Careers in Mathematics

If you are a math major looking for practical advice and help in preparing for internships or career placement, you should make an appointment with a career services advisor at the Career & Professional Development Institute, NAC lobby, room 1/116. That office can provide you with many specifc leads for mathematics related positions that are available right NOW. They will also assist you in preparing your resume and learning how to deal with job interviews and other parts of the job search process. The discussion below describes math related careers in broad terms for those who may just be beginning to think about the career opportunities for math majors.

Math majors often become mathematics teachers, and the opportunities in that direction have never been more plentiful, as a glance at the references below will demonstrate. However, there are many other professional positions for which a mathematics degree is an essential, if implied, ingredient. Unlike "mathematics teacher", most of these jobs do not mention the word "mathematics" in their title or perhaps not even in the job description. This means that as a math major you have to be a little more creative in looking at your job options than, say, your friend who is an electrical engineer. Below you will find a small selection of websites that can help you in this process. We hope you find it a useful starting point for a great future.

American Federation of Teachers

Information on careers in teaching from The American Federation of Teachers. Contains links to requirements for individual states.

Math for America

The Math for America Foundation (MfA) was established to substantially improve the quality of mathematics education in our country's public schools. Its current mandate is to train and place mathematically talented teachers in the New York City schools. To do so it sponsors The Newton Fellowship Program to train mathematically-talented individuals to become high school math teachers and support them in the early years of their careers. The program currently operates in New York City. MfA will appoint over 180 Newton Fellows in NYC over the next five years. MfA is planning to expand the program to other cities in the future.

New York City Teaching Fellows

The New York City Teaching Fellows is a program aimed at recruiting, selecting, and training talented individuals to become teachers in the New York City public schools. Fellows use their diverse experiences, knowledge, and achievements to positively affect the lives of their students while working towards a subsidized Master's degree in Education. No teaching experience or previous education coursework is required.

Teach for America

Teach for America recruits bright college graduates, who may not have taken education courses, to teach for two years in underserved communities around the country. Math teachers are in particularly great demand.

Be An Actuary

Actuaries analyze risk for insurance companies, pension plans and any large organization which has obligations for payments contingent on future events. They do important work and are well-paid for it. Find out more at this site.

Careers in Finance

There is more to finance than balancing a checkbook. Advanced mathematical training and excellent analytical skills are a must for many top-paying jobs. Find out what's required at this good commercial site.

Career Cornerstone

This is a website produced by the Sloan Foundation in conjunction with professional societies in mathematics, science, and engineering. It contains extensive career information on all areas of math, science, and engineering.

In addition to providing general career information, the following sites have extensive biographical profiles written by individuals in various occupations discussing their backgrounds and the type of mathematically oriented work they currently perform.

AMS Careers

Career information from the American Mathematical Society

MAA Careers

Career information from the Mathematical Association of America

SIAM Careers

Career information from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

AMSTAT Careers

Careers in Statistics from the American Statistical Association.

Actuaries On The Job

The Society of Actuaries runs the "Be An Actuary" pages describing the profession and with resources there.