Bachelor of Science (Financial Mathematics and Economics)

Honours graduates can pursue higher degrees in a range of related disciplines, including mathematics, actuarial science, financial economics, financial mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics and economics. Graduates have been accepted on to leading postgraduate programmes both in Ireland and in prestigious universities overseas, including the University of Cambridge, Warwick University and the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Graduates can choose to become trainee actuaries and finish the professional exams while working or complete a Masters or Higher Diploma programme in Actuarial Science before starting as a trainee actuary. To become a qualified actuary, you must satisfy the professional education and work experience requirements of the Faculty of Actuaries (FFA) and Institute of Actuaries (FIA), based in the UK. The Society of Actuaries in Ireland is responsible for the professional conduct of actuaries in Ireland but is not an examining body.

There are excellent employment opportunities for graduates. The demand from employers for well-qualified students with knowledge of how financial markets operate and how to use quantitative techniques to make informed investment decisions is substantial. The employment prospects from this degree programme are excellent, with challenging and financially rewarding opportunities in many different areas. These include:

Financial services – opportunities for graduates exist right across the financial services sector, in investment, corporate and private banking, in currency trading, in credit risk and in management of hedge funds. Some of the world’s leading financial firms have hired our graduates, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse.

Actuarial profession – graduates can embark on a career as an actuary, working primarily in pensions, life insurance and investments. About a quarter of our graduates in recent years have gone on to complete postgraduate actuarial studies and some graduates have gone directly to positions as trainee actuaries.

Other areas – opportunities for our graduates exist in government departments and other public sector bodies, where they play key roles on issues affecting the national economy. In recent years, graduates have been hired by the Department of Finance, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Bank of England and the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA). Moreover, because of their strong numeracy skills, graduates have also secured employment in a wide variety of different areas, for example, as economists, in accountancy, tax and law, in management consultancy and even as a sports odds compiler.