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Program overview
Career opportunities
By undertaking Actuarial Studies, you will draw on your problem solving, reasoning and well-rounded business skills to manage risk. Actuaries help businesses, governments, not-for-profit organisations and individuals make critical decisions for the future by evaluating risks and opportunities using advanced analytical techniques to deliver highly valued data analytics and insights.
Actuaries and trainee actuaries have excellent career prospects and are in demand from a wide range of employers. Major employers include life and general insurance companies, banks, fund managers, actuarial and management consulting firms.
Banks and fund managers have developed an interest in recruiting actuarial graduates to work in project, infrastructure and structured finance; risk management and derivatives; fixed interest or equity derivatives markets; quantitative research and performance analysis in funds management.
There is a strong demand for graduates who have both quantitative and commercial skills, and thus also for graduates who combine specialist actuarial training with majors in other fields.
The UNSW School of Risk & Actuarial Studies is ranked number 1 worldwide by the UNL Global Research Rankings of Actuarial Science and Risk Management & Insurance.
An actuarial career ranks very well when ranked by work environment, salary and job security. The qualification is widely recognised and can be used to gain overseas experience. To qualify as an actuary in Australia requires the completion of or exemption from, subjects in the professional syllabus of the Actuaries Institute.
Qualification as a Fellow of The Institute of Actuaries of Australia (F.I.A.A.) requires the completion of subjects in Parts I, II and III of the professional examinations. Qualification as an Associate of The Institute of Actuaries of Australia (A.I.A.A.) is attained on completion of the subjects in Parts I and II, the professionalism course and three years of experience. Associates can also call themselves actuaries.
Part I is covered by the core courses of the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies. Part II can be studied in the fourth year of the Coop program and is made up of subjects, which cover actuarial principles and actuarial practice. Part III consists of subjects completed by distance education through Actuaries Institute, usually on a part-time basis after completing the Part I and Part II subjects.
Co-op is not just a program but has become a small family which has helped starting university much easier, surrounding yourself in an environment of like-minded individuals who had that same goal made the transition from high school to university that much smoother.![]()