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Certificate in Data Science

The IFoA is delighted to be working with the Southampton Data Science Academy to present a certificate in data science jointly accredited by the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton.

The management of large quantities of data, presents a global challenge to many industries.  The tools and techniques which data science provides us with is helping to make sense of it.

Actuaries, by the nature of their work, are familiar with using data, but ensuring that they are familiar with some of these emerging techniques is increasingly important.

In addition, actuaries increasingly work alongside data scientists and will benefit from a better understanding of how they work.

The Certificate in Data Science is part of the IFoA’s lifelong learning agenda, and is a significant step for the IFoA as we seek to provide opportunities for our Members to continually develop their skillset in a fast moving, ever changing business environment.

SDA    IFoA_logo

How

This is a 10 week online programme. There will be eight weeks of learning with structured support for learners, followed by two weeks to complete the final programme assignment.  The estimated weekly study time commitment for the certificate is 8-10 hours.  This certificate has been designed to be taken anywhere in the world.

Who

The certificate is open to all our members whatever your background or experience in this area.  No prior knowledge of coding is required. 

What

The purpose of this certificate is to provide an introduction to the concepts, tools and techniques used in data science, and their relevance within an actuarial context.

A key part of data science is understanding how it can be applied. The certificate will therefore blend both theory and practice to ensure that these techniques are understood in an actuarial context, with the use of case studies.

The programme

The programme is broken down into 6 manageable modules:

1: Introduction to data science, data management & processing

2: Data analysis + introduction to Machine Learning (ML)

3: Data Visualisation and Communication

4: Further Analysis and Artificial Intelligence

5: Good practice of Data Science, and responsible AI

6: Future directions

Learning outcomes

At the end of this programme you will be able to:

  • Understand core concepts in data science and how they relate to AI and ML.
  • Retrieve, process and manage relevant data in a range of formats.
  • Analyse relevant datasets with state-of-the-art tools and techniques.
  • Identify opportunities to apply business solutions with the latest ML and AI technologies in an actuarial context.
  • Provide insights about the legal, ethical and technical implications of using big data and AI in an actuarial context.
     

View the full syllabus
 

When

In 2020/2021 three programmes will run:

  • 30 April 2020 - Bookings for the April cohort have now closed.
  • 3 September 2020 - Bookings for the September cohort have now closed.
  • 7 January 2021

Booking for the final session of 2020/2021 will be opened in due course. This page will be updated when bookings open for the January 2021 programme.

The cost is £1,400.00, which includes:

  • access to all materials
  • feedback following your first assignment
  • access to two group tutorials
  • assessment review

View the programme information pack on the Southampton Data Science Academy website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Read our FAQs to find out more about the Certificate in Data Science.
 

Find out more
 

Filter or search events

Start date
E.g., 05/04/2020
End date
E.g., 05/04/2020

Events calendar

  • Current Issues in General Insurance (CIGI) 2020

    Webinars
    22 April 2020

    Spaces available

    Due to the COVID-19, we will be running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 22 April.  

    CIGI is a well-established seminar designed to increase awareness and encourage discussion on a variety of topical issues across the general insurance industry. 

  • CIGI Webinar - Jumping the Gap - Updating Embedded Systems

    Webinar
    22 April 2020

    Spaces available

    InsurTech headlines are often big statements, which seem impossible to many working in the sector day-to-day. How can actuaries implement new systems, keep the value from legacy systems, deliver BAU and not require the resources of three teams?

  • CIGI Webinar - Climate Change Risk in Insurance and Reinsurance

    Webinar
    22 April 2020

    Spaces available

    Pressure on organisations to address climate change risks is intensifying. But what does this really mean for insurers? In this session Adhiraj Maitra and Gareth Sutcliffe will look at the why, the what and the how of this risk through a number of different lenses including regulatory, principle and resilience.

  • CIGI Webinar - Operational Resilience - Is It Time for a Top Down View of Risk?

    Webinar
    23 April 2020

    Spaces available

    There have been a number of events across the financial markets where particular services have fallen below customer expectations.  These have included inability to receive or make payments or or the inability to check your own status or access services.  In an increasingly interconnected world the causes of this are often complex and hard to spot in advance, but can be a major impact to the reputations of firms.

  • CIGI Webinar - Are you Vulnerable ?

    Webinar
    27 April 2020

    Spaces available

    With ever increasing focus from the FCA on pricing practices and the relationship between insurers and their customers, it is critical to ensure appropriate controls are in place. This presentation summarises the latest developments in the market and showcases practical approaches to mitigate the risk of poor customer outcomes in pricing, with a particular focus on protecting vulnerable customers.’

  • CIGI Webinar - An Update for Property and Casualty Reinsurance Renewals 2020

    Webinar
    27 April 2020

    Spaces available

    This webinar provides an update on renewal pricing outcomes for Property and Casualty markets at the latest 1/1 reinsurance renewals with the focus being on capacity availability and price drivers.  These issues include, but are not limited to, the cat bond market, wider trends in claims outcomes, trends in Casualty RI space that affect pricing such as social inflation, yield curve, and the reserving cycle.

  • CIGI Webinar - Current Issues in Personal Injury Modelling

    Webinar
    28 April 2020

    Spaces available

    The Ogden Discount Rate shock of 2017 brought about a period of profound uncertainty to General Insurance market.  GI Actuaries' first task was to estimate the impact of the Ogden shocks, particularly to reserving and reinsurance pricing.  Their second was to navigate a period of framework uncertainty, maintaining an agility in actuarial modelling as the Civil Liability Bill took shape. 

  • CIGI Webinar - Unlock the Value of IM Validation

    Webinar
    30 April 2020

    Spaces available

    Model validation should not be a tick box exercise. It has all the right ingredients to be a value adding exercise that can help senior management understand what really drives the business from a risk and capital perspective. Model validation can be a stressful, bloated process - and may not be as value adding as it could be. 

  • CIGI Webinar - Improving Customer Outcomes through Pricing

    Webinar
    30 April 2020

    Spaces available

    The FCA’s interim report into general insurance pricing practices has brought into focus a number of market wide issues including:

    Price walking • Poor governance • Higher prices for potentially vulnerable customers • Higher prices for less aware customers

  • CANCELLED The Global Actuarial Profession

    Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ
    30 April 2020

    Spaces available

    We are sorry that this event has been cancelled.

    The IFoA's policy regarding COVID-19 is designed to safeguard the well-being of members and employees. As stated within the policy, the IFoA is reviewing its events programme on a case-by-case basis.

  • CIGI Webinar - IFRS 17 Working Party Deep Dive

    Webinar
    1 May 2020

    Spaces available

    The IFRS 17 Working Party have been producing a number of deep dive papers, these include topics such as risk adjustment, impact of disclosures on how uncertainty is perceived, deferring acquisition costs over renewals, PAA eligibility and more. 

  • SIAS Event: Cyber Insurance

    Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ
    4 May 2020

    Spaces available

    The talk will cover:
    • Why cyber security is regarded as the top threat to businesses (Allianz Risk Barometer 2019)
    • What is causing the shift in threat landscape
    • Who is attacking, why, and how we can stop them
    • Customer impressions of cyber security and how you can help them
    • Threats to evaluating insurable losses and responding to claims
    • How cyber insurance policies have evolved, and need to continue to do so
    • Can and should you recover ransoms under cyber insurance?
    • What is the future for cyber risk?

  • KSS event: Technology: A red-eyed Terminator or an actuary’s best friend?

     Hymans Robertson, Exchange Place 1, 1 Semple Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8BL
    4 May 2020

    Spaces available

    Despite long-running concerns that innovation could lead to widespread redundancy, technology has enabled greater productivity, created higher-value jobs and spurred us on to new heights. With artificial intelligence increasingly automating work undertaken by professionals, I look at the prospects for the actuarial profession in the era of unprecedented technological innovation.

  • Finance and Investment Conference 2020

    Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Pl, London NW1 4LE
    05-05 May 2020
    Spaces available

    Due to COVID-19, we are running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 5 May.

    The environmental, social and governance (ESG) space is growing rapidly and increasingly moving centre stage. In many cases, it is now an essential part of policy and central to the way stakeholders make decisions for the long term to ensure retention of clients, manage risk better, and ensure more economically efficient and sustainable investment returns.

    ESG factors cover a wide range of areas reflecting how vital consideration of these factors are part of wider systemic risks.

    The IFoA’s policy regarding Coronavirus is designed to safeguard the well being of those who attend IFoA events. Find out more. 

  • Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (19 May 2020)

    IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA
    19 May 2020

    Spaces available

    A Trusted Profession

    A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020.  This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.

  • Professional Skills Training - London (19 May 2020)

    Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ         
    19 May 2020

    Spaces available

    A Trusted Profession

    A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020.  This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.

  • CILA 2020

    Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Pl, London NW1 4LE
    20 May 2020

    Spaces available

    Due to COVID-19 this event has been postponed until later in the year. A new date will be announced soon.

    Thank you for your patience and understanding.

  • Protection, Health and Care Conference 2020

    The Grand Brighton, 97-99 Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 2FW
    02-03 June 2020
    Spaces available

    The Protection, Health and Care Conference is an annual conference aimed at all insurance professionals with a passion for harnessing insurance risk in their organisations.

  • SIAS Event: Why personal impact matters for career progression & organisational performance & what affects it

    Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ
    2 June 2020

    Spaces available

    How we relate to others at work, whether they are colleagues, clients, prospective clients or other business contacts is key to individual career progression and business performance. People buy people , so considering what we are known for and how to be positively memorable are vital. This session looks at the importance of professional relationships, the psychology of personal image and impact and the three personal impact 'tools' which affect what people say about us when we're not in the room.

  • Mortality and Longevity 2020

    1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London SW1H 9JJ
    08-08 June 2020
    Spaces available

    This highly regarded seminar will provide topical and practical updates and discussion on the latest thinking and innovations in mortality and longevity.  The program is designed for life, pensions and health and care actuaries, academics, researchers, underwriters and related practitioners eager to learn about the latest developments in mortality and longevity.  The sessions are designed to be very accessible to a broad range of exp

  • Professional Skills Training - London (10 June 2020)

    Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ       
    10 June 2020

    Spaces available

    A Trusted Profession

    A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020.  This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.

  • Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (17 June 2020)

    IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA
    17 June 2020

    Spaces available

    A Trusted Profession

    A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020.  This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.

  • Professional Skills Training - London (18 June 2020)

    Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ   
    18 June 2020

    Spaces available

    A Trusted Profession

    A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020.  This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.

  • Pensions Conference 2020

    Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel, Blackfriars Street, Manchester,M3 2EQ
    18-19 June 2020
    Spaces available

    Join us as this year’s conference that will focus on topics including  funding and savings, pension law current issues, ESG, the end game and transferring risk, investment issues, data visualisation and data science.

  • IFoA Asia Conference 2020, Kuala Lumpur

    CCEC Nexus, 7, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    24-25 June 2020
    Spaces available

    This event has been postponed. A new date will be announced.

    The IFoA's policy regarding COVID-19 is designed to safeguard the well-being of members and employees. As stated within the policy, the IFoA is reviewing its events programme on a case-by-case basis.

    To this end the IFoA and their strategic partner, the AIR, have taken the decision to postpone this year's Asia Conference. A new date will be announced pending further reviews over the following months.