Curtin University of Technology has become the first Western Australian tertiary institution to be accredited by the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, enabling students to pursue those studies here for the first time.
Curtin University of Technology has become the first Western Australian tertiary institution to be accredited by the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, enabling students to pursue those studies here for the first time.
The full text of a Curtin announcement is pasted below
Curtin University of Technology has become the first Western Australian university to be accredited by the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and joins an exclusive group of only five universities in Australia to receive the accreditation.
The University of NSW, Macquarie University, The University of Melbourne, The Australian National University in Canberra, have previously been accredited by the Institute.
The Chief Executive Officer of the IAA, Mr John Maroney, and its immediate past President, Mr Martin Stevenson, travelled in Perth to formally announce Curtin's accreditation at an event held on 10 May 2007.
Curtin Department of Mathematics and Statistics Associate Professor Kevin Bowman - himself an Actuary - said that students can now complete these studies at Curtin.
"Receiving this accreditation is a major advantage for our students as it allows them to complete their course and enter the workforce much more efficiently," Associate Professor Bowman said.
"This efficiency is important as the finance and resources industries are crying out for graduates with actuarial skills and for actuaries. There is huge demand and incredible job opportunities for our graduates."
Actuaries are specialists in financial mathematics and statistics - like financial engineers - and are crucial to the banking, insurance, superannuation and investment, and finance sectors.
Currently there are only 18 fully qualified actuaries in Western Australia, and 70 local and overseas Actuarial Science students at Curtin.
The Institute congratulates Curtin University on its accreditation and looks forward to working in partnership with Curtin to develop the actuarial profession in Western Australia. As one of the few actuaries who passed all of my professional examinations while working in Perth, I have first hand knowledge of the attraction of actuarial education from a local university," said Mr John Maroney, CEO of the IAA.
Curtin Dean of Science and Computing in the Division of Science and Engineering Professor Jo Ward said that she is delighted that Curtin has succeeded in the long and rigorous process of becoming IAA accredited.
"Curtin is committed to providing our local and overseas students with the best possible educational experience, and this accreditation will offer students more flexibility and choice," Professor Ward said.
"It's great news for students from WA and overseas that they no longer have to travel to the Eastern States to complete an accredited actuarial qualification."
At Curtin, Actuarial Science is a three year degree course leading to the Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science.
As at other accredited universities, Curtin students can graduate with a BSc in Actuarial Science and, provided they achieve certain standards, they will be exempted from the Part 1 requirements of the Institute's education program that leads to becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries or an 'Actuary'.
