Career Options for Mathematics Majors

"Mathematics is among the most fascinating of all intellectual disciplines, the purest of all art forms, and the most challenging of games. The study of mathematics is not only exciting, but important: mathematicians have an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to society by helping to solve problems in such diverse fields as medicine, management, economics, government, computer science, physics, psychology, engineering, and social science."

Margaret Menzin and Robert Goldman, Association for Women in Mathematics, February 1993.

CAREERS AS A . . . CAN BE FOUND IN . . .

APPLIED MATHEMATICIAN

• Operations Research Scientist
• Numerical Analyst
• Consultants
• Mathematical Modeling
• Information Scientist
• Telecommunications
• Transmitting Messages
• Data Banks

CRYTOGRAPHER

• National Security Agency
• Center for Communications Research (Princeton, NJ)
• Department of Defense
• Army
• Navy
• Air Force

ANALYST

• Statistical
• Quantitative
• Financial
• Business
• Computer Systems
• Programmer
• Research
• Data
• Market

PROFESSIONAL CAREERS FOR MATH MAJORS

• Sales and Management
• Geophysics
• Engineering, Engineering Technology
• Business Administration
• Law
• Meterology, Oceanography, Wildlife Management
• Economics
• Risk Management
• Consultant
• Peace Corps
• Military

EARNINGS

Median annual earnings in 2009 for:

• Mathematicians = $95K
• Actuaries = $84.8K
• Operations Research Analysts = $69K
• Statisticians = $72.6K

National Association of Colleges and Employers [NACE] in 2009:

• Bachelor's degree = $50.4K
• Master's degree = $58.2K
• Doctoral degree = $70.2K

Federal Government in 2009:

• Supervisory, nonsupervisory, managerial positions = $107K
• Mathematical Statisticians = $107K
• Cryptanalysts = $101K

CAREERS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES, MASTER'S AND Ph.D.

(Research Mathematician)

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

• Bell Labs
• IBM Research Center
• Lockheed
• Aerospace Corporation
• Naval Weapons Center
• Lincoln Labs
• Hewlett-Packard Co.
• Los Alamos National Lab
• Texas Instruments
• Computer Science Corporation
• Boeing Aerospace
• Nat'l Ctr for Atmospheric Research
• Control Data Corporation
• Cray Research, Inc.
• TRW, Inc
• McDonnel Douglas
• GTE
• Aerospace Corp.
• Hughes Corp.
• Jet Propulsion Lab
• Science Applications, Inc.

GOVERNMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

• Nat'l Security Agcy, Ft Meade, MD
• NASA
• Armed Forces
• Department of Defense
• Agriculture
• AEC, Oak Ridge, TN
• National Bureau of Standards
• National Science Foundation
• Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Army Math Research Center
• Nat'l Inst.of Standards & Technology
• Naval Research Lab
• Air Force Research Lab
• Department of Energy:

WEB SITES OF INTEREST

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Occupational Outlook Handbook (Mathematics section)

American Mathematical Society

Association for Women in Mathematics

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)

Mathematical Association of America

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Society of Actuaries

Study Abroad Scholarships, Fellowships, and Postdoctoral Awards

Federal Grants

Free Scholarship Info

More Free Information

Scholarships for International Study