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The Australian National University (ANU) Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Statistics (RSFAS) was recently granted additional accreditation for its Bachelors and Masters programs by the U.S. Society of Actuaries (SOA).
ANU now has both Center of Actuarial Excellence (CAE) and University-Earned Credit (UEC) program status, making it one of just three universities in Australia, and one of 18 worldwide with this accreditation.
Under the UEC program, ANU students earn credit for SOA exams by attaining a required score on university coursework, so their studies contribute to gaining SOA qualifications. Further information can be found here.
Associate Professor Adam Butt, Head of Actuarial Studies at RSFAS, explains what actuarial students can expect from this accreditation, and how it will amplify their career profile for the international job market.
Q. What can students expect from undertaking an actuarial program at ANU?
Students can expect to benefit from a world-class education with one of the top-ranked universities in the world. Our actuarial programs are designed to prepare graduates for an increasingly data-driven world, with our academic staff having significant industry experience to ensure that what students learn will make them stand out in the job market.
Q. Why is it important to offer students the opportunity to undertake the Society of Actuaries (SOA) University Earned Credit (UEC) program in the current business landscape?
The actuarial profession is global. Many of our graduates will work in the United States or in countries where the SOA qualification is highly valued. Being part of the UEC program ensures that ANU students doing actuarial programs get a head start to becoming SOA qualified actuaries. Furthermore, students can continue to benefit from our accreditation with the Actuaries Institute of Australia, having significant flexibility as to the direction of their career.
Q. How will this new accreditation transform the experience of students undertaking ANU actuarial programs, and help them stand out in the job market?
Our actuarial programs have had minor tweaks to ready them for the UEC program, although they are mostly unchanged as we were already meeting a significant amount of UEC requirements. There are only 18 universities globally who are UEC accredited and so studying at the ANU automatically makes a student stand out. Employers are increasingly wanting graduates who have made progress towards an actuarial qualification during their study, and the UEC program fast-tracks this.
Q. What does it mean to RSFAS to have achieved the status of being one of only 18 universities in the world that hold both CAE/UEC status?
As someone who is passionate about actuarial education, achieving UEC accreditation is a validation of our excellent actuarial programs in RSFAS. But education is much more about the students than it is about me or RSFAS, and I’m thrilled that students can study in a great city like Canberra, at a wonderful university like ANU, and get the best possible education and preparation for their career. Having UEC accreditation is a key part of this experience.
Find out more about actuarial studies at the ANU by visiting Bachelor of Actuarial Studies, Master of Actuarial Practice or Master of Actuarial Studies.
The ANU College of Business and Economics offers an extensive range of specialised programs. Click here for more details.