Actuarial Science colleges in South Dakota

Actuarial Science is a quantitative business major, usually a four-year bachelor's degree, that uses probability, statistics, and financial mathematics to model uncertain future events such as deaths, accidents, lawsuits, and investment returns. The standard curriculum builds from calculus and linear algebra into probability theory, mathematical statistics, the theory of interest, life contingencies, loss models, and financial economics, with applied coursework in insurance and pension design. Many programs align their core courses with the early professional exams, so students often pass one or more exams before they graduate.

Graduates work in life, health, and property-casualty insurance, pension and retirement consulting, reinsurance, and enterprise risk management at banks and other firms. Day-to-day work involves cleaning and analyzing data, building pricing and reserving models, setting premiums, projecting liabilities, and communicating results to non-technical decision-makers. Full credentialing comes through the Society of Actuaries (SOA) or Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) exam tracks, which most candidates complete on the job over several years.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median annual wage of $125,770 for actuaries and projects 21.8% employment growth for the occupation from 2024 to 2034.