A review on Master in Actuarial Science

Good program, especially useful if you're looking to become a qualified actuary

The program is well structured, touching several important areas of the actuarial work (e.g., risk analysis, reserving, bonus malus grid, tariff), and covering both P&C and Life.

The biggest plus for me is the international certification, since - above a certain grade - the MSc allows for exam exemptions from the Institute of Actuaries.

The course workload is significant so I wouldn't recommend doing the MSc part-time unless you have a strong knowledge of statistics or a varied experience as an actuary. If you're doing it full-time, you're much more likely to succeed and can take advantage of some courses provided for free (e.g., R-programming).

I wouldn't call this a very practical course, there'll be some excel modelling (in reserving and ALM) but not with specific statistical sofware that you'll likely encounter in a work environment. Nonetheless, it gives you enough tools to get going in the actuarial world, so it is great for students and can be a good refreshment for actuaries with some experience. Plus, most teachers are very approachable and will help you problem solve on more complex issues not specifically covered in class.

Finally, having lived abroad for several years, I highly recommend studying in Portugal - it is a wonderful country, great people, great weather, fairly cheap and a good location from which to explore Europe. The course is international, with students from India, Brazil, Montenegro,...which makes classes very interesting!