Actuarial Science MS

About the Program

The Fox School of Business and Management has a longstanding tradition of preparing our students with the power to lead within the world of business. Actuaries specialize in the evaluation of insurance and financial risks and distinguish themselves through a combination of analytical skills, business acumen and professionalism. Temple’s Actuarial Science MS program prepares students for a successful career in the field through its rigorous coursework and exceptional opportunities for professional development. Our curriculum covers multiple professional actuarial exams and can be tailored to students’ interests and background. We are recognized as a Center of Actuarial Excellence (CAE) by the Society of Actuaries and as a Global Center of Insurance Excellence (GCIE) by the International Insurance Society.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.

Affiliation(s): Research interests of Fox faculty are supported by numerous centers and institutes throughout the Fox School and Temple University.

Accreditation: The MS in Actuarial Science is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Job Prospects: The Fox Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD) provides students with career coaching and professional development resources that support the job search. Actuaries hold positions of responsibility with consulting firms, government insurance programs, government regulatory organizations, insurance companies and investment banks.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: This program requires the student to be matriculated in the degree program.

Financing Opportunities: Citizens and permanent residents of the United States are considered domestic students and are typically eligible for federal student loans and alternative loans through private lenders. The Fox School grants 5% tuition scholarships to alumni who are admitted to the program. The program also offers merit- and need-based scholarships to eligible admitted students.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall:

December 15 – Early Admissions Deadline
March 1 – Scholarship Deadline and International Deadline
June 30 – Final Deadline

Spring:

August 1 – Scholarship Deadline and International Deadline
November 1 – Final Deadline

Applications are reviewed as they are received and will be considered after the deadline on a space-available basis.

APPLY ONLINE to this Fox graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 1

From Whom: Professional references from an immediate supervisor, current or past, are preferred. Academic references are acceptable.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: The equivalent of a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college is required. For three-year degrees, mark sheets must be evaluated by WES or another NACES organization.

Statement of Goals: Essay prompts can be found in the online application portal.

Standardized Test Scores:
GRE/GMAT: Required. Scores for the GRE typically fall within the following percentile ranges: 50 to 99 Verbal; 80 to 99 Quantitative. Exam P may be accepted in place of GMAT/GRE.

Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree in a country where the language of instruction is English, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

TOEFL iBT: 90
IELTS Academic: 7.0
Duolingo: 110
PTE Academic: 68

Resume: Current resume or CV is required.

Transfer Credit: Upper-level graduate credits from an AACSB-accredited graduate business program, but not previously applied to a conferred degree, may be transferred into the MS program. The credits must be part of the required degree program at Temple University. To be transferred, the grade must be a "B" or better. The Admissions Committee makes recommendations for transferring credits to the department chair. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 30

Required Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses ¹
AS 5101	Theory of Interest	3
AS 5102	Long-Term Actuarial Modeling	3
AS 5104	Short-Term Actuarial Modeling	3
AS 5108	Actuarial Analytics	3
BA 5687	Advanced Professional Development Strategies	0
RMI 5051	Managing Risk	3
Select two from the following:		6
AS 5103	Advanced Long-Term Actuarial Modeling
AS 5114	Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Modeling
AS 5118	Advanced Actuarial Analytics
AS 5190	Special Topics in Actuarial Science
Select one from the following:		3
RMI 5101	Managing Human Capital Risk
RMI 5104	Managing Property and Liability Risk
Electives ²		6
ACCT 5001	Accounting for Managerial and Investment Analysis and Planning
AS 5015	Introduction to Actuarial Spreadsheets and Programming
AS 5022	Actuarial Statistics
AS 5103	Advanced Long-Term Actuarial Modeling
AS 5105	Actuarial Economics
AS 5106	Actuarial Corporate Finance
AS 5114	Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Modeling
AS 5116	Financial Reporting for Actuaries
AS 5118	Advanced Actuarial Analytics
AS 5126	Option Pricing
AS 5182	Independent Study ³
AS 5190	Special Topics in Actuarial Science
AS 5191	Mentored Research ³
AS 5685	Actuarial Internship
ECON 8001	Microeconomic Analysis
ECON 8002	Macroeconomic Analysis
ECON 8009	Econometrics I
ECON 8129	Time Series Econometrics
ECON 8139	Panel Data Econometrics
HCM 5101	Health Systems Organization and Development
HCM 5103	Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations
MKTG 5001	Marketing Management/Strategy
MKTG 5618	Quantitative Pricing and Revenue Analytics
RMI 5101	Managing Human Capital Risk
RMI 5102	Retirement Plans
RMI 5104	Managing Property and Liability Risk
RMI 5108	Managing International Risk
STAT 5602	Visualization: The Art of Numbers and the Psychology of Persuasion
STAT 5603	Statistical Learning and Data Mining
STAT 5607	Advanced Business Analytics
STAT 8101	Stochastic Processes
STAT 8108	Applied Multivariate Analysis I
STAT 8114	Survival Analysis I
STAT 8115	Nonparametric Methods
Total Credit Hours		30

If the student has passed an actuarial exam prior to taking its corresponding course, the course must be waived:

Passing the ALTAM exam waives AS 5103 Advanced Long-Term Actuarial Modeling.
Passing the ASTAM exam waives AS 5114 Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Modeling.
Passing the FAM-L or LTAM exam waives AS 5102 Long-Term Actuarial Modeling.
Passing the FAM-S or STAM exam waives AS 5104 Short-Term Actuarial Modeling.
Passing the FM exam waives AS 5101 Theory of Interest.
Passing the SRM exam waives AS 5108 Actuarial Analytics.

Any waived course is replaced by an elective from the list above. Alternately, students may, on a case-by-case basis, select another course to replace the waived course provided that the course has sufficient academic rigor, is beneficial to the student's career, and is approved by the Academic Director.

With prior approval from the Academic Director, students may select alternate courses as electives.

Selection of AS 5182 or AS 5191 requires prior approval from the Academic Director.

Culminating Events: Successful completion of coursework is required to earn the MS degree in Actuarial Science.