science teaches you the art of turning risks into opportunities. It uses principles from mathematics, statistics and probability to evaluate risks in a broad range of areas such as insurance, finance, commerce and government.

What is an Actuary?

Actuaries provide assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms. If you're interested in using mathematical concepts in practical scenarios, such as determining insurance premiums, managing risks, or analysing financial data, actuarial science might be perfect for you.

What will you study?

You'll study a range of different topics such as:

• Mathematical finance
• Financial reporting
• Contingencies, risk management and survival analysis
• Mathematical, statistical and probabilistic techniques
• Programming and computation in languages such as Matlab and R

You’ll also have access to our dedicated computing facilities that provide real-world experience.

Career prospects

Professional actuaries in the insurance industry, including influential businesses AXA and Buck Consultants, contribute to our employability module as well as host our students at their offices to show them typical challenges that actuaries face.

It has been predicted by the US Department of Labor that the employment of actuaries is expected to grow faster than any other occupation, making it a great prospect for a graduate job. The profession enjoys strong job security and competitive salaries.

Aside from a rewarding career as an actuary, clear thinkers are required in every profession, so the successful mathematician, data scientist or actuary has an extensive choice of potential careers. Studying actuarial science at Essex will present you with a clear career path compared with a mathematics graduate. Actuaries work primarily in insurance, pensions, risk assessment, and finance. Find out more about employability in Mathematical, Sciences, Actuarial Science and Statistics.

Your postgraduate masters degree

Our MSc Actuarial Science course is based on the syllabus of the majority of the core subjects of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, so you’ll cover subjects as part of your course CB1 (Business Finance) depending on the optional module selected, CM2 (Financial Engineering and Loss Reserving) and CS2 (Risk Modelling and Survival Analysis).

This focus on up-to-date research findings in actuarial methodologies and actuarial applications means that you gain a solid training in actuarial modelling and actuarial analysis. It is also possible to specialise on a topic of your choice, such as:

Your research degrees

The advent of the digital era has revolutionised the study of actuarial science, expanding its frontiers and posing new challenges. At research level, you will embark on a journey of independent study into this thriving subject at Essex.

Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science is innovative and student-focused. We have staff members available to act as supervisors across a number of areas such as: survival analysis, forensic economics, risk management, Islamic finance and takaful, asset-liability management for pension funds, predictability of financial time series, and performance evaluation of funds. Our research groups are working on a broad range of collaborative areas tackling real-world issues in areas such as healthcare, education, insurance, and electronics.

Why study with us?

• Work alongside our staff who are strongly committed to research and teaching.
• Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science has an international reputation in many areas like such as semi-group theory, optimisation, probability, applied statistics, bioinformatics and mathematical biology.
• Students have access to computer labs and software including MATLAB, R, and LaTeX.

Start your application with us

Explore our Mathematical Science, Actuarial Science and Statistics research by theme or your area of interest and find a supervisor that can support your through your studies. More information can be found about research degrees on our school pages. Our courses below will help guide you through the various research degree programmes we offer.