MSc Actuarial Science at University of Strathclyde

Programme overview

A conversion MSc giving students with an aptitude for mathematics and statistics the statistical, economic and financial foundations used in actuarial work, taught across Strathclyde Business School and the Faculty of Science. It is accredited by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), with exemption from the professional examinations CS1 and CB2 available to students reaching a sufficiently high level in core classes. It does not currently include specialist actuarial mathematics content, which is studied in the professional examinations.

Faculty: Strathclyde Business School and Faculty of Science | Department: Mathematics & Statistics (cross-faculty, five contributing departments) | Duration: 12 months full-time | Intake: September | Study mode: full-time | Location: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Semester 1 has 80 credits of core modules: Principles of Finance, Foundations of Probability & Statistics, Inference & Regression Modelling, and Fundamentals of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Semester 2 has 60 credits of options (for example Quantitative Risk Analysis, Financial Econometrics, Portfolio Theory & Management, Statistical Machine Learning), then a 40-credit Actuarial Science Summer Project, which may be industry-based.

Career pathways

Graduates are prepared for trainee actuary and risk analyst roles in insurance, pensions and consultancy, and for quantitative roles in banking, corporate finance and investment management. Most join an employer as a trainee while studying for professional exams; the Government Actuary's Department runs a Trainee Actuary Programme.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Minimum second-class honours degree or international equivalent in engineering, a science subject (for example physics, chemistry or computing science) or a business subject (for example business studies, accounting or economics). Mathematics/statistics graduates should contact the course director to discuss their application. Applicants with relevant experience or professional qualifications are also welcome; normal degrees in relevant disciplines are accepted from Australia and Canada. Some prior mathematical knowledge is required (A level or equivalent, or undergraduate classes, in calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability and statistics), with evidence ideally supplied in the application. English language: IELTS 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5. International applicants who do not meet the academic requirement can take the Pre-Masters Preparation Course at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre.

Domestic applicants: GBP 19,300 a year (2026/27). Full-time MSc rate; Scotland and rest of UK Source

International applicants: GBP 30,300 a year (2026/27). Full-time MSc rate Source

Intake: September

Duration: 12 months full-time

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