Actuarial Science (Honours) University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Overview

Key Features

The basis of the actuarial profession is the legal responsibility for the long-term solvency of life assurers and pension and provident funds. 

Students who graduate the Actuarial Science (Honours) degree offered at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg are called actuaries. They are recognised as experts when it comes to all long-term financial calculations, particularly those involving some element of doubt.

In order to fulfil these responsibilities, they have to study mathematics, economics, statistics and the workings of life assurers, retirement funds and the investment markets. Most actuaries continue to work in these organizations, but there is a growing number who work in banks, investment houses and general insurance companies. In addition actuaries are also being employed by the Regulators.

Career Opportunities

• An actuary is a professional who applies analytical, statistical and mathematical skills to financial and business problems.
• Actuaries are able to provide realistic solutions to complex problems with a long term forward view. They are recognised to be pragmatic, innovative and numerate, and they operate within a strict professional and ethical framework, advancing equity across all stakeholders and promoting the public interest. Actuaries have careers in finance, insurance, investments, asset management, health care, retirement funding, banking, consulting, government service and academia. Their skills are increasingly sought after in advanced data analytics, risk management and climate change modelling.