UNT - Undergraduate Majors and Interests - Risk Management & Insurance

CAREER POTENTIAL
Today's insurance companies offer careers ranging from product liability insurance to financial planning services. A career in risk management and insurance can mean many different things.
By studying risk management and insurance at the University of North Texas, you may become:
a broker — researching insurance firms to find the best insurance for clients
an insurance agent — selling policies
a claims adjuster — investigating the circumstances surrounding a damage or injury claim.
an underwriter — analyzing information on insurance applications, information from insurance agents and brokers, and other data to determine if a company will approve the insurance application. Underwriters specialize in health insurance, life insurance, and property and liability insurance (including automobile, business interruption, environmental liability, fire and worker's compensation insurance).
Many people in the risk management and insurance profession work for agencies or large national firms with many branch offices. Other insurance professionals represent companies that sell insurance through brokers or independent agents.
Studying risk management and insurance also can prepare you for careers in insurance-related financial consulting and estate planning or insurance marketing, which involves developing, distributing, pricing and promoting insurance for a company. Some UNT graduates have become actuaries — people who measure the risk of accidents or damages; analyze statistics to calculate the possibility of death, illness, injury and property loss in certain groups of people; and estimate the cost of risk. Other graduates have managerial positions with insurance companies or work in risk management as corporate officers.
UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.
Majoring in risk management and insurance
During your course work in risk management and insurance, you will take classes in risk theory, life insurance, property and liability insurance, estate planning, and the financial effects of risk on businesses and nonprofit organizations. You may also take courses in international financial systems and employee benefit programs.
UNT's College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (777 South Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750, Tampa, Fla. 33602-5730, telephone 813-769-6500). This means the college has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education.
Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law faculty members are professionals in their fields and dedicated teachers. Four faculty members have been named Regents Professors for outstanding research and teaching. Regents Professors devote at least half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses. Another faculty member received UNT's Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award.
As a risk management and insurance major, you may become involved in UNT's Risk Management and Insurance Club. This club sponsors field trips to firms in the Dallas-Fort Worth region and lectures by professionals in the field. Club members also attend the annual conference of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society and the Independent Insurance Agents' All Industry Day.
The club sponsors a trip to Austin each spring that will allow you to visit the Texas Department of Insurance and other state agencies. Mixers are held each fall and spring semester to help you network with industry professionals.
The department and local professional organizations offer several scholarships for insurance students. Qualifications for these awards vary. Contact the risk management and insurance student advisor for more information on these scholarships.
Getting hands-on experience
Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.
More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.
You can contact the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law for additional information about internships.
Preparing for UNT
If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:
English … 4 years
Math … 4 years
Social science - economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
Science … 3 years
Foreign language … 3 years
Fine arts … 1 year
You need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.
As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.
If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor/advisor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.
Charting your path with academic advising
Full-time staff advisors in the College of Business Administration will help you each semester to select the courses you will need to earn your degree. In addition, Brenda Wells — the advisor for insurance students in the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law — can assist you and provide career advice. She may be reached by phone at 940-565-4285 or by e-mail at brendawells@unt.edu. The department office is in the Business Administration Building, Room 177.
Curious about courses and other features of this major?See the current catalog.