Master of Commerce (Actuarial Science) (MC-COMACTS)
Masters (Coursework)Year: 2025 Delivered: On Campus (Parkville)
About this course
Contact
Program Director:
Dr Ping Chen
ping.chen@unimelb.edu.au
Current Students:
General information: ask.unimelb.edu.au
Future Students:
Further information: Submit an enquiry
Overview
| Award title | Master of Commerce (Actuarial Science) |
|---|---|
| Year & campus | 2025 — Parkville |
| CRICOS code | 089805E |
| Fees information | Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date |
| Study level & type | Graduate Coursework |
| AQF level | 9 |
| Credit points | 150 credit points |
| Duration | 18 months full-time or 36 months part-time |
The Master of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) is for students who hold an actuarial degree and wish to pursue their actuarial training further. It focuses on actuarial theory and practice, specialising in quantitative techniques for insurance, superannuation and financial risk modelling. With sufficiently high results students are able to obtain exemptions from exams of the Actuaries Institute (Australia), including the whole of Part II. The Master of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) has a ‘practice’ pathway, which focuses on advanced professional training, and a ‘research’ pathway, which prepares students for the PhD in Actuarial Studies.
Entry requirements
1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
- an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in actuarial science or similar with a weighted average mark of at least H2A (75%);
- the Graduate Records Examination (GRE), unless the applicant has completed an undergraduate degree in Australia or New Zealand or met one of the approved conditions for GRE exemption; and
- a personal statement outlining why they wish to be considered for the course. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
- prior academic performance; and
- the GRE score unless the applicant has completed an undergraduate degree in Australia or New Zealand or met one of the approved conditions for GRE exemption; and
- the personal statement.
3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments
4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for graduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.
Note:
Applicants with an Honours degree in Actuarial Science may be awarded up to 62.5 points of credit into the Master of Commerce (Actuarial Science). Credit will be assessed at the point of application.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to providingsupport to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website. http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/
Professional accreditation
The course provides the possibility of exemptions from modules necessary to complete the associateship of the Actuaries Institute Australia.
Intended learning outcomes
Graduates of this degree will be able to:
Critically analyse theoretical and practical problems in actuarial work.
- On successful completion of this degree students will be able to describe, evaluate and utilize the fundamental theories underlying actuarial practice across the main areas of insurance and financial mathematics including superannuation, general insurance and the valuation of embedded derivatives contracts.
- They will also be aware of their limitations and be able to place these in context.
Evaluate analytically and numerically using actuarial models.
- Apply specialized actuarial techniques to the statistical analysis of data whilst understanding their limitations.
- Compute relevant quantities for insurance problems using actuarial techniques. These quantities will include premiums, contribution rates and risk numbers.
- Compute prices and sensitivities for a range of financial derivative products that are relevant to insurance work.
Have an understanding of actuarial practice and conduct, and of how relevant the models they have studied are.
- Evaluate and solve practical problems using the actuarial control cycle.
- Describe the core areas of actuarial practice and critically discuss the application of actuarial models to each of them.
- Assess and contrast product characteristics from the point of view of both providers and consumers.
- Analyze possible conduct/misconduct using tests of professionalism.
Generic skills
On successful completion of this degree students should have enhanced their skills in:
- Synthesizing ideas, theories and data in developing solutions to actuarial problems;
- Critical evaluation of evidence in support of an argument or proposition;
- Recognizing when mathematical analysis is appropriate and when it is inappropriate;
- Problem solving in actuarial practice through the application of appropriate theories, principles and data;
- Teamwork through collaborative exercises in seminars, workshops and assessment;
- The use of software packages applicable to actuarial and statistical modelling;
- The implementation of models as software;
- Written communication of actuarial ideas, theories and solutions to peers and the wider community.
Graduate attributes
Graduate attributes:
On successful completion of this degree graduates will be:
- Receptive to alternate ideas through a review of the literature and through class participation and assessment;
- Ethical in their approach to research and work practices;
- Skilled in the use, critical evaluation and testing of actuarial models;
- Adept in statistical reasoning through completion of core quantitative subjects in the degree;
- Practiced at problem solving through their understanding of financial, statistical and actuarial techniques;
- Experienced in working effectively with computer software for the analysis of data;
- Adept at retrieval, summary and interpretation of actuarial and financial information through class exercises and assessment;
- Able to apply and synthesise mathematical, statistical, financial and actuarial theory, models and evidence to a variety of financial and insurance issues;
- Independent and effective in communication of ideas; and
- Able to collaborate and be effective in team work.
Course structure
The degree is designed to be completed in one and a half years of full time study and requires completion of 150 points, comprised of 75 points of core actuarial subjects and 75 points of elective subjects. Students can elect to follow one of two pathways: the practice pathway or the research pathway.
Subject options
PRACTICE PATHWAY
Core Subjects
Students must take the following subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90003 | Mathematics of Finance III | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90010 | Actuarial Practice and Control I | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Students must take two (25 points) of constrained choice core actuarial subjects, selected from the following subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90004 | Insurance Risk Models | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90013 | Actuarial Studies Projects - Part 1 | Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90016 | Actuarial Science Research Report Part 1 |
Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| ACTL90017 | Actuarial Science Research Report Part 2 |
Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| ACTL90018 | General Insurance Practice | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Capstone Subjects
Students must take the following two subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90011 | Actuarial Practice and Control II | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90019 | Data Analytics in Insurance 2 | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Elective Subjects
Students must take six (75 points) of elective subjects, selected from the following subjects and core actuarial subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECOM90004 | Time Series Analysis and Forecasting | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ECOM90010 | Bayesian Econometrics | Not available in 2025 | 12.5 |
| FNCE40003 | Numerical Techniques in Finance | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MAST90045 | Systems Modelling and Simulation | Not available in 2025 | 12.5 |
| MAST90082 | Mathematical Statistics | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MULT90014 | Business Risk Management | Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MAST90083 | Computational Statistics & Data Science | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
and other Masters level electives in actuarial studies, economics, finance or mathematics, as approved by the Academic Program Director.
Eligible students may complete one of the following competitive-entry practicum subjects in place of one 12.5 point elective:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUSA90473 | Business Practicum |
Semester 1 (Off Campus)
Winter Term (Off Campus)
Semester 2 (Off Campus)
|
12.5 |
| BUSA90485 | Global Business Practicum |
Summer Term (Off Campus)
July (Off Campus)
November (Off Campus)
|
12.5 |
RESEARCH PATHWAY
Core Subjects
Students must take the following subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90003 | Mathematics of Finance III | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90010 | Actuarial Practice and Control I | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Students must take two (25 points) of constrained choice core actuarial subjects, selected from the following subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90018 | General Insurance Practice | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90019 | Data Analytics in Insurance 2 | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90013 | Actuarial Studies Projects - Part 1 | Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90024 | Actuarial Studies Projects - Part 2 | Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90004 | Insurance Risk Models | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ACTL90011 | Actuarial Practice and Control II | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| No longer available |
Capstone Subjects
Students must take the following two subjects over the last two semesters or in the final semester:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACTL90016 | Actuarial Science Research Report Part 1 |
Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| ACTL90017 | Actuarial Science Research Report Part 2 |
Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| No longer available |
Elective Subjects
Students must take six (75 points) of elective subjects, selected from the following subjects and core actuarial subjects:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECOM90004 | Time Series Analysis and Forecasting | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| ECOM90010 | Bayesian Econometrics | Not available in 2025 | 12.5 |
| FNCE40003 | Numerical Techniques in Finance | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MAST90045 | Systems Modelling and Simulation | Not available in 2025 | 12.5 |
| MAST90082 | Mathematical Statistics | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MULT90014 | Business Risk Management | Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| MAST90083 | Computational Statistics & Data Science | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
and other Masters level electives in actuarial studies, economics, finance or mathematics, as approved by the Academic Program Director.
Eligible students may complete one of the following competitive-entry practicum subjects in place of one 12.5 point elective:
| Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUSA90473 | Business Practicum |
Semester 1 (Off Campus)
Winter Term (Off Campus)
Semester 2 (Off Campus)
|
12.5 |
| BUSA90485 | Global Business Practicum |
Summer Term (Off Campus)
July (Off Campus)
November (Off Campus)
|
12.5 |
This program is available for Semester 1 entry only.
Note: Students interested in progressing to the PhD program will need to follow the research pathway.
Last updated: 27 February 2025