Master Mathématiques Appliquées, Statistique, Parcours : Ingénierie mathématiques et statistiques actuarielles (IMSA)

The actuary is undoubtedly the most sought-after Data Science profile in the insurance, banking, finance, mutual insurance and large corporate sectors. Its main role is to anticipate the future: controlling risks, modelling the cost of claims, facing up to new challenges linked to climate change, changes in mortality rates, the growth of data, etc.

This is the role of the data scientist.

To achieve this, he relies in particular on the following tools: probabilities, statistics, computer software, data management and also the techniques used in machine learning As a technical expert, the actuary must be versatile by having a greater knowledge of the insurance field (guarantees, law, accounting) and endowed with a capacity for popularisation and communication enabling them to know how to present results to a non-scientific audience.  

There are many jobs available after training to become an actuary, and demand is growing all the time.Below are a few links that present this field:

https://www.onisep.fr/ressources/univers-metier/metiers/actuaire#:~:text=Charg%C3%A9%20of%20design%20and%2Fou,financi%C3%A8res%20and%20d%C3%A9manage%20of%20b%C3%A9n%C3%A9fices

https://www.cidj.com/metiers/actuaire

https://www.apec.fr/tous-nos-metiers/etudes-recherche-et-developpement/actuaire.html

https://www.letudiant.fr/metiers/secteur/banque-assurance/actuaire.html

The main objective of the Ingénierie Mathématique et Statistiques Actuarielles (IMSA) course is to train students who will have the dual skills:

1. In actuarial science (pricing and provisioning in life/non-life actuarial science, health insurance, retirement, actuarial modelling, financial mathematics, etc.) and in statistical modelling (data analysis, régression, classification, etc.) 
2. In computer science and machine learning techniques (mastery of Python, R, SAS, Excel, VBA, programming, database management including SQL)

The skills acquired on this course will enable students to operate effectively in insurance, banking and finance companies. A student on the IMSA pathway will be able not only to programme new techniques, but also to design statistical and IT tools to aid decision-making, implement innovations and manage projects within the company.

The IMSA pathway will enable students to develop their skills in the areas of insurance, banking and finance.

Graduates from this specialism are mainly destined to take up engineering-level positions in the third-party jobs of « Actuary », « Statistician », « Executive in banking and insurance », « Data Scientist » or « Analyst - Project Manager ».

Doctoral studies are possible in a number of disciplines related to applied mathematics.

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• For the M1, the prerequisites correspond to the skills acquired as part of the mathematics or Math-info bachelor's degree. Recruitment is possible for bachelor's degrees in economics, MIASH, IUT STID, or equivalent.
• For M2, the prerequisites correspond to the skills acquired in M1 IMSA or equivalent level.
• In all cases, the recruitment criterion is a high-quality application with a very good track record and strong motivation.

• SCIENCES, Marseille Luminy
• SCIENCES, Marseille St-Charles

The IMSA course is taught by a teaching team made up of members of mathematics (I2M), computer science (LIF) and economics (AMSE) laboratories.

The partnership with the AXA Group and the Ecole Centrale de Marseille offers a relevant opening towards the world of insurance and finance.

The partnership with ISFA (Institut de Science Financière et d'Assurance) and the involvement of professionals from the actuarial world reinforce the quality of the course.

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• Maîtrise statistical tools to describe, model and present the risks associated with insurance data : modelling the frequency and intensity of claims, modelling mortality/longevity for pricing and reserving purposes, actuarial modelling (flow projections, income statements, margin calculations), etc.
• Maîtriser les outils économétriques pour décrire, modéliser et prévoir les risques associés aux données financières : Finance quantitative
• Maîtrise data science tools to conduct a comprehensive "data" study: Anomaly management, statistical data analysis, data visualization, modelling, préd, interface creation, etc.
• Design and manage a database: data collection, joins, filters, aggregation, etc. 
• Maîtrise the insurance legal environment to ensure compliance with actuarial standards

The course is open to sandwich courses (professionalisation and apprenticeship contracts)

• In M1 + M2 (two years of sandwich courses) ; There is no sandwich course only in M1.
• In M2  (one year of sandwich courses)

More than 80% of second-year students are alternating students (2 weeks in a company and 2 weeks at university).

Non alternating students have a research project to complete during the course period, followed by a placement at the end of the year:

• of 4 à 6 months in a company in M2 (4 months minimum)
• of 2 and 4 months in M1 (2 months minimum)

The teaching method is based on two pillars: firstly, theoretical teaching provided by research professors specialising in statistics and computer science. The second pillar puts these methods into practice and is supervised by professionals from the insurance industry. Applications and projects are carried out using statistical software (Python, R, SAS) and spreadsheets (Excel including VBA). Company and research projects are an important part of the teaching programme, as they enable students to familiarise themselves with teamwork, project management and also the presentation of results in written or oral form.

• C1105 Études actuarielles en assurances (fr)
• C1106 Expertise risques en assurances (fr)
• M1403 Études et prospectives socio-économiques (fr)

• 114B Modèles mathématiques ; Informatique mathématique (fr)
• 313M Finances, banques, assurances (non indiquée ou autre) (fr)

Graduates of the IMSA master's degree are mainly destined for engineering-level positions in the following professions: actuary, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician, statistician;« Consultant », « Statistician », « Data Scientist », « Data Analyst » or « Analyst - Project Manager ».