Undergraduate

At many universities, actuarial sciences is housed in the business department. We believe that the most successful actuaries have an extensive foundation in mathematics and in the broader liberal arts, and therefore our program is housed in our Department of Mathematical Sciences.

While you will take several business classes, you will also be heavily exposed to the broader context in which risk exists in our lives. Through economics courses and other courses in the social sciences and humanities, you will see how actuarial science is not practiced in a vacuum but has real-life implications and impact on businesses, individuals, and communities as a whole.

Students interested in actuarial science should make every effort to prepare themselves in high school by taking four years of challenging math classes. Ideally, students will enter college ready to start in the first semester of calculus.

As students advance in our program, they begin to take the professional exams required of actuaries, making themselves more attractive job candidates. The successful completion of professional exams is an expectation of most companies who hire interns and new graduates. Our location in Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin and home to many large and small companies, gives our students easier access to internships and part-time jobs compared to smaller cities.

The typical career progression in an actuary’s career is to start as an actuarial analyst or actuarial associate. As more exams are passed, a promotion to senior analyst or senior associate usually happens. Once all exams are passed to become a fully credentialed actuary – which can take on average 10 to 12 years – an individual would be able to hold the title of “Actuary.”