Professional Designations

UConn has been approved by the Insurance Institute of America  (IIA) to  offer courses needed to acquire IIA designations and certificates. IIA programs, especially the INS program in General Insurance, are the starting point for students who wish to begin a professional insurance development program.  Further, IIA programs work with the CPCU curriculum by providing CPCUs with in-depth study in particular topics.

IIA designations or certificates are offered in the following areas:

• Associate in Claims (AIC)
• Associate in Insurance Services (AIS)
• Associate in Information Technology (AIT)
• Associate in Reinsurance (ARe)
• Associate in Risk Management (ARM)

Founded in 1909, IIA is the oldest continually-operating, national organization offering educational programs for the property and liability insurance industry. IIA maintains the curriculum and awards the designations and certificates. It is headquartered with the American Institute for CPCU in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

ASSOCIATE DESIGNATIONS PROGRAM

Associate in Claims (AIC)
Four courses are included in the Associate in Claims designation.  They focus on improving communication and negotiation skills as well as technical claim-handling abilities. AIC offers new claim professionals a solid foundation for improving their performance and will contribute toward their professional growth. For veteran claim professionals, the AIC program provides an opportunity to strengthen existing skills and knowledge and to gain new perspectives. The skills learned in these courses can be applied to any number of the insurance claim areas such as property, auto, workers compensation, and bodily injury claims.

Associate in Insurance Services (AIS)
This program includes one course (AIS-25) that covers customer identification, methods for determining customer needs, process improvement, benchmarking, leadership and team building; the fundamental skills necessary to insure continuous improvement. This course can be taken for a Certificate in Insurance Services or can be combined with the INS certificate to earn the Associate in Insurance Services designation.

Associate in Information Technology (AIT)
Three courses are included in this designation which focuses on the role of computers in the insurance industry. These courses are for both the insurance professional as well as technology staff and are designed to bridge the gap between these worlds providing IT personnel an inside look into the business side of insurance and providing those non-technical personnel an understanding of the technology side.

Associate in Reinsurance (ARe)
Five courses are included in this designation that will help you to build your knowledge base in reinsurance principles and practices and study current topics.

Associate in Risk Management (ARM)
New or experienced risk managers, intermediaries or underwriters can benefit from the ARM designation. The three ARM courses cover the risk management process, from analysis to implementation and monitoring. The fundamental concepts presented are practical, and can be applied immediately to daily risk management responsibilities. Topics covered include risk retention and risk transfer and the latest risk financing techniques. The knowledge gained from the ARM designation is vital for a successful risk management program.

Students with other IIA designations or taking certain CPCU courses can also earn the AIS designation by passing the AIS 25 exam.