Lecturer, Introduction to Life Insurance (On Campus - Fall 2025)

Job Description

Job DescriptionCompany Description

Columbia University has been a leader in higher education in the nation and around the world for more than 250 years. At the core of our wide range of academic inquiry is the commitment to attract and engage the best minds in pursuit of greater human understanding, pioneering new discoveries, and service to society.

The School of Professional Studies at Columbia University offers innovative and rigorous programs that integrate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, combine theory with practice, leverage the expertise of our students and faculty, and connect global constituencies. Through eighteen professional master's degrees, courses for advancement and graduate school preparation, certificate programs, summer courses, high school programs, and a program for learning English as a second language, the School of Professional Studies transforms knowledge and understanding in service of the greater good.

Job Description

Columbia University School of Professional Studies seeks candidates for the role of adjunct Lecturer for the Fall 2025 semester to teach the graduate-level course, Introduction to Life Insurance in the school’s highly ranked Master of Science degree program in Actuarial Science. Scholar-practitioners with relevant academic and industry experience are invited to apply.

Introduction to Life Insurance will provide an overview of the core actuarial concepts that are required for life insurance actuaries. Students will first study the principles of life insurance and how life insurance companies are organized. This course will provide an overview of insurance company investments and the regulations and
liabilities that drive the insurance company investment decisions. The course will move to an overview of income and accumulation annuities for both fixed and variable designs. Students will study life insurance products that are traditional pre-scheduled and flexible dynamic, including fixed and variable designs, taxation of life insurance, and how products are sold. The course will then provide an overview of product strategy, product development organization, pricing strategy, and the product development process, and assumptions actuaries need to develop. Serving as an adjunct Lecturer provides an outstanding opportunity to educate and mentor students aspiring to a career in Actuarial Science related fields as well as to form a rewarding professional relationship with Columbia University’s world-class faculty. Candidates should have a demonstrated understanding of academic and applied trends that are driving best practice in the field.

Serving as an adjunct Lecturer provides an outstanding opportunity to educate and mentor students aspiring to a career in Actuarial Science related fields as well as to form a rewarding professional relationship with Columbia University’s world-class faculty. Candidates should have a demonstrated understanding of academic and
applied trends that are driving best practice in the field.

Responsibilities

• Attend all class sessions (class generally meets once per week for up to 2 hours), conduct the lectures, and lead classroom administration.
• Lead preparation of course materials including the oversight of the course Canvas webpage (learning management system), weekly presentations, development of class readings, etc. Part‐time Lecturers who are new to SPS must complete Canvas training.
• Monitor student concerns and inquiries; conduct office hours.
• Evaluation and grading of student assessments and work.

The Lecturer role is outlined in more detail here.

Class Days and Times
The fall schedule has yet to be determined.

Qualifications

Columbia University SPS operates under a scholar-practitioner faculty model, which enables students to learn from faculty that have outstanding academic training as well as a record of accomplishment as practitioners in an applied industry setting.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in actuarial science, mathematics, statistics or in related discipline. Doctoral degree preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in area of professional practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Broad base of expertise related to actuarial science.
• 10+ years of professional experience working in the field of concentration preferred.
• 2+ years teaching experience in a university setting at the graduate level preferred.
• Peer-reviewed publications and/or contributions to area of discipline preferred.

Additional Information

Salary: $14,183 per semester-length course teaching.

• Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until positions are filled.
• All applicants, please provide:
  • Resume/CV, inclusive of university teaching experience--highlight teaching at the graduate level.
  • Please submit any evidence of teaching effectiveness (Students Evaluation of Teaching results, Teaching Observation summaries, etc.)
• Must reside and be eligible to work in the United States. Faculty are expected to live and work within normal commuting distance of the University, defined as New York or a contiguous state: New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or Vermont.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.