MSc Actuarial Science
Belfast, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 26,500 *
STUDY FORMAT
* international fee
Key Summary
About: The MSc in Actuarial Science at Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast is a conversion-focused programme for quantitatively strong graduates. It offers up to six exemptions from Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) exams, teaches Python, R and financial modelling, and gives access to 26 Bloomberg terminals in the FinTrU Trading Room. Faculty include five IFoA Fellows. Industry links include an annual London City Tour, guest lectures, and the Future-Ready Skills for Leaders programme.
Career Outcomes: Graduates enter insurance, pensions, consulting and finance. Roles include actuary, risk analyst, pensions analyst, data scientist with demand in London and Dublin hubs.
Do you want to turn your quantitative talent into a rewarding and lucrative actuarial career at one of the UK’s top Business Schools?
Do you have a strong quantitative background and a passion for solving real-world business challenges? Actuaries are in high demand, enjoying one of the most respected and well-paid careers in insurance, pensions, finance, and consultancy. With a 300+ year history of tackling complex business and societal problems, the actuarial profession offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact while advancing your career.
Fast-Track Your Future with Our MSc in Actuarial Science.
Our MSc in Actuarial Science is a professional, conversion-focused programme designed to equip ambitious individuals with the skills, knowledge, and network to launch a successful actuarial career. Delivered by Queen’s Business School at Queen’s University Belfast, a prestigious Russell Group institution, this programme offers up to six exemptions from the professional exams required to qualify as an actuary through the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA).
If you're a recent graduate with a strong foundation in a quantitative discipline, ready to pivot into a high-impact role, this employer-focused MSc is your gateway to a dynamic and rewarding career.
Actuarial Science highlights
Professional Accreditations
Fast-track your actuarial career with up to six exemptions from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) professional exams, giving you a head start on your actuarial qualification.
Industry Links
Participate in an annual ‘City Tour’ to London, where you’ll meet leading actuarial employers and gain invaluable insights into the profession.
Engage with industry professionals through on-campus networking and actuarial careers events and guest lectures featuring actuaries from various practice areas, including consulting and insurance.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Learn from a faculty that includes five fully qualified Fellows of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, all with extensive industry experience.
Benefit from teaching by academics with diverse professional backgrounds and guest lectures from industry leaders who bring practical insights to your studies.
World Class Facilities
Study at our recently expanded Queen’s Business School campus, part of one of the UK’s most beautiful university settings. This stunning location combines historic charm with cutting-edge Business School facilities, creating an inspiring environment for your studies. As one of the top business schools in the UK and Ireland, Queen’s Business School provides a world-class facility that fosters an enhanced social and educational experience. The new state-of-the-art QBS venue boasts a 250-seat tiered educational space; 120-seat Harvard-style lecture theatre; 150-seat computer laboratory; breakout study spaces; FinTrU Trading Room; an on-site café, and a Business Engagement and Employability Hub.
Students on the course will be given the opportunity to develop their financial modelling skills and will use software such as Python and R, and have access to the Bloomberg terminals in the FinTrU Trading Room, which simulates the dynamic environments of New York and London. With access to 26 Bloomberg terminals, trading simulations, and advanced financial software, students will be fully immersed in real-world financial scenarios and simulations.
Student Experience
Gain industry-relevant skills that go beyond technical expertise to include critical business acumen. For example, students have access to our ‘Future-Ready Skills for Leaders’ programme, which helps build commercial awareness and develop critical skills such as teamwork, management, leadership, presentation, and negotiation.
With a focus on professional accreditations, strong industry links, expert teaching, and a supportive student experience, Queen’s Business School equips you with everything you need to excel in the actuarial profession.
The MSc Actuarial Science is a full-time postgraduate programme aimed primarily at students with quantitative undergraduate degrees from the disciplines of maths, statistics, finance, or any other programme with a high degree of mathematical content.
The programme encompasses modules across the areas of actuarial mathematics, statistics, economics, and finance, to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career as an actuary. This programme will provide students with the opportunity to gain exemptions from six of the earlier Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ IFoA professional exams (CM1-2, CB1-2, and CS1-2) in addition to undertaking postgraduate study.
Course Structure
Students pursuing a career in Actuarial Science should enjoy working with numbers, be effective communicators, and work well with people, as they will have to analyse and interpret financial and other information to meet the needs of different users, including clients, executive directors, and investors.
Semester 1
- Financial Mathematics
- Statistical Analysis for Actuarial Applications
- Corporate Finance
- Economic Thinking for Actuaries
Semester 2
- Actuarial Mathematics and Contingencies
- Statistics for Insurance
- Survival Modelling
- Computational Methods in Finance
Semester 3
- Applied Research Project
Queen’s University Belfast is ranked 174th in the QS World University Rankings 2027
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas (excluding Initial Teacher Education/PGCE, where undergraduate student finance is available). Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.
Actuaries are constantly in demand and their skills are continually included in highly skilled occupation listings and for skills in demand listings. The Bureau of Labour Statistics project that employment of actuaries is expected to increase by 20% between 2018 and 2028.
Actuaries primarily work in insurance and financial services, which are heavily regulated and require a number of statutory disclosures. Graduates from the Actuarial Science programme obtain employment across the world, but particularly in Dublin and London. Dublin has seen an influx of financial services companies either entering the market for the first time or increasing their footprint in Ireland, as a result of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. Another primary driver for the demand for actuaries has been changes in legislation. A recent example is the implementation of Solvency II for the insurance industry, which caused a spike in the demand for actuaries and enabled actuaries to develop new transferable skills. Furthermore, the International Accounting Standards Board has published the new accounting standard for insurance contracts, IFRS 17. This standard was implemented in 2023 and there is a healthy demand for actuaries to help insurance companies embed the standard.
Finally, with the growth in data science and Insurtech, new, more technology-based opportunities are available for actuaries. Rather than automation being a threat for actuaries, these new tools will enable actuaries to help their clients make better decisions, which contribute to the positive outlook for actuaries in the long term.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.