Capstone Certificate in Actuarial Science

The Capstone Certificate in Actuarial Science at the School of Business is a post-baccalaureate program designed to prepare students for an actuarial career. The capstone program is not a degree program. It is a high-quality certificate program designed to prepare students to pass the preliminary professional exams required by the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) or the Society of Actuaries (SOA). A key strength of the capstone program is its short time to completion. Full-time students can expect to complete the program in two semesters.

Students accepted into the capstone certificate program have a strong mathematics background and are interested in applying that strength to the actuarial science profession. Capstone students will take classes in actuarial mathematics, predictive modeling, and loss models, and have the option to take other classes with consent from faculty.

Capstone students have access to all School of Business resources available to undergraduate students. Through connections with industry leaders, the University of WisconsinMadison Actuarial Science program offers opportunities for students to learn from practicing actuaries and other professionals. Learning opportunities include presentations by industry experts,Co-Curricular Learning Board events and Actuarial Club events. Employers recruit UWMadisons actuarial science graduates extensively and the demand for actuaries is consistently strong and resilient to economic factors. Students have many resources, such as the Risk and Insurance Career Fair, to connect them with prospective employers so they can begin their actuarial career. Further detail is provided at the School of Business website.

1. Recognize and explain the concept of risk, and apply the knowledge to the development of insurance products that are used to manage risk for the consumer as well as the risk of those products on the insurance organization.
2. Describe the actuarial profession, including the major professional organizations, the professional obligations of being an actuary, and the requirements to obtain and maintain a professional actuarial designation.
3. Demonstrate skills in critical thinking, quantitative analysis, and communication, as well as to develop an appreciation for actuarial theory, research, and the link to practical application.
4. Demonstrate the soft skills of being a professional.
5. Communicate their experiences and inspire others across the WSOB learning community.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: