M.S. in Mathematics – Concentration in Actuarial Science

Introduction

  • Prepares students for careers as practicing actuaries in the insurance, pension, financial or consulting industries.
  • Coursework encompasses most of the subject matter for the first five professional examinations of the Society of Actuaries and Casualty Actuarial Society.
  • Offers elective coursework meeting all of the Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) requirements of the two professional societies.
  • Advanced coursework in Statistics, Finance, Investing, Accounting and Economics.
  • Students typically complete the degree in 3 or 4 semesters of full time study.
  • Qualifies as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) degree with the federal
    government.  International students who earn the degree may be eligible for the STEM extension to the OPT (Optional Practical Training) program, if the company is an E-Verify employer.
  • More on our actuarial program can be found on its homepage.

Overview of Requirements

To graduate with an M.S. in Mathematics, concentration in Actuarial Science, a student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

  • At least 30 credits, including at least 5 of the core courses below.
  • A masters pass on two of the departmental PhD qualifying examinations (offered each August and January), which can be waived by passing two exams of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) or Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS).

Coursework

Semesters are noted for reference purposes but are subject to change without notice.  Students should refer to Student Admin to confirm availability for a given semester.   Those without student admin access can check here.

Core Courses – minimum of five

MATH 5620 Financial Mathematics I Fall 3 cr. Connection to Exam FM
MATH 5650 Financial Mathematics II Spring 4 cr. Credit for Finance VEE
MATH 5660 Advanced Financial Math Spring 3 cr. Connection to Exam IFM
MATH 5630 Long Term Actuarial Math I Fall 4 cr. Connection to Exam FAM/ALTAM
MATH 5631 Long Term Actuarial Math II Spring 4 cr. Connection to Exam FAM/ALTAM
MATH 5637 Statistics for Actuarial Modeling Fall 4 cr. Connection to SOA Exam SRM & CAS Exam MAS-II
MATH 5638 Predictive Analytics for Actuaries Spring 3 cr. Connection to SOA Predictive Analytics project & CAS Exam MAS-II
MATH 5639 Actuarial Loss Models Fall 3 cr. Connection to SOA Exam FAM/ASTAM and CAS Exam MAS-I
MATH 5640 Short Term Insurance Ratemaking Connection to SOA Exam FAM/ASTAM and CAS Exams MAS-II and 5
MATH 5641 Short Term Insurance Reserving Spring 3 cr. Connection to SOA Exam FAM/ASTAM and CAS Exam 5
MATH 5661 Yield Curve Models Spring 3 cr. Some connection to Exam IFM

 

Elective Courses

Select additional courses from the core courses list, and/or select from the following:

No more than 6 credits of undergraduate courses 3000+ can be used toward the MS degree.

MATH 3170 Elementary Stochastic Processes Spring 3 cr. Connection to CAS Exam S
MATH 3545 Actuarial Case Studies Using SAS Varies 1 cr.
MATH 3550 Programming for Actuaries Fall/Spring 3 cr.
MATH 5600 Fundamentals of Financial Math Fall 3 cr. some connection to Exam IFM
MATH 5850 Graduate Field Study Internship Fall/Spring/Summer 1-3 cr. No more than 3 credits can apply toward the degree
MATH 5110 Introduction to Modern Analysis Fall 3 cr.
MATH 5111 Measure and Integration Spring 3 cr. Consult advisor first
MATH 5160 Probability & Stochastic Processes I Fall 3 cr. Consult advisor first
MATH 5161 Probability & Stochastic Processes II Spring 3 cr. Need permission
MATH 5670 Financial Programming & Modeling Fall 3 cr.
MATH 5671 Financial Data Mining with Big Data Spring 3 cr.
ACCT 5121 Financial Accounting and Reporting Fall/Spring/possible Summer 3 cr. Strongly encouraged – Hartford campus online*
ACCT 5327 Financial Statement Analysis Fall 3 cr.
ECON 5201 Microeconomics Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Microeconomics VEE
ECON 5202 Macroeconomics Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Macroeconomics VEE
ECON 5301 Mathematical Economics Fall 3 cr.
ECON 5311 Econometrics I Fall 3 cr.
FNCE 5202 Investments and Securities Analysis Fall/Spring 3 cr. Hartford campus online*
FNCE 5504 Options and Futures Varies 3 cr. Hartford campus online*
FNCE 5512 Fixed Income Instruments Spring 3 cr. Hartford campus*
FNCE 5151 Introduction to Economic Markets Fall/Spring/possible Summer 3 cr. Hartford campus online* – credit for Microeconomics VEE and Macroeconomics VEE
STAT 3965 Elementary Stochastic Processes Fall 3 cr. Equivalent to Math 3170
STAT 5361 Statistical Computing Fall 3 cr.
STAT 5585 Mathematical Statistics I Fall 3 cr. Anticipated credit for Mathematical Statistics VEE
STAT 5585 Mathematical Statistics II Spring 3 cr. Anticipated credit for Mathematical Statistics VEE
STAT 5505 Applied Statistics I Fall 3 cr.
STAT 5605 Applied Statistics II Spring 3 cr.
STAT 5315 or 3115 Analysis of Experiments Fall/Spring 3 cr.
STAT 5725 Linear Statistical Models I Fall 3 cr.
STAT 5825 or 4825 Applied Time Series Fall/Spring 3 cr.

*Enrollment in the Hartford Campus courses can be made by arrangement with the Instructor or the Graduate Coordinator.   Online can mean distance learning or asynchronous and the mode could change in future semesters.

Undergraduate courses of interest but these courses are not eligible to be included in the M.S. degree requirement:

MATH 3160 Mathematical Probability Fall/Spring 3 cr. Probability for undergraduates – connection to Exam P
MATH 3610 Probability Problems Fall/Spring 1 cr. Exam P prep for undergraduates
MATH 3615 Financial Mathematics Problems Fall/Spring 1 cr. Exam FM prep for undergraduates
ACCT 2001 Principles of Financial Accounting Fall/Spring 3 cr. Anticipated credit for Accounting VEE
ECON 1200 Principles of Economics – Intensive Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Microeconomics VEE and Macroeconomics VEE
ECON 1201 Principles of Microeconomics Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Microeconomics VEE
ECON 1202 Principles of Macroeconomics Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Macroeconomics VEE
ECON 2201 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Microeconomics VEE
ECON 2202 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory Fall/Spring 3 cr. Credit for Macroeconomics VEE

Additional UConn VEE Course Listings

 

Report on the Final Exam

  • Passing grades on two Society of Actuaries or Casualty Actuarial Society exams (preferred)
  • Pass two of the mathematics department’s preliminary PhD qualifying examinations at master’s level (offered in August and January)