Program Overview

University of Cape Town Programs

The University of Cape Town offers various programs through its faculties and schools.

Faculty of Commerce

The Faculty of Commerce comprises several departments, including:

• College of Accounting
• Finance and Tax
• School of Economics
• Education Development Unit (EDU)
• Information Systems
• School of Management Studies
  • Actuarial Science
  • Applied Management (Postgraduate Diplomas)
  • Marketing
  • Industrial and Organisational Psychology
  • Professional Communication
• The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance
• Commerce IT (IT support)

School of Management Studies

The School of Management Studies offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including:

• Undergraduate Programmes
  • BBusSc specialising in Statistics and Data Science
  • BCom specialising in Management Studies
  • Actuarial Science and Quantitative Finance (BCom and BBusSc)
  • BBusSc in Marketing
  • Industrial and Organisational Psychology (BBusSc, BA and BSocSc)
• Postgraduate Programmes
  • Actuarial Science
  • Applied Management
  • Marketing
  • Industrial and Organisational Psychology
  • Professional Communication
  • Master's by dissertation only
  • Doctor of Philosophy

Actuarial Science Program

Overview

Actuarial science is a discipline that involves maths and stats methodology to assess risk in insurance, finance, and other industries as well as professions. This field is a good fit for anyone who loves maths, analysing data, and using well-thought-out methodology to find conclusions. Actuarial Science is also a fantastic field for anyone who likes evaluating risks and maintaining the economic stability of insurance or financial organisations.

Career Opportunities

Actuaries use statistical techniques to solve financial and business problems. They evaluate uncertain future events and various other financial risks. Being able to quantify uncertainty and risk helps individuals and companies concentrate on proactively managing their risk and ensuring that they can withstand future adverse events. Actuaries operate within a strict professional and ethical framework. While it is true that most actuaries work in the finance and insurance industry, there are numerous specialised career fields. For instance, as a health insurance actuary, you would calculate the costs of providing healthcare services to determine how much an insurance company should charge policyholders for premiums. Life insurance companies, too, use actuaries to determine likely life expectancy and premium rates based on an individual's risk factors. Other actuaries work in property and casualty insurance, again compiling and analysing data used to write insurance policies.

Program Details

The Actuarial Science program offers:

• Undergraduate options in Actuarial Science
• Postgraduate Diploma in Actuarial Science
• Bachelor of Commerce Honours specialising in Actuarial Science
• BCom Honours specialising in Quantitative Finance
• Masters Degree in Actuarial Science

Resources

• Exemptions from Examinations
• Record in Professional Examinations
• Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA)