In the presentation of the last Tuesday of the Actuarial Days of the Master in Actuarial and Financial Sciences, Federico Tassara was present representing the Society of Actuaries (SOA). Federico is an Associate of the SOA (ASA) and President of its Latin America Committee.

Federico informed the master's students about the opportunities, how to apply, the requirements, benefits, and the differences with other markets for the actuarial profession in the United States.

He also made a presentation about the Society of Actuaries commenting on its objectives, geographical distribution, examinations, and tests and the implications and benefits of its members.

Finally, there was a time for questions by the attendees.

The SOA is a North American Society of Actuaries of world prestige. Its accreditation being essential to carry out the work of actuary in the US and Canada and is highly valued in others such as Latin America, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

Professional certifications are earned by completing a rigorous examination system. The first five exams consist primarily of fundamental mathematics related to actuarial science, including probability, statistics, interest theory, life contingencies, and risk modeling. Added to this there are three e-learning modules on fundamentals of actuarial science, two projects in R related to Predictive Analytics, and an Associateship Professionalism Course.

It is necessary to accredit three VEE (Validation by Educational Experience) for the candidate to achieve associate status. 

The UC3M actuarial master's degree studies meet the requirements of the three VEEs established by the SOA:

1. Economics

2. Accounting and Finance

3. Mathematical Statistics

In Spain, only the Carlos III University of Madrid is authorized to officially take the SOA FM and P exams. To successfully face these exams, the university offers preparatory courses open to both university students and external students and companies or professionals.

More information regarding the courses can be found on the following website:

https://www.uc3m.es/formacion-continua/diplomas-y-cursos

Federico also presented the recently announced microcredentials that are obtained by taking some of the previously presented exams and invited students to join the new affiliation program, open to students from all over the world.

More information about the forms of certification with the SOA can be found at:

https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-asa-req/