The Actuarial Science Program is a part of the Finance
Department in the College of Business. However, all undergraduate
courses are offered to majors/minors in both the College of Business and the College
of Arts and Sciences.
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Actuarial Science Program at the University of Nebraska Lincoln is
- to produce well-educated graduates who can make significant contributions to the
financial security of individuals, corporate organizations and society through the
ability to identify, quantify, assess and manage risk and uncertainty; and
- to produce theoretically sound and practical research that contributes to the advancement
of actuarial science and actuarial practice.
Vision Statement
The Actuarial Science Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is regarded
as an academic and distinctive pre-professional actuarial science program of the highest quality.
The Mission and Vision are accomplished at a world class level
- We offer multiple areas of concentration for actuarial science majors such as Life/Health,
Property/Casualty or Enterprise Risk Management.
- Our coursework covers 100% of the learning objectives for all preliminary SOA and CAS exams and
includes courses approved for all of the actuarial profession’s Validation by Educational Experience subjects
- Our curriculum includes a capstone course that integrates education in professional standards,
ethics, and practical application of actuarial theory with commonly used actuarial models, software and technology
- Our Faculty conducts innovative and business-relevant research in collaboration with other academic
researchers within and outside of Nebraska as well as with (or in support of) industry partners.
- We provide an intensive pre-professional program with strong and long-standing connections to, and
financial and advisory support from, our extensive network of alumni and friends of the Program
- We educate, develop and produce highly qualified actuarial graduates for the
global market seeking actuarial talent.
In support of this mission, the Actuarial Science Program has the following goals for student learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate the ability to apply the concepts of actuarial science in solving problems
related to financial security.
- Understand the content of the Nebraska courses that have been approved for the actuarial
profession’s Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) program for the topics of
Economics, Corporate Finance and Applied Statistics.
- Understand the additional considerations in practical applications of actuarial
theory, such as assumption setting, Actuarial Standards of Practice, the professional
code of conduct, and effective communication.
- Understand that being a professional requires that actuarial tasks be completed
with the highest regard for personal and professional ethics.
- Demonstrate the ability to transition from actuarial theory to actuarial practice,
and the ability to apply tools that actuaries use in practice to complete actuarial
tasks, such as a modern procedural computer programming language, EXCEL or similar
spreadsheet program, and commercially available actuarial software.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate the results of quantitative analysis effectively,
both in writing and orally.
- Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively with others.
- Understand what is involved in being a member of the actuarial profession, including
the types of employment available in an actuarial career, and the requirements to
become, and remain, a member of the actuarial profession.
- Demonstrate the ability to be productive in one or more actuarial roles including:
a. current or developing areas of actuarial practice;
b. research designed to deepen or broaden actuarial knowledge; or
c. education of aspiring or practicing actuaries.
The Actuarial Science Program offers courses covering the material described in
the Society of Actuaries Basic Education Catalog for the Preliminary Education Requirements.
Students majoring or minoring in actuarial science are encouraged to take advantage
of the potential benefits of being in the program, including summer internships,
career guidance, job placement, and participation in the
Actuarial Science Club.
Students interested in Actuarial Science usually select one of the following:
- A major in actuarial science in the College of Business
- A major in actuarial science in the College of Arts & Science
- A minor in actuarial science and a major in a highly quantitative field such as
mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, finance, etc.
- Master Degree in actuarial science
Additional Information