California State University Long Beach-Link to CSULB home page
College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics


Department of Mathematics and Statistics, CSULB

About Actuarial Mathematics:

Entry into the actuarial profession is governed by a series of examinations administered by the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society. No academic degree or program, by itself, can guarantee that one will pass these exams, but this page will set out the recommended courses that a student should take to prepare. This page does not describe any formal academic program; it is merely a set of recommendations.

A student contemplating the actuarial profession should obtain a Bachelor's degree. Optimally suited for this purpose are the Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, Suboption in Economics and Management (3-6608, suboption II) or the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Option in Statistics (3-6008). With appropriate choices of elective courses, actuarial preparation could also be accomplished within the Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, Suboption in Science and Engineering (3-6608, suboption I) or the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (3-6666). For students in other majors, the minimum course requirements outlined below come very close to fulfilling the requirements for the Minor in Applied Mathematics (0-6608).

All of the following courses are essential to any program of actuarial preparation:

Some introduction to computing or programming ­ for example, CECS 174 (C++ Programming)

The following courses are also recommended; a student should take as many as feasible.

  • Math 364A Ordinary Differential Equations
  • Math 382 Random Processes (offered Fall semester only)
  • Math 423 Intermediate Numerical Analysis (offered Spring semester only)
  • Math 480 Regression Analysis (offered Spring semester only)
  • Math 485 Mathematical Optimization (offered Fall semester only)
  • Math 581 Design of Experiments (offered Fall semester only)
  • ECON 100 Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics

A student should plan to take the Course 1 Examination. Passing this examination, which generally covers the content of MATH 122, 123, 224, 247, 380, and 381, generally leaves the student in a good position to seek employment as an actuarial trainee (during which employment he or she would prepare for and take further examinations).

Menu

Contacts:

Programs:

Classes:

People:

Prospective Students:

Research :

Resources:

K-12 Students:

Job Seekers: