International Business or Actuarial Science

College Majors Business Majors
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<p>I am thinking about either doing a double major in international business and accounting with a minor in Italian, or a major in actuarial science. I am not sure, though, which one I should do.</p>

<p>I love learning Italian and I would love to learn about other cultures and get the opportunity to experience them. I really want to travel a lot and even study abroad in college, so I think that international business would be good for that. I also enjoy math so that’s why I am thinking about also majoring in accounting. I am just not sure if I would enjoy learning about the “business” part of international business.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I love math a lot and would love to challenge myself by doing actuarial science. I am very good at math and it is usually pretty easy for me. Plus, I know that actuaries make a lot money and are in high demand. The only problem is, I don’t think it will allow me to travel much, and since it’s an intense major, I don’t think I would be able to study abroad in college. Also, I am a little concerned about taking the exams because I heard that they are very hard and take lots of time to study for. And my sister is majoring in actuarial science and I don’t know if I want to do the same major as she is.</p>

<p>What do you think is the better major? Both appeal to me a lot, but I am just not sure which one will suit me better. I love math a lot and actuarial science would be good for that since it deals with very challenging math. But I also want to travel more than anything and international business would allow me to do that. I would love to get answers from people who have had experience with any of these majors. Thanks.</p>

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<p>If you’re currently in the US, skip the actuarial science major. Instead, get another major and pass some actuarial exams. You do not need an actuarial science major to become an actuary in the US, and a business major combined with passed exams and an office internship would make you a competitive candidate for an entry level actuarial job, all other things being equal.</p>

<p>There are a couple of advantages to actuarial science programs, but unless you feel you were born to be an actuary, they are not worth the reduction in educational breadth.</p>

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<p>As a side note, if you were to try to become an actuary in another country, things get complicated, as the requirements to work as one vary. In general, becoming a member of the Society of Actuaries is a good start, though how far that gets you will depend on which country you plan on working.</p>