Careers related to your math degree can come in many forms. This is mainly because having an undergraduate in this field means you’ve been taught highly employable skills, such as step-by-step problem solving and analytical reasoning.
The skills you’ll gain as a result of this degree are highly valued by employers in almost every sector of industry.
What You Can Do with a Math Degree
Depending on where your ambitions and interests lie, you can choose to apply these skills in research, teaching, finance, computer science, accounting, statistics, and many, many other areas (don’t worry, we’ll go into more detail below).
Some jobs you may qualify for right after your undergrad degree. Other jobs will require further education and training, particularly those that demand a greater level of expertise in a certain area.
Fortunately, as a mathematics graduate, you’ll be in a good position to pursue graduate or professional studies in mathematics, education, law, medicine, computer science, business, engineering, and many other fields.
So, if you want to know more about where a math degree can take you, read on below. This careers guide contains detailed occupational information on career paths relevant to this degree. We’ve also included relevant scholarships to help you pay for school!
Occupations Relevant to a Math Degree
Below, we’ve chosen occupations from our database that we feel relate to a degree in math, either because the subject matter of the degree relates to the occupation, or because the skills you’ll need to be an effective employee can be gained in a math degree program. Please note, this is not an inclusive list:
• Actuary
• Blogger
• Compensation and Benefits Coordinator
• Inventory Control Specialist
Please Note: Some of the above listed careers require additional education, training and/or experience. Click on careers that are of interest to you to find out more about the qualifications you’ll need.
Employable Skills of Math Graduates
As a graduate with a B.Sc. in Mathematics, you should be equipped with a set of skills and knowledge base that make you highly valuable within occupational fields related to mathematics…of which there are many. These skills include:
• Able to define and outline a research problem
• Able to develop mathematical models and theories
• Able to perform statistical analysis
• Able to effectively prepare technical reports
• Powerful analytical and critical thinking skills
• Able to understand context and constraints of various issues
• Able to quantify and analyze raw data
• Able to develop and present logical arguments, as well as identify illogical ideas
• Able to utilize complex lines of reasoning
• Able to elegantly use intricate ideas
• Able to reduce a complicated problem into manageable pieces
• Able to recognize relationships among mathematical principles found in business, computing, biology, etc.
• Able to present solutions in a clear, concise manner
Success Tip: If you combine the study of mathematics with study in a complimentary field, such as biology, physics, chemistry, economics, finance and computer science, you may also acquire abilities related to these disciplines.
Career Fields in Mathematics
If you’re dead set, or even just mildly interested, in applying the math skills you’ve to a career field that’s directly related to the subject matter, it’s worth considering a career in one of the following areas:
Actuarial Mathematics: Involves the application of mathematics, particularly probability and statistics, to the insurance industry.
Applied Mathematics: This field often involves applying mathematical concepts to problems in physical sciences such physics, chemistry, geology, and engineering.
Biomathematics: The application of mathematics in the health sciences. Biomathematics includes bioinformatics, which is a field composed of elements from Mathematics, Biology and Computer Science.
Biostatistics and Epidemiology: The application of statistics in the health sciences. Epidemiologists are responsible for studying the spread of diseases and model how to respond to epidemics.
Computer Science: A field of study on its own, but with applications of Mathematics built in. Examples include the application of mathematical principles in the creation of animation, graphics, network security and search engine algorithms.
Financial Mathematics: Also known as Quantitative Finance. Mathematics is applied in the use of mortgage backing, financial derivatives, and stock market analysis, among other areas of finance.
Law or Medicine: A major in mathematics serves as excellent preparation for law or medical school.
Operations Research: The application of mathematics to problems of optimization, especially large-scale or complex problems, often applied in the field of business. This is often referred to as Management Science or Industrial Engineering.
Public Policy: A mathematics degree can lead to advisory positions in educational and/or science policy as well as work in quantitative public policy. A master's degree in public policy is often useful in for Mathematics careers in this field.
Research Mathematics: This involves the pure study of Mathematics. This field of employment almost always requires a graduate level education.
Statistics: This field involves the study of methods for collecting, classifying, analyzing and making inferences from various forms of data.
Teaching: An education in Mathematics can be used to teach it. There are however requirements for advanced education for those wishing to teach Mathematics at a university level or post-graduate level.
Technical Writing: This field includes everything from science reporting for periodicals to writing documentation for computer software to editing textbooks.
Average Salary Levels of Math Graduates
The salary you could earn with a math degree varies based on a wide variety of factors, such as:
• The type, size, and budget of your employer
• The discretion of your employer
• Your level of education and experience
• Your level of certification (if applicable)
• The region in which you work
• How much overtime you are able to work (if applicable)
• The amount of responsibility inherent in your position
• Your level of experience (it’s worth noting that people with several years worth of experience can often earn substantially in their profession more than what’s listed below)
The salary you could earn as a graduate of this field is also highly dependent on the occupation you pursue. Below is an overview of the average earnings of people in a few career fields that are relevant to a degree in math (some careers may require further education and training). Please note however, that the salary information listed below is meant only to serve as a guideline. In many cases, workers in these fields can earn a much lower, or much higher salary, than what is listed below.
Actuary
Alberta: $93,273 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $101,560 (BLS)
Air Traffic Controller
Alberta: $101,122 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $122,950 (BLS)
Airline Pilot
Alberta: $64,265 (ALIS)
Canada: $74,911 (PayScale)
United States: $111,930 (BLS)
Applications Programmer
Alberta: $81,552 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $82,240 (BLS)
Astronomer
Alberta: $126,434 (ALIS)
Canada: $98,769 (PayScale)
United States: $100,590 (BLS)
Bank Manager
Alberta: $94,926 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $100,410 (BLS)
Biostatistician
Alberta: $93,273 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $84,060 (BLS)
Budget Analyst
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $66,140 (PayScale)
United States: $75,240 (BLS)
Business Analyst
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $65,005 (indeed)
United States: $70,170 (Glassdoor)
Compensation and Benefits Coordinator
Alberta: $68,758 (ALIS)
Canada: $44,125 (PayScale)
United States: $47,869 (Glassdoor)
Contract Administrator
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $53,763 (PayScale)
United States: $57,081 (indeed)
Cost Estimator
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $58,916 (PayScale)
United States: $63,494 (indeed)
Cryptographer
Alberta: $87,074 (ALIS)
Canada: $86,543 (PayScale)
United States: $106,804 (indeed)
Database Administrator
Alberta: $85,966 (ALIS)
Canada: $79,977 (PayScale)
United States: $87,020 (BLS)
Econometrician
Alberta: $92,846 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $102,490 (BLS)
Energy Engineer
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $91,799 (indeed)
United States:$82,839 (indeed)
Financial Advisor
Alberta: $77,878 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $90,640 (BLS)
Financial Analyst
Alberta: $91,993 (ALIS)
Canada: $64,175 (indeed)
United States: $84,300 (BLS)
Financial Planner
(See “Financial Advisor”)
Helicopter Pilot
Alberta: $64,265 (ALIS)
Canada: $61,152 (PayScale)
United States: $89,002 (Glassdoor)
High School Teacher
Alberta: $73,966 (ALIS)
Canada: $58,000 (PayScale)
United States: $59,170 (BLS)
Insurance Agent
Alberta: $60,196 (ALIS)
Canada: $47,738 (indeed)
United States: $49,710 (BLS)
Insurance Underwriter
Alberta: $58,945 (ALIS)
Canada: $51,562 (Glassdoor)
United States: $69,760 (BLS)
Inventory Control Specialist
Alberta: N/A
Canada: N/A
United States: $74,590 (BLS)
Loan Officer
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $40,010 (PayScale)
United States: $64,660 (BLS)
Market Research Analyst
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $46,685 (PayScale)
United States: $59,388 (indeed)
Mathematician
Alberta: $93,273 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $103,010 (BLS)
Meteorologist
Alberta: $86,419 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $92,070 (BLS)
Nuclear Engineer
Alberta: N/A
Canada: N/A
United States: $105,810 (BLS)
Pricing Analyst
Alberta: N/A
Canada: N/A
United States: $57,378 (indeed)
Procurement Manager
Alberta: $110,077 (ALIS)
Canada: $70,867 (PayScale)
United States: $68,123 (indeed)
Quality Control Specialist
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $55,114 (PayScale)
United States: $51,249 (PayScale)
Quantitative Analyst
Alberta: $91,993 (ALIS)
Canada: $73,698 (PayScale)
United States: $84,300 (BLS)
Research Assistant
Alberta: $41,027 (ALIS)
Canada: $32,796 (Glassdoor)
United Sates: $26,560 (BLS)
Risk Analyst
(See “Actuary”)
Robotics Technologist
Alberta: $70,560 (ALIS)
Canada: $69,787 (PayScale)
United States: $56,740 (BLS)
Seismologist
Alberta: $128,940 (ALIS)
Canada: $76,299 (PayScale)
United States: $71,040 (BLS)
Statistician
Alberta: $93,273 (ALIS)
Canada: N/A
United States: $84,060 (BLS)
Survey Researcher
Alberta: $55,746 (ALIS)
Canada: $49,640 (indeed)
United States: $43,340 (BLS)
Technical Writer
Alberta: $58,979 (ALIS)
Canada: $56,634 (PayScale)
United States: $57,549 (BLS)
Toy Designer
Alberta: $69,264 (ALIS)
Canada: $49,193 (PayScale)
United States: $56,550 (BLS)
Transportation Planner
Alberta: N/A
Canada: $56,105 (PayScale)
United States: $61,426 (Glassdoor)
University Professor
Alberta: $74,877 (ALIS)
Canada: $157,610 (indeed)
United Sates: $76,000 (BLS)
Urban Planner
Alberta: $96,293 (ALIS)
Canada: $74,955 (PayScale)
United States: $71,490 (BLS)
The name in brackets next to the salary data for each region refers to the sources from which the data was obtained. Please note, the salary data that is sourced from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) represents median salary figures, rather than average salary figures.
The figures from the sources of BLS and ALIS are representative of the larger occupational group that the occupation is part of. For example, “Cryptographer” are part of the larger occupational group “IT Security Specialists” for the purposes of the salary information provided.
Salary Data References
ALIS: Alberta Learning and Information Service (alis.alberta.ca), sponsored by the Government of Alberta. For an overview of their salary survey methodology, please visit here.
PayScale: Private organization owned by PayScale Incorporated (payscale.com). For an overview of their salary survey methodology, please visit here.
BLS: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), sponsored by the federal government of the United States of America. For details regarding their salary survey methodology, please visit here.
Glassdoor: indeed is a private organization owned by Glassdoor incorporated (glassdoor.com). For an overview of their salary survey methodology, please visit here.
Gaining Career Experience as a Student
Taking practicum courses and working as an intern can be of great advantage to you if you hope to work in a math-related career. Depending on the program, such opportunities may or may not be an academic requirement.
Practicum courses
Practicum courses, when available, are typically offered as an elective or are a requirement of your degree program. They offer are a chance to gain ‘real-world’ experience in a mathematics-related career field. You may be able to job shadow a Financial Analyst, Actuary, or a professional in another career field.
Internships
Internships are opportunities to gain real world work experience while completing your degree. An internship allows you to work with a professional agency, on a temporary basis, in a position best suited for your career goals and interests. These programs may or may not count towards credit for your degree, depending on the arrangement between yourself, your school and the employer.
Whether or not they are mandatory, pursuing practicum courses and/or an internship is highly recommended as these opportunities have many benefits, including:
• Meeting professionals who are established in Mathematics careers
• Getting your foot in the door with an organization
• Finding out what working in the field is actually like
• Meeting academic requirements of mathematics program
• May supplement your income
Math Scholarships
If you’re looking for help in paying for school, then you’re in luck! Our scholarships database has Canadian and American scholarships that are specific to mathematics, as well as scholarships that are open to any field of study.
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any and all scholarships for which you qualify, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships in Canada and the United States that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants.
Professional Associations
To find out more about careers directly related to your math major, consult the following professional association websites. They offer career-related information, and many have opportunities for student membership, as well as job placement and mentoring opportunities:
Canada
Actuarial Students National Association
Canadian Institute of Actuaries
United States
American Statistical Association
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
