The Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) Certificate Program

An RMI career holds great promise and opportunity in many professional positions such as agents, brokers, information technology, sales and marketing, underwriters, claims administrators or adjustors. Risk managers are in great demand and needed in virtually every industry or business from health care, to manufacturing to banking and financial services, to energy an technology. Risk management encompasses the analysis of the financial and economic characteristics of risk exposure in such diverse careers as corporate risk manager, safety manager, risk management consultant or analyst, employee benefits manager and insurance consultant. The RMI Certificate will benefit students seeking professional designations such as Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Risk Mangers, and Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS).

Offered through the Department of Finance, RMI course work will provide you with a basic understanding of employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, life and health insurance, and corporate and financial risk management – knowledge vital for such positions as corporate risk manager, risk management consultant, and employee benefits manager. Open to any UI undergraduate, the Certificate has its strongest affinity among business majors (particularly Finance), as well as mathematics and actuarial science majors.

Certificate Requirements

To complete the RMI Certificate, you'll take 24 credit hours of course work (may be less for finance majors). You'll complete three core courses, take two of three RMI elective courses, and three additional elective courses from a prescribed list of course electives (see back side). Juniors in any major at The University of Iowa, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75, may apply for admission to the program. Finance majors can specialize in RMI or choose to complement corporate and investments finance specialties with one or more RMI courses. Tippie College of Business students in other majors and students from other UI colleges may take RMI courses to gain an understanding of the important issues in this area as well as to increase their career opportunities.

Benefits: The institute provides dedicated scholarships, internships and a student resource center. There are numerous opportunities to network with industry leaders and hear special speakers through Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) and the Vaughan Scholars program. GIS is a newly established student organization that helps shape students' career paths and offers leadership and volunteer opportunities. Vaughan Scholars is a prestigious and competitive paid internship and seminar series for promising young scholars who wish to develop their industry connections and leadership potential.

Industry Partners: The Vaughan Institute is engaged with many industry partners who offer internships, scholarships, speakers, mentors and financial support. The name a few, Nationwide/Allied Insurance, The Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, The Principal Financial Group, Lockton Affinity, The Dana Company, The Iowa Insurance Division, United Fire Group, TrueNorth Companies, McKay Insurance, AW Welt Ambrisco Agency, and many more.