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If you enjoy studying Higher Level Mathematics for the Leaving Certificate or at A-Level and you have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, Actuarial & Financial Studies could be for you. An actuary is a professional who uses numbers to make judgements about the future. This course will prepare you for a professional career in the actuarial or financial professions, but it has also been designed to be broader and more diverse than most traditional courses in actuarial science.

Why is this course for me?

If you enjoy studying Higher Level Mathematics for the Leaving Certificate or at A-Level and you have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, Actuarial & Financial Studies could be for you. An actuary is a professional who uses numbers to make judgements about the future. This course will prepare you for a professional career in the actuarial or financial professions, but it has also been designed to be broader and more diverse than most traditional courses in actuarial science.

A good actuary requires a multidisciplinary education in fields such as mathematics, economics, finance, statistics, risk management and professionalism. It takes a combination of strong analytical skills, business knowledge and understanding of human behaviour to design and manage programmes that control risk and guarantee sufficient funds for the insurance and pension sectors. Actuaries have traditionally worked mostly in the insurance and pensions industries but are increasingly moving into wider fields, where they can employ their range of skills.

The course also opens up options to work in finance, investment and trading.

What Will I Study?

This is a sample set of modules that an Actuarial & Financial Studies student could study each year in UCD.

First Year

Introduction to Programming • Foundations of Finance • Numbers & Functions • Linear Algebra with Applications to Economics • Introduction to Analysis • Introduction Actuarial & Financial Studies • Financial Accounting • Differential Equations • Advanced Calculus • Statistical Modelling Fundamentals of Actuarial Business Theory • Elective Module

Second Year

Corporate Financial Management • Fundamentals of Actuarial Mathematics • Introduction to Probability • Professional Ethics • Modern Regression Analysis • Economic History • Inferential Statistics • Introduction to Bayesian Analysis • Elective Modules

Third Year

Information Management for Actuaries • Time Series Analysis • Models - Survival • Stochastic Models • Workplace Skills for Actuarial & Financial Studies • Investment & Trading Six month professional placement in an insurance and financial institution in Ireland (or in some cases abroad)

Fourth Year

International Financial Management • Actuarial Statistics • Financial Mathematics • Actuarial Mathematics • Core Actuarial Principles • Statistical Machine Learning

Assessment varies across modules but typically comprises of written exams, individual and group assignments, and mid-term tests.

Career & Graduate Study Opportunities

Most graduates take positions as actuarial trainees in life insurance, pensions, health insurance, general insurance or investment. The

Actuarial & Financial Studies degree at UCD offers potential exemptions from the core subjects CS1, CS2, CM1, CM2, CB1, CB2 and CP1 of the professional examinations of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK.

Some graduates also work in banking or finance as business or financial analysts. As an Actuarial & Financial Studies graduate, you are also eligible to pursue graduate study in statistics, computer science, economics, mathematics, management science, finance and other specialist business subjects.