What Jobs Can I Get With Math Degree?

Mathematics is an interesting and highly respected field of study. It’s a discipline that provides a wide variety of career options. The question most math students ask themselves is, “What jobs can I get with math degree?”

If you’re a math major student or planning on studying mathematics, it’s important to know your options in terms of career opportunities that await you after graduation. This article will give you insight into some of the career possibilities with a math degree.

FAQ

What are the jobs I can get with a math degree?

Mathematics is a versatile field that’s highly valued in the workplace; here are some of the careers you can pursue with a math degree:

• Work in firms or corporations
• Doctoral degree
• Teacher
• Actuary
• Cryptographer
• Market analyst or researcher
• Law school

What kind of jobs can I get in firms or corporations with a math degree?

There are various job opportunities in the private sector for individuals with a degree in mathematics. Here are some of the most common:

• Data analyst
• Operations research analyst
• Business analyst
• Statistician
• Financial analyst

These jobs usually involve collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to improve business operations and strategy. Strong math skills are crucial for success in such positions.

What kind of doctoral degrees can a math major pursue?

Math is a field that naturally lends itself to doctoral-level education. Apart from the traditional Ph.D. in Mathematics, other doctorate programs options include:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science
• Ph.D. in Physics
• Ph.D. in Statistics
• Ph.D. in Mathematical Finance
• Ph.D. in Operations Research
• Ph.D. in Computational Biology.

These Doctoral degrees equip you with advanced research and problem-solving skills in a particular subfield, leading to high-level opportunities such as professorship roles or senior researcher positions.

What kind of teaching job can I get with a math degree?

A math degree opens up various teaching opportunities at different levels of education, including:

• High school teacher
• Community college instructor
• University professor
• Private tutor or coach

Math instructors at each of these levels could find themselves teaching different math courses or even courses in related fields. While a teaching license may be needed for public-school teaching, private institutions and post-secondary opportunities may not require it.

What is an actuary, and what kind of roles do they perform with a math degree?

An actuary is a professional who works as a risk management expert, specializing in evaluating, managing and predicting financial risks. Actuaries typically work in fields such as life and health insurance, employee benefits, and finance. They perform duties such as calculating insurance premiums, analyzing financial data, creating risk models, and making recommendations related to risk management policies.

With a math degree, you’d be an excellent fit for an actuary role due to your background in probability, statistics, and mathematics. Actuaries must be certified by passing a series of rigorous exams and meeting other requirements. The job role promises high salaries of over $100,000 per annum.

What job opportunities can a math degree offer in Cryptography?

Cryptoanalysis is the area of mathematics that involves creating and breaking codes. It’s a fascinating, important and potentially lucrative security industry. Mathematics and computer science are the two main disciplines that deal directly with cryptography.

Cryptography involves analyzing data communication systems, securing them from interception, and designing technology or protocols to ensure data privacy. Some of the in-demand careers in cryptography include:

• Cryptography engineer
• Cryptography consultant
• Cryptography researcher
• Cryptography analyst

Cryptography jobs require a strong knowledge of mathematics, computer science, and statistics, which make math degree holders ideal for these roles. Additionally, cryptography roles have reasonable salary packages that commensurate with the job difficulty and demands.

What jobs ideal for math degree holders in research and analysis?

Mathematics provides the analytical and logical skills needed in research to make sense of data and inform decision-making. It’s also key in analyzing market trends and economic growth to make forecasts of future economic conditions. Math degree holders can work in research and analysis in a variety of domains, including finance, healthcare, and scientific research.

Common jobs in research and analysis include:

• Market researcher
• Statistical analyst
• Quantitative analyst
• Operations research analyst

With regards to statistics and data analysis, a math degree provides you with essential statistical and mathematical tools needed to handle, analyze and visualize large amounts of data collected in research or market analysis.

Is Law School a career opportunity for math degree holders?

Law is a career opportunity that doesn’t often come to mind when you’re studying mathematics; however, a math degree provides an excellent background for pursuing one. Mathematics teaches you logic, analytical, argumentation and problem-solving skills that are essential in the legal practice. Beyond this, Mathematics is valued in many areas of law practice, such as patents, corporate law, and tax law. Common careers in law include:

• Corporate lawyer
• Intellectual property lawyer
• Tax lawyer
• Patent lawyer

While a math degree does not directly provide a path to legal practice, it offers the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to prepare for the legal profession. Statisticians, for example, are often involved in the field of legal proceeding as expert witnesses or consultants.

Conclusion

Math is a valuable and respected field of study with numerous career options for degree holders. If you love solving complex problems and have a passion for numbers and logic, or have an excellent analytical ability, you’ll find that there are numerous career opportunities worth exploring in today’s job market. Utilize your mathematics skills, technology skills, and analytical skills to become a problem solver in fields such finance, research, cryptography, and even the law.