Dauphine Tunis, the 1st university in the Maghreb to obtain SOA UCAP-AC
Dauphine Tunis is the first university in the Maghreb to capture the “Universities and Colleges with Actuarial Programs – Advanced Curriculum” (UCAP-AC) label from the Society of Actuaries (SOA) for its Master’s of Actuarial Engineering program. The SOA, founded in 1949 and headquartered in the United States, is the leading international organization for the actuarial industry and awards the UCAP-AC label to select programs worldwide. This recognition boosts the international visibility and competitiveness of Dauphine Tunis graduates, giving them access to opportunities with top employers in the actuarial industry around the world.
Founded in 2009, the Dauphine Tunis site was the first international campus opened by Université Paris Dauphine–PSL. It awards a double degree from Dauphine–PSL: a Tunisian degree and a French degree. The campus offers two Bachelor’s degrees, four Master’s degrees and about twenty executive education programs. The UCAP-AC certification aligns with the Tunis campus’s strategy of positioning itself as a top institution for actuarial education in Africa, consistent with its status as a beacon of higher education in the region.
Introduced in 2015, the Master’s in Actuarial Engineering has become a benchmark for actuarial training. Offered at the Dauphine Tunis campus, it provides scientific training that ensures a thorough mastery of financial and actuarial tools, probabilistic models and statistical techniques, and includes instruction in IT, economics, accounting, law, and English as well. Each year, approximately thirty students in the cohort earn a double French-Tunisian degree. The program is aimed at students who hold a Bachelor’s degree in pure or applied mathematics or a degree in engineering.
Graduates of the Master’s of Actuarial Engineering program at Dauphine Tunis gain real benefits: academic recognition, enhanced credibility with recruiters, and a competitive edge in the job market, since employers value students who have been trained in accordance with SOA standards. The label opens the door to employment with major insurers, consultancies, and financial institutions around the world. Actuaries are highly sought after in insurance, finance, and consulting. The Master’s program offers excellent career prospects, with 100% of graduates finding a job in their field in less than a month. The global actuarial job market is seeing steady growth. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 22% job growth for actuaries over the decade from 2024 to 2034.
Says President Bruno Bouchard, “This internationally respected certification is a tangible reflection of the global ambitions of our Tunis campus and, more broadly, Université Paris Dauphine–PSL as a whole. It also highlights the excellence of both the degree programs offered at Tunis and the administrative staff and teaching faculty that oversee them.”
Says Amina Bouzguenda Zeghal, CEO of the Tunis campus of Université Paris Dauphine–PSL, “We’re extremely proud of this new certification. Dauphine Tunis is the first university in the Maghreb to receive this distinction. This international recognition is a testament to the academic rigor and excellence of the education we provide and opens new horizons for our students by giving them preferred access to professional opportunities around the world. It also underscores our commitment to preparing capable, innovative actuaries who are ready to meet the challenges of the future in a fast-changing, talent-hungry field.”