Bachelor of Arts - Actuarial Science

Albion College offer two options for studying actuarial science, so they can choose the path that best aligns with their interests and goals. In the traditional four-year actuarial science program, students will complete a specialized bachelor of arts degree in mathematics, with supporting coursework in economics. This track prepares them to complete the first part of the pathway required to become an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA). Many people find successful employment in the field upon completing this degree track. This five-year dual-degree program in actuarial science (DDPAS) offers students the best of both worlds. They will receive a solid liberal arts foundation here at Albion College and learn from the expertise and experience offered by dedicated actuarial science programs at leading universities. After spending three years at Albion College completing liberal arts core and training in math, computer science and economics, students will then transfer to an approved actuarial science program at a major university, like Michigan State University. There they will spend two years preparing to complete the first two parts of the ASA pathway. Upon graduation, they will earn both a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from their transfer school and a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Albion College. Students will learn: In both the traditional and dual-degree programs, students will prepare for a career helping organizations model uncertainty and respond accordingly. For example, how likely is a certain event and how much will it cost the company? They will develop a strong foundation in essential disciplines—mathematics, statistics, computer science and economics. They will become familiar with such computational tools as Excel, Python, R, Java, and Mathematica. This liberal arts core will also expose students to diverse perspectives and make them a better communicator and critical thinker. This four-year program prepare students to complete all of the Introductory I part of the ASA Pathway. They will satisfy the educational requirements in statistics, economics, accounting, and finance. They will be prepared to pass Society of Actuaries (SOA) exams in financial mathematics (FM) exam and probability (P). They will learn a substantial portion of the content on the Investments and Financial Markets (IFM) exam, too! In DDPAS, students will build their math, computer science and economics foundation here, before transferring to a major university actuarial science program. There, they will complete the educational requirements and prepare for the exams for both the Introductory I and II parts of the ASA Pathway. They will also build the skills needed to complete most, if not all, of the rest of the pathway and obtain the Associate credential.