In the firing line: actuarial educators and education

Professional actuarial courses are not designed to fit into the framework of university study, and yet it is through degrees in actuarial science that a large number of students currently enter the profession. Constrained to deliver the maximum number of professional actuarial courses, such degrees tend to poor pedagogy and a shallow coverage of several fields. This article recommends that professional actuarial bodies discontinue undergraduate level teaching in favour of more advanced specialist courses, and that undergraduate actuarial science degrees be restructured. Discussion is placed in the context of the areas of expertise expected of actuaries, and a final section considers possible future directions for actuarial education in New Zealand.