Mathematics is one of the most important driving forces creating new technology. Thanks to computers, mathematicians can now take complicated formulas off the blackboard and apply them to real world problems.
Representative Job Titles and Area of Specialization
- Actuary
- Biomathematical Researcher
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Cost Analyst
- Data Base Manager
- Demographic Analyst
- Distribution Analyst
- Econometrist
- Economic Forecaster
- Economic Research Analyst
- Engineering Support Technician
- Industrial Engineer
- Loan Officer/Trust Officer
- Management Consultant
- Underwriter
- Market Researcher/Analyst
- Mathematician
- Methods Analyst
- New Products Testing Specialist
- Operations Research Analyst
- Professor/Instructor/Teacher
- Quality Assurance Technician
- Statistician (Mathematical)
Nature of the Work
Most mathematicians teach in high schools, technical institutes, community colleges and four-year universities, where they also conduct research in addition to teaching and administrative duties.
Here are some examples of work that combines mathematics with another discipline:
Places of Employment
- Aerospace industries
- Brokerage firms
- Colleges and universities
- Commercial and regional banks
- Communications industry
- Consulting firms
- Electronic equipment industry
- Government agencies
- Insurance companies
- Machinery industry
- Manufacturing firms
- Market research firms
- Public utilities
- Retail department stores
Training
A bachelor's degree qualifies you for many careers in private industry and government. If you want to teach and conduct research at a university, you will need a Ph.D.
If you are considering a career in business, government or industry, you should have a second area of specialization such as economics, finance, statistics, physical science or computer science.
For further information and/or career counseling contact the UCR Career Center, (951) 827-3631.
Supplemental Material
The following documents may provide further ideas for exploration.
- Actuaries with mathematics and business training design insurance policies and pension plans and evaluate the company's financial risks in implementing them.
- Mathematicians with backgrounds in physical science at General Motors use computer models to predict whether certain metals can be shaped into a particular design and to forecast how different materials will wear under various types of stress.
- A group of mathematicians and statisticians at Standard Oil of California slashed the cost of testing new oil additives by $200,000.
- Mathematicians with computer science backgrounds work on computer methods, systems and software.
