In January 2009, the Wall Street Journal published a ranking of 200 professions; the top three were: 1. Mathematician, 2. Actuary, 3. Statistician.  Abundant and attractive opportunities exist for individuals with the highly developed mathematical and statistical skills and problem-solving ability that the major provides. High-technology industrial firms avidly seek such individuals, especially those with knowledge of computers, statistics, and applied areas such as differential equations and numerical analysis.  The American Mathematical Society maintains a website with a wealth of information and advice about careers in mathematics: www.ams.org/careers.

Employment opportunities for mathematicians in business, industry, and government are many and varied. The habits of careful, analytic thought instilled by training in mathematics are valuable for both managerial and scientific careers. Mathematics majors with courses in computer science and statistics compete favorably with majors in computer science or engineering for positions in computer-related industries. For those students interested in teaching, there are many opportunities in the primary and secondary schools due to the severe shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers.

Students with an undergraduate major in mathematics often go on to graduate study in disparate fields such as computer science, philosophy, operations research, and econometrics, or to professional schools in law or business.

Students with a solid grasp of statistical thinking and computational skills are highly valued in several core employment areas such as the pharmaceutical industry, insurance companies, governmental agencies and laboratories, and financial institutions. Furthermore, the range of employers showing interest in statistically trained candidates keeps pace with the growing breadth of statistical applications. Defense contractors, credit card companies, biotechnology firms, online retailers, data mining and statistical consulting firms, and educational testing organizations are among the many recent employers of statisticians. With the ever-growing supply of so many varieties of data, this trend will continue.

For information on career opportunities contact the Chief Undergraduate Adviser, tel. (413) 545-2282, Lederle GRT 1521E.