UNLV is putting real money on a very specific bet: that a brand-new insurance major can turn a looming talent shortage into a steady, homegrown hiring pipeline for Las Vegas. The Lee Business School's Bachelor of Science in Insurance and Risk Management blends traditional coursework with mentoring from industry pros and targeted scholarship support, all with an eye toward funneling local graduates straight into high-paying insurance jobs as older workers exit the field.
The push recently landed in the spotlight after a feature in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which reported the program now has about 84 active students and that many have already picked up summer internships across the West. As reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal, industry leaders frame the degree as a direct response to a coming “silver tsunami” of retirements.
UNLV describes the major as Nevada’s first bachelor’s program in insurance and risk management, built on the Kerestesi Center for Insurance and Risk Management, which launched in 2023 after a $5 million gift from the Nevada Surplus Lines Foundation. The university also points to a later $2.6 million scholarship commitment that is expected to help roughly 180 students over the next three cohorts. UNLV’s first cohort includes 46 declared majors, and the school is working with employers to line up internship and networking opportunities, according to UNLV.
Scholarships and employer partnerships
According to UNLV, that scholarship funding is already changing what students study and how much time they can realistically devote to professional events and internships. “Like many industries, we are experiencing a wave of retirements while demand for skilled professionals continues to grow,” Justin Manning told UNLV. The university lists internship placements with firms including Swarts Manning, Cragin & Pike, Ryan Specialty and Guy Carpenter, among others.
The industry's "silver tsunami"
Analysts have been sounding alarms about the sector’s age curve for years. Industry research suggests roughly half of today’s insurance professionals could retire within the next 10 to 15 years, leaving around 400,000 open positions, a gap highlighted in analysis from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. That demographic squeeze, combined with automation reshaping many entry-level jobs, has insurers increasingly turning to universities to build a new pipeline of underwriters, brokers and claims specialists.
Pay, pace and local outcomes
The Review-Journal reports Kerestesi Center associate director John Starkey pegs average starting pay for many insurance roles at about $70,000 to $75,000 and notes that some commercial insurance tracks can climb into six-figure salaries within a few years. Those numbers are a key selling point for students still weighing their options.
The same coverage spotlights 20-year-old Las Vegas native Haydee Herrera, who secured a summer internship with NFP in Westlake Village, and notes that the program expects its first insurance and risk management graduating class to include roughly 40 students in May 2027. As reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal, these early wins are part of a coordinated effort to make insurance careers more visible and financially appealing.
For Las Vegas employers juggling rapid growth and an aging workforce, UNLV’s program is intended to create a local bench of trained talent ready to fill immediate openings and eventually move into leadership roles. Whether the university’s wager hits the jackpot will likely depend on how strongly those employer partnerships hold and whether students continue to view insurance as a reliable path to stable, well-paying work.
