Slashdot Mirror


Actuarial Science Ranked As Most Valuable College Major (bloomberg.com)

According to a new report from Bankrate, actuarial science, the formal term for the study of insurance, was ranked the most valuable college major.

"The actuarial science profession is interesting because students don't need advanced degrees to gain livable wages, but instead are certified through a series of exams overseen by the industry's professional organizations," said Bankrate.com analyst Adrian Garcia in an interview. "Students typically pass one to two of these exams while in school and then go on and complete others while working, earning raises and bonuses as they pass." Bloomberg reports: Actuarial science majors earn an average annual salary of $108,658 and have a better-than-average unemployment rate at 2.3 percent. And at a time when student debt is at a record high, these graduates are less likely to incur the added expense of additional schooling and delayed earning potential. Less than 1 in 4 graduates pursue advanced degrees. The study ranked 162 majors with labor forces of at least 15,000 people based on average annual income, employment status and whether those graduates went on to pursue a higher degree within 12 months. Income accounted for 70 percent of the weighted ranking, unemployment for 20 percent and 10 percent was awarded to career paths that did not demand additional education. The data was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2016 American Community Survey.

4 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. Han Solo by burtosis · · Score: 5, Funny

    He can't stand actuarial studies, he keeps saying "never tell me the odds".

    1. Re:Han Solo by SqueakyMouse · · Score: 4, Funny

      Imagine the money C3PO could have made if he didn't get roped into saving the galaxy like a sucker...

    2. Re:Han Solo by i.r.id10t · · Score: 3, Funny

      "In the fragile reality of Discworld, and with the gods who like to play games, a million-to-one chance succeeds nine times out of ten.

      Traditionally, one has to say "it's a million-to-one chance, but it might just work!" to invoke this rule. It also has to be exactly a million to one - none of this fiddly "995,351 to 1" business, or whatever other number you might end up with. So while the list of things that people have accomplished with million to one chances is quite impressive, the list of things they have failed to accomplish with odds a few percentage points off in either direction is probably a lot longer and involves a lot more fatalities.

      The deity of the Million-to-one chance (and all the other ones as well) is The Lady. Just... don't invoke her directly. "

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
  2. Aww... by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

    I read that as "actual science ranked most valuable college majors". I was prepared to see a few gender studies majors throw a hissy fit.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.