Download BSc Actuarial Science

Programme Specifications: BSc Actuarial Science
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Awarding Body
Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body,
e.g. ESRC; BPS etc
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Name of final award
Programme Title
Duration of the course
Based in the Department/Institute:
Relevant QAA subject benchmark
statements (See Subject Benchmark
Statements)
UCAS Code
First written/last amended
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The programme aims to:
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N321 BSc/ActSci
11 September 2001 / October 2012
Provide degree course suitable for students of high quality, combining and relating mathematics,
statistics, finance and social sciences;
Prepare students for further study, or for professional and managerial careers, particularly in areas
requiring the application of quantitative skills;
To provide students with the intellectual foundation for a successful career in the actuarial profession, or
in a career requiring similar skills.
Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
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LSE
 Accredited by the Institute of Actuaries; up to seven
exemptions can be gained from the Institute and Faculty of
Actuaries.
 Royal Statistical Society; conditional on students taking a
certain combination of courses during their second and third
years of study.
BSc
Actuarial Science
Three years, full-time
Statistics
Mathematics, statistics and operational research.
Competence in the application of mathematical and statistical techniques (all ST and MA courses);
A sound knowledge of the principles underlying standard applications of mathematics, probability and
statistics (all ST and MA courses);
Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental aspects of economics (EC102);
The ability to think in a critical manner (all courses);
Skill in making formal and informal inferences on the basis of statistical data (all ST courses);
The ability to formulate and develop mathematical arguments in a logical manner all ST and MA courses);
The ability to understand, formulate and use quantitative models arising in social science, business and
other contexts (all ST and MA and EC courses);
Skill in acquiring new understanding and expertise (all courses);
Good skills in applied probability and stochastic processes: through ST102, ST202, ST227, ST302,
ST306, ST330;
The opportunity to gain exemptions from some examinations of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries: This
is done either through individual exemptions or through the accreditation system. For details see:
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/statistics/study/currentstudents/exemptions.aspx;
Knowledge and ability in applications of mathematical and statistical techniques to problems arising in
finance and insurance; through all second and third year ST courses and especially ST330;
Competence in the use of statistical software through ST102, ST300;
Competence in algebraic software and numerical computing through ST305.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated
Teaching and learning strategies:
Students attend a mixture of lectures and related classes totalling between ten and fifteen hours per week. An
academic adviser will be available to each student to offer general guidance and assistance with both academic
and personal concerns. Meetings are expected to take place at least twice a term.
Assessment strategies:
Most courses are assessed by a three-hour examination in June. A small number of courses are assessed by
project work. The class of degree attained is based on the assessment of a student’s work over all three years,
with the emphasis on marks gained in the second and third years.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the BSc Actuarial Science programme regulations
Additional information
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Criteria for admission to the programme
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Course requirement: GCE A level (A2) Mathematics (normally grade A) or International Baccalaureate
Higher level Mathematics (normally 7).
Usual standard offer: GCE A level: grades A*A A, including Mathematics and Further Mathematics.
International Baccalaureate: Diploma with 36 points including 6 6 6 – 7 6 6 at Higher level.
Indicators of quality
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Accreditation by the Institute of Actuaries and the Royal Statistical Society;
Buoyant demand by well qualified applicants for the programme and high qualifications required for
admission;
Consistently good examination results and favourable remarks by External Examiners;
Student questionnaires and feedback via student liaison committees;
55 per cent of the work submitted in the RAE2008 was deemed to be either internationally excellent or
world-leading, with almost all the remainder being internationally recognised.
The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
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Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and learning
The quality and standard of teaching and learning is evaluated and improved using the following mechanisms:
 Regular staff appraisal and review;
 Improvements in teaching technique are effected by the Teaching and Learning Centre through
observations, advice and further training;
 Induction programme and mentoring scheme for new members of staff;
 Support of occasional teachers by the lecturer responsible a particular module, plus the occasional
teacher tutor;
 Centrally administered teaching surveys by the Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office;
 An improved system for ensuring that external examiner’s comments/recommendations are fed through to
departments and acted upon;
 The School’s Teaching Learning and Assessment Committee, which regulates all aspects of teaching
quality;
 The School’s Undergraduate Studies Committee which oversees all undergraduate programmes and
ensures that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a sequence of formal stages
to ensure that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible with other developments;
 External examiner reports.
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