Actuarial Science Career Resources
Actuarial science combines mathematics, statistics, business, and technology to help organizations understand uncertainty and manage financial risk. By analyzing data and modeling future outcomes, actuaries solve complex business problems and support financial decisions across industries such as insurance, healthcare, consulting, finance, and government. Their work influences everything from insurance premiums and retirement plans to healthcare costs, business strategy, and long-term financial planning.
Why Major in Actuarial Science?
- Actuaries are always in demand
- Excellent preparation for professional certification
- Improve your analytical and critical thinking skills
- Solve real problems that make a meaningful, positive impact on the lives of others
- Participate in high-level business decision-making
Who Pursues a Degree in Actuarial Science?
Individuals who possess these traits may find their fit with actuarial science:
- Analytical, critical thinkers
- Effective communicators (written and oral)
- Excellent problem solvers
- Skilled with computers
- Specialized math skills (calculus, statistics, probability)
- Detail-oriented individuals who have the ability to work independently and in teams
Strategic Minor Options
- Business Analytics
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Finance
- Mathematics
- Statistics
Technical Skills to Learn
- Advanced Excel (Pivot tables, Modeling, VBA)
- Coding/programming languages (Python, R, SQL, SAS)
- Power BI or Tableau
Professional Credentialing Organizations
- Society of Actuaries (SOA) – Credentials for actuaries working in life insurance, health insurance, retirement, finance, and enterprise risk management.
- Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) – Credentials for actuaries working in property and casualty insurance, including auto, homeowners, and commercial insurance.
Professional Exams
Becoming an actuary requires passing a series of professional exams throughout your career. Many students complete one to three exams before graduation, then continue progressing toward their professional credentials while working. Employers often provide paid study time, exam fee reimbursement, and salary increases as employees pass additional exams.
Career Planning Action Steps
- Maintain a strong GPA and quantitative coursework.
- Plan to pass one or more actuarial exams while in college (two is often competitive).
- Gain experience through actuarial, analytics, finance, or insurance internships.
- Apply early for internships and jobs (many employers recruit in the fall).
- Build technical skills in Excel, SQL, Python or R, and data visualization tools.
- Practice explaining technical information to non-technical audiences.
- Connect with alumni and professionals through informational interviews, conferences, student organizations, and networking events.
- Explore opportunities on Handshake, the SOA Job Center, and the CAS Career Center.
Get Involved
Actuarial Science Club | Gamma Iota Sigma
What Can You Do With a Major in Actuarial Science?
Common Career Paths for Actuarial Science Majors
- Property and casualty (P&C) insurance: develop policies that insure policyholders against property loss and liability
- Health insurance: develop long-term care and health polices by predicting expected costs of providing care
- Life insurance: develop annuity and life insurance policies by estimating life expectancy based on risk factors
- Retirement benefits and pensions: create, test, and evaluate plans to ensure payment of future benefits
- Consulting: advise clients on investment, insurance, and pension-related decisions by completing risk and cost analyses and managing risk
- Reinsurance – Help insurance companies manage large or complex risks.
- Enterprise Risk Management – Assess financial and operational risks across organizations.
- Government & Public Policy – Support programs like Social Security, Medicare, and insurance regulation.
Sample Titles for First-Destination Careers
- Actuarial Analyst/Assistant
- Accounts Payable Associate
- Associate Actuary
- Actuarial Trainee
- Broker
- Business Analyst
- Cash Flow Testing Actuarial Associate
- Credit Analyst
- Compliance Analyst
- Data Governance Manager
- Enterprise Risk Analyst
- Financial Analyst and Benefits Consultant
- Financial Services Representative
- Healthcare Consulting Actuary
- Investment Analyst
- Operational Risk Associate
- Pricing Analyst
- Property and Casualty Actuarial Analyst
- Predictive Analytics Analyst
- Risk Analyst
- Securities Analyst
- Underwriter
Sample Titles for Advanced Career Opportunities
- Actuarial consultant
- Actuarial director
- Actuarial executive
- Actuarial senior analyst
- Associate actuary
- Actuary
- Chief actuary
- Investment consultant
- Managing actuary
- Modeling actuary
- Partner
- Principal
- Risk analytics manager
- Risk management actuary
- Senior consultant actuary
- Senior data analyst
- Underwriter
- Vice president
Sample Internship Titles
- Actuarial Intern
- Actuarial Analyst Intern
- Actuarial Consulting Intern
- Actuarial Executive Development Program Intern
- Actuary Intern
- Compliance Analyst Intern
- Claims Intern
- Data Analytics Intern
- Financial Planning Analyst
- Individual Life Product Intern
- Internal Audit Intern
- Insurance Sales Agent
- Pricing Intern
- Pension Actuarial intern
- Risk Management Intern
- Valuation Actuarial Intern
- Underwriter Intern
Did You Know?
Nebraska is designated one of 17 Centers of Actuarial Excellence in the U.S. by the Society of Actuaries.
Organizations Hiring Actuarial Science Majors
Allianz Life Insurance
Allstate Insurance
Ameritas
Assurity
Athene USA
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Central Insurance
Charles Schwab
CNA Insurance
CVS Health
Deloitte
F&G Annuities & Life
Farm Bureau Financial Services
Farmers Mutual (FMNE)
Fidelity Investments
Humana
Lincoln Financial Group
Mutual of Omaha
National Indemnity Company (NICO)
Nebraska Department of Insurance
Nelnet
New York Life
Northwestern Mutual
Oliver Wyman
Pacific Life
State Farm
Telos Actuarial
Cigna Group
Travelers Insurance
Union Bank and Trust (UBT)
Voya Financial
Wakely Consulting
Willis Towers
Watson
WoodmenLife
Learn More
Learn More About the Actuarial Science Major
Need assistance exploring your major or career options? Schedule an appointment with a career coach:
Business Career Center
HLH 141| M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | Drop-ins M-F 1-4 p.m.
businesscareers@unl.edu | 402-472-7272