Careers in Mathematics | Department of Mathematics

Careers in Mathematics

Why Choose a Career in Mathematics?

A career in mathematics is a wise choice. The world is becoming increasingly quantitative. Mathematics plays a crucial role in deciding policies which affect our lives, policies ranging from health and the environment to multi-million dollar investments. Organizations are depending more and more on quantitative reasoning and complex mathematical models to solve their problems. A degree in mathematics will give you the skills you need to work on important, challenging real-world problems in a broad range of highly paid positions in business, industry, government and education.

With an undergraduate mathematics degree, you may for example:

  • develop new models for evaluating stock options and pricing derivatives,
  • create state-of-the-art techniques for predicting atmospheric reactions and transport of chemical pollution,
  • improve algorithms for computer-aided aircraft design,
  • design procedures for DNA and protein sequencing,
  • develop image and voice recognition systems,
  • help prepare the next generation for the analytically demanding world by teaching mathematics.

Many organizations seek mathematics majors, for example IBM, Microsoft, the U.S. Army, the National Security Agency, Philips Electronics, Lucent Technologies, AT&T, Silicon Graphics, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, NASA, Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard, the U.S. Navy, Eastman Kodak, Union Bank of Switzerland, Citicorp, the Vatican Observatory, and every school district in the U.S.

Career Profiles

A wide range of career options are available for the math major. The Mathematics Association of America sponsored interviews at http://www.maa.org/careers/index.html (October 1999) with people using mathematics in their careers. UNT faculty member Michael Monticino was also interviewed, see http://www.maa.org/careers/monticino.html These essays provide practical answers to the question: "Why should I study math?" Most of those profiled use mathematics on a daily basis; others rely on the general problem solving skills acquired in their mathematics courses.

The AMS (see below) also has a similar collection of career profiles: http://www.ams.org/profession/career-info/math-work/math-work.

Useful Information for High School Students

http://www.ams.org/employment/highschool.html (Summer Programs, Assistance, Clubs, Magazines, Careers, Tools, Contests) is provided by the American Mathematical Society.

The American Mathematical Society

http://www.ams.org/employment/undergrad.html describes resources for Undergraduates in Mathematics (Graduate Study, Jobs, Internships, Summer Programs and REU's, Semester-long programs, Clubs, Conferences, Journals, Competitions, Prizes, Careers).

The Mathematical Association of America

http://www.maa.org/students/career.html also provides resources for Undergraduates (How to find a job, Interviewing tips, Internships, Women in math, How to choose a grad school, Careers).

Mathematics Classified Job Advertisements

http://www.mathclassifieds.org lists a variety of jobs and internships for people with a mathematical background. You may search job listings by type of job or location.

Read about an Actuarial Career

You can read about actuarial careers at: www.beanactuary.org, www.casact.org, and at www.soa.org.

If you are interested in an actuarial career, you will also want to check out our undergraduate academic certificate in actuarial science.

Marketable Skills

https://vpaa.unt.edu/thecb/cos/math

When Will I Use Math?

http://weusemath.org/

The Sloan Foundation

http://www.sloan.org/ describes Education and Careers in Science and Technology and programs for women and minorities.

Teaching Careers

The following links are sities for Mathematics' teaching opportunities:

UNT Career Services

http://careercenter.unt.edu/ offers internet job listings, resume referrals, and on-campus interviews.

Check out the library

The library has a collection of books about careers for math majors.