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VEE Course Evaluation/Approval Frequently Asked Questions

Updated May 20, 2022

For more information please see the VEE home page.

Candidates seeking to attain membership with the SOA are required to complete the VEE requirements for the following three topics in addition to passing exams and other membership requirements:

  • Economics
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Mathematical Statistics

Most candidates can receive VEE credit by showing that they have successfully completed (grade of at least B- or accepted equivalent) VEE-approved university courses or alternate educational experiences found in our VEE Directory of Approved Courses and Alternate Options.

If my university courses do not appear in the Directory of Approved VEE Courses, can I submit them for approval myself?

Yes. If a particular course(s) does not appear in the Directory, candidates may submit the VEE Course Approval application along with course descriptions and course syllabi. It is important to review the VEE Guidelines to learn about the topics that are required for each VEE Topic before applying.

I’m a university professor/faculty member. Can I submit a VEE course approval application?

We have separate VEE course approval applications for candidates, university faculty and CAE faculty. Please use the appropriate form from the VEE home page.

Will my course be approved?

The VEE Administration Committee (VEEAC) reviews course submissions and determines approvals based on the VEE Guidelines for course approval. A comparison of each course’s content to the VEE Guidelines will aid you in getting a sense of whether the course(s) are likely to be approved for VEE. We will notify you if there is a question about your application or if it has been rejected. If it is approved it will appear in the VEE Directory.

Do I have to have all the courses listed under a VEE topic for my school in the VEE Directory?

No. You do not need to have all of the courses listed for particular VEE topic. Review the listing carefully to see which courses are needed to fully complete a VEE topic. The Directory lists all courses that may be required to satisfy a particular VEE component and whether more than one component is required to fulfill a VEE topic.

How can I get credit for a course taken before or after the approved timeframe?

If a VEE course approval timeframe does not match the date you took the course, a request can be made to get the date extended. We can extend the timeframe for an approved course (either backward or forward) without a full review if we receive confirmation from a university representative that the course was/is offered with essentially the same syllabus during the timeframe requested.

You will need to ask an instructor of the course or a department chair who is familiar with the course content to submit a VEE course renewal form if the course syllabus remains the same during the requested extension time period. Courses may only be extended into the future for up to three years if still being offered.

Please contact us at vee@soa.org for the renewal form. The form must then be submitted directly from the university representative to vee@soa.org. The topic coverage needed is provided in the VEE Guidelines at http://www.soa.org/files/edu/edu-vee-guidelines.pdf.

If this is not possible, you will need to submit a new Application for VEE Course Evaluation, but this will require a syllabus from the time you took the course.

I live outside North America and my university has a different grading structure. Can I use my classes for VEE credit?

Courses using a different grading structure (not A, B, C or a 100% scale) can be considered for VEE approval. The VEE Course Approval Application includes a link to instructions about translating other grading structures to the A, B, C format. To receive credit for an approved course, a candidate must receive a grade of B- or better (or the equivalent of a B- or better from another grading structure).

Can courses from previous SOA Education systems be used for VEE credit?

Please contact our registrar, Brett Rogers at brogers@soa.org with questions about previous exam system credit.

Do I have to go back to university to get VEE credits?

No, there are other options such as standardized exams and online courses have been approved for VEE credit. These options are listed in the VEE Directory in the Alternate VEE Options Area.