Abstract:

The actuary is a professional with interdisciplinary knowledge ‒economic, mathematical, statistical, business administration, financial and legal‒ specialises in the measurement and management of risk. Actuaries work mainly in the financial sector, especially in Social Security and insurance-related fields, where they carry out tasks with a reserved activity due to their social repercussions.

The level of development of the actuarial profession is heterogeneous. While it is high in Europe and North America, it is lower in Africa and Central America. Given the responsibilities of actuaries in the financial, insurance and social services, the profession’s limited development in the latter two geographical areas is a handicap both for economic growth and development of the welfare state.

This research is carried out in the context of a collaboration between the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) and two Spanish universities, the Universidad de Málaga (UMA) and the Universidad del País Vasco (UPV-EHU). The aim of this collaboration is the design and implementation of a MSc. in Actuarial Science (MScAS) programme at the UNAH that provides graduates with the necessary competence, knowledge and skills to carry out the actuarial profession, which have been agreed at international level by the International Actuarial Association (IAA), taking into account the particularities and needs of Honduras.

In order to adapt the MScAS to the Honduran reality and to draft the diagnostic document, the UNAH research team conducted a survey of 60 potential employers and nine experts in Honduras. This survey included questions on the employers' profile(s), the profile(s) of the staff in charge of carrying out the "actuarial function", the perception of the MScAS and the competence of future graduates, while the experts' survey included questions on their profile(s) and the competence of future graduates.

This research presents an exploratory data analysis (EDA) with a special focus on the perception of Honduran employers and experts on the competencies that future MScAS graduates should have. The results of this research have been taken into account in the design of the MScAS at the UNAH and may be useful for the design of other master's degrees, especially those taught at universities in the same geographical region (Central America).

Keywords:

Curriculum Design, Honduras, Actuarial, Syllabus, Cooperation.