Careers in Mathematics
One of the biggest questions students have about majoring in mathematics is "What kind of a job can I get with a degree in mathematics?" It is a common misconception that the only job you can get with a mathematics degree is a teaching job. The information presented below should convince you otherwise. You will notice that many professional occupations (engineering, medical, law) and business oriented occupations (finance, actuarial) which one normally associates with other majors are open to mathematics majors. Indeed, recent graduates from UT Tyler with degrees in mathematics have found high paying jobs as actuaries and in the petroleum industry doing engineering.
- Computers:
Perhaps the most popular and among the most lucrative jobs for math majors is in the computer industry. Since computer programming is very mathematical, it makes sense that many math majors do very well in it; but math majors are qualified to address more fundamental issues in the design of the project and in creating new algorithms for new problems. Furthermore, many issues in computers like computer graphics, compression of pictures and sound for the web, and setting up networks (to name a few examples) involve a great deal of mathematics, and as a result, many computer companies specifically hire math majors.
- Engineering:
Many of the same reasons that math majors end up in the computer industry also apply to fields of engineering. Engineering involves a great deal of math, and as a result, many engineering firms hire math majors. Your training in math will prepare you to quickly learn the specific issues in a new field, and your creative problem solving skills will be a strong asset to the engineering firm.
- Biotech:
There has been a great deal of interest in mathematical biology because of many recent breakthroughs in studying DNA and proteins. Many biotech companies hire mathematics majors because of the high (and growing) mathematical content of the field.
- Cryptography:
From the U. S. National Security Agency to a smaller company doing commerce on the web, the demand for mathematicians that can understand the number-theoretic issues in cryptography is great.
- Actuary:
Among the highest-paid professions are actuaries, who compute the statistics behind life insurance tables and other related tables. More information is at http://BeAnActuary.org/. You can find listings of actuarial jobs at http://www.actuaryjobs.com, a site hosted by D.W. Simpson Actuarial Search.
- Statistician:
More generally, the proliferation of statistics in everything ranging from business to government has brought many organizations to seek math majors. Find out more at http://www.amstat.org/education/careers.html.
- Government:
Most branches and agencies in the U. S. government use mathematicians, for the reasons mentioned above. Particularly noteworthy are the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and the General Accounting Office.
- Finance:
Most financial companies hire mathematicians to study financial models and make predictions based on statistical evidence. As an example, here is a list of jobs for math majors at J. P. Morgan.
- Management:
Management consulting firms look for individuals who can quickly find the root of a problem, and find creative and effective solutions, and critically choose from among many options. As a result, math majors are in particularly high demand from management consulting firms like McKinsey and Co.
- Teacher:
If you like to give back to your community and serve kids, teaching mathematics at the secondary school level can be very rewarding. Every year, roughly half of the positions advertised for secondary school teachers in math go unfilled. Schools are desperate for caring, qualified math majors.
- Others:
More information can be obtained at http://www.ams.org/careers. There are profiles of individual careers at http://www.maa.org/careers/index.html.
Why Major In Mathematics Instead of Other Majors?
Mathematics is the most rigorous and demanding of all intellectual pursuits. Why should a student major in it? For some, the joy of attacking the intellect's most extreme sport is sufficient justification. We all need to eat, however, and so on this page we note how a mathematics major helps provide for your daily bread. We begin by looking at the significance of the math major for several non-mathematical career paths. For a more complete discussion of mathematical career options, see the Handbook for Mathematics Majors and Minors.
Entrance Exam Scores
Suppose you love mathematics, but ultimately see yourself pursuing a career as a doctor, lawyer, or businessman. Then you should be aware that professional graduate schools in business, law, and medicine think mathematics is a great major because it develops analytical skills and the ability to work in a problem solving environment. Their entrance tests support this bias. A study of college students' scores on admission tests for graduate and professional schools showed that students majoring in mathematics received scores substantially higher than the average on each of the tests studied. The study, by the National Institute of Education, compared the scores of 550,000 college students who took the LSAT and GMAT with data collected over the previous eighteen years. The table on the right excerpts some of this data from THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
The entries show the percentage by which the mean score of test takers from specific undergraduate majors differs from the mean score of all test takers.
|
|
Major
|
LSAT
|
GMAT
|
| Mathematics |
+12.8% |
+13.3% |
| Philosophy |
+8.7% |
+11.0% |
| Economics |
+9.6 |
+7.3 |
| Chemistry |
+7.6% |
+7.5% |
| English |
+5.6% |
+4.1% |
Foreign Langs
|
+5.7% |
+3.3% |
| History |
+2.9% |
+4.6% |
| Biology |
+4.0% |
+3.3% |
| Psychology |
+0.9% |
+0.8% |
| Political Science |
-1.6% |
+.06% |
| Arts & Music |
-.05% |
-1.2% |
| Business |
-4.5% |
-0.8% |
| Sociology |
-7.0% |
-5.0% |
| Education |
-8.7% |
-4.2% |
|
|
Salaries
| For those of you who wish to take your undergraduate degree directly to the job market after graduation, the chart on the right, extracted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers 2005 salary survey, provides a comparison of average starting salaries for students by undergraduate major. Note the statistics in the table to the right indicate the percentages by which the average salaries for specific undergraduate majors exceed that of an English major. |
|
Major
|
Salary Differential
|
| Mathematics |
+37.7% |
| Economics |
+33.5% |
| Chemistry |
+22.8% |
| Foreign Langs |
+5.1% |
| Poli. Sci. |
+4.9% |
| History |
+0.9% |
| Biology |
+0.8% |
| English |
+0% |
| Sociology |
-0.3% |
| Psychology |
-4.4% |
|
Job Satisfaction
| In addition to higher pay, a math major's employment promises higher levels of job satisfaction. In The Jobs Rated Almanac (1999 edition), Les Krantz ranks 250 jobs according to six criteria: income, stress, physical demands, potential growth, job security and work environment. Mathematician ranks 5th out of 250. Moreover, the jobs rated higher than mathematician, such as Actuary, also involve significant mathematical reasoning and knowledge and therefore are likely filled by math majors also. |
|
Job
|
Satisfaction Ranking |
| Actuary |
2 |
| Mathematician |
5 |
| Biologist |
23 |
| Physicist |
42 |
| Mechanical Engineer |
45 |
| Economist |
50 |
| Electrical Engineer |
54 |
| Attorney |
60 |
| Chemist |
64 |
| Computer Consultant |
81 |
| General Practice Physician |
82 |
| Dentist |
86 |
| Senior Corporate Executive |
95 |
| Stockbroker |
124 |
| Surgeon |
135 |
|
|
Examples of Recent Job Openings Available to Mathematics Majors
This list is intended to give you an idea of the variety and level of job openings available to mathematics majors. You only have to look around a little to find excellent job openings.
| Employer |
Position and Degree Requirements |
MICROSOFT
|
Customer Service Information Technology Management - BS in Mathematics
The purpose of this job is to review, analyze, and implement Customer Central's budgeted hiring, staffing plans. Also, to effectively communicate those plans and the results of those plans to key decision makers throughtout the organization. Metrics reporting, budgetary analysis and planning.
|
| NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY |
Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis utilize mathematics, computer programming, engineering, and language skills as well as new technologies and creativity to solve tomorrow's problems. NSA hires people with technical and non-technical degrees. |
RAYTHEON COMPANY
|
Multi Disciplined Engineer 2 - BS Math - Applied
Technical liasion between suppliers and the buying community. The successful applicant to this entry level position will assist in developing requuirement and be trained in analyzing requests and technical data, and provide assistance and recommendatins to the Supply Chain Management team. The individual will visit suppliers with senior staff to identify and help schedule and manufacturing challenges. Product responsibilities include ground and airborne electronics, menchanical subassemblies, space-based equipment and optics.
|
SAGAMORE HILL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
|
Seeking several top-notch math undergraduates or grad students to become part of a dynamic, global hedge fund. These strategies require a very high level of quantitative and analytical skills to understand and to apply. Trading alanysts will assits portfolio managers in many tasks. These include financial modeling, risk management, and trade execution.
|
DoOnGo TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
|
Research Engineer - Diff/algorithm Wireless - BS or MS in Mathematics
Responsible for designing and implementing the diff and compression algorithms applied to software version control and changes.
|
| UNITED STATES NAVY |
Manage power plants aboard aircraft carriers and submarines
Math, physics, chemistry, and all engineering. To become a Naval Officer you must have a degree. |
| US-MD-LAUREL-OPERATIONS |
Threat Analyst
MS in a technical discipline such as Applied Mathematics/operations research, physics or engineering. |
TOWERS PERRIN
|
Reisurance - Applied Mathematics - Operations Research
The Reisurance business of Towers Perrin provides global reinsurance intermediary services and consulting expertise that focus on the cretative blending of traditional and non-traditional risk transfer vehicles. We help our clients with reinsurance strategy and program review; claims management and program administration; catastrophe exposure management; contract negotiation and placement; and market security issues.
|
| ISO NEW ENGLAND INC. |
Information Technology
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mathematics or Science |
| SYSGENIX RESOURCES |
.Net Developers
Prefered college degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or engineering |
FIRST NORTH AMERICAN
NATIONAL BANK |
TRIAD Manager
Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Economics, Finance, Applied Mathematics or related field |
DTCC
|
Risk Management - Applied Mathematics
Design and Develop a Value-at-Risk model of ixed income; define and maintain the database fo fixed incmoe; assist to design and develop back-test ans stress test methodologies for fixed income products; provide Quantitative Risk Mangement approaches with specialized market risk management of fixed-income products at DTCC and it's subsidiaries.
|
| NEXT CARD |
Credit Analyst
B.S. Math, Economics or Business |
| SPHERION |
Pre Sales Open Systems Storage Engineer
Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science or related field |
| UNITED STATES NAVY |
Meteorology, Intelligence, Weapons, Health Care, Computers and Civil or Nuclear Engineering
Bachelor's Math, Science or Engineering |
| STEPHEN-BRADFORD SEARCH |
Engineering Finance Information Technologist
MBA/PHD Mathematics, Engineering or Finance |
| ORACLE CORPORATION |
Product Manager
Bachelor's Degree Mathematics, Computer Science or Engineering |
| DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, Office of the Inspector General |
Interdisciplinary Position (Operations Research Analyst/Mathematical Statisitcian/Statisitcian)
Bachelor's Degree in Operations Research, Mathematics, Statistics or related field |
| CANNON BOWER |
Information Technology
Degree in Computer Science or Mathematics |
| INTEL CORPORATION |
Technical Marketing Engineer
B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or Computer Science |
| TONE SOFTWARE |
Information Technology
B.S. Computer Science or Mathematics |
| ANALYTIC RECRUITING INC. |
Quantitative Equity Portfolio Analyst
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research or Statisitcs |
| SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC. |
Naval Operations Research Analyst
B.S./M.S./PhD in Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Physics, or Engineering |
NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO)
|
Cost Estimator - BS in Mathematics
Cost Estimators help in assisting in the planning and execution of cost and financial analysis support of large NRO acquisition programs. Duties: Cost and Technical data collection, developing cost instruction and policy/procedures for seurce selection, estimating methods development, including complex mathematical modeling and statiaitcal analysis.
|
| PREMIER SOLUTIONS IT, INC. |
Network Planner/Designer/Architect
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Telecommunicatons, Engineering or related field |
| AVTEC SYSTEMS INC. |
EE/Physicist/Mahtematician - Engineer
B.S. Mathematics, Engineering |
| PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS |
Merger & Acquisition Operations - Manager
Bachelor's in Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent |
| KOHLER CO. |
Forecasting Analyst
Bachelor's Degree in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics or Quantative Analaysis |
| MITRE |
Modeling and Simulation Analyst
B.S. Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science |
| METRON |
Physical and Structrual Acoustics
Bachelor's Degree in Physics or Applied Mathematics |
| INTERIM TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING |
Senior Java Web Developer
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics or equivalent |
Most of the information presented on this page was completely plagiarized from a number of mathematics websites. In particular:
- http://www.avemaria.edu/whymath2/
- http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/mcatgpabymaj1.htm
- http://math.pepperdine.edu/careers.html
- http://www.math.duke.edu/major/whyMajor.html
- http://math.mit.edu/undergraduate/major.html#jobs
- http://www.math.tntech.edu/who-is-hiring.html
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