Published January 19, 2017
MONROE, La. — Each year, Business Insurance, one of the top insurance industry news
sources, ranks collegiate insurance programs by number of undergraduates majoring
in risk management and insurance. The latest full report showed a total of 36 programs
in the country, and the University of Louisiana Monroe was the only Louisiana school
to make the top 20.
Last year, Business Insurance ranked ULM’s RMI program no. 18 with 75 students. This
year, it is ranked no. 13 with 135 students, surpassing in size universities like
the University of Mississippi and Indiana State University.
According to Dr. Christine Berry, Associate Professor of Risk Management and Insurance,
programs all over the country are growing.
“With over 60% of insurance industry professionals over 45 and most looking to retire
in the next 15 years, the industry is making a significant push for recruiting young
professionals and is especially focused on universities that have Risk Management
Insurance Programs," said Berry. "College students are seeing more than ever before
that the industry offers a wide variety of challenging, lucrative, and rewarding careers."
Berry hopes to continue to grow enrollment in the RMI program with a goal of breaking
the top 10 in 2017. “There are more position openings than I have students to fill,”
she said. “The larger the program is, the more companies and brokers want to recruit
here. But it is more the quality of graduates that keep them coming back. Word is
spreading about the exceptional young professionals ULM is producing.”
ULM’s program is one of the few in the country that provides specialized courses in
surplus lines and reinsurance. Surplus Lines insurance is heavily used in Louisiana
in the agriculture, entertainment, petrochemical and tourism industries.
ULM’s Risk Management and Insurance program provides opportunities for students to
receive various scholarships and internships with local companies, agencies, and financial
institutions. The Risk Management and Insurance Society (RMIN) is a professional society
within the College of Business and Social Sciences that is "designed to foster the
study of risk management and insurance in universities; to encourage scholarship,
social activities, and the association of students for their mutual advancement by
research and practice; to promote closer affiliation between the risk management and
insurance industry and students of risk management and insurance; and to further a
high standard of ethics at universities and in the industry."
To learn more about ULM’s Risk Management and Insurance program, visit ulm.edu/cbss/insurance.
About Business Insurance
Business Insurance is the authoritative news and information source for executives
concerned about risk and the impact on their business. Delivered in a multi-media
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more information, see businessinsurance.com.
