The 11 Best Jobs For Math Majors

Math is used across so many different fields, like finance, sciences, and tech, just to name a few. It seems as if you can get a job in any industry with a degree in mathematics, which is reassuring when choosing your major in college.

That being said, you don’t just want any job. Even with a math degree, you want a job that pays well, provides you with security, and is interesting and challenging enough to keep your interest long term.

We’ll go over some of the best jobs for math majors, including a short list of great entry-level jobs for math majors. Keep reading to discover the exciting careers you can work in with your math degree. 

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What is a Math Degree?

Depending on your university, you can either earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree at the undergraduate level. The coursework or the type of studying you do might differ slightly depending on which degree you complete, so it’s best to check with the university itself to make sure the degree aligns with your goals.

In the degree itself, you’ll have different requirements to fulfill that involve general education credits along with a set number of credits in lower-level or introductory math classes and advanced math classes. 

Additionally, depending on the university, some might offer specializations in specific areas like statistics, applied analytics, computational mathematics, and others. These specializations can be helpful if you want to go into a more focused master’s degree program. 

Skills You’ll Get With a Math Degree

Mathematicians rely a lot on logic and analysis to find solutions to complex problems, so it’s no surprise that you’ll develop a related skillset. Aside from being the go-to “numbers person” in any work setting, there are a number of other key skills you’ll develop when studying for a math degree.

• Critical thinking: Math isn’t just about completing your work, but also showing how you arrived at a conclusion. You’ll learn critical thinking skills by analyzing each step of a process.
• Problem-solving: Mathematicians are always trying to solve the problem in front of them, and while this is critical when dealing with equations and numbers, it’s also important for other aspects of your day-to-day life.
• Analysis: Mathematicians also typically think very analytically, which can be a great benefit when working for an employer and you need to lay out a step-by-step plan that offers a solution.
• Time management: This skill is important for any employee, but as someone who has studied math, you’re already used to dividing your time into setting out plans for each step of a process and working towards the solution.

Highest Paying Entry-Level Jobs for Math Majors

Even if you’re just out of college, you can still land a high-earning job with a degree in math. You can work in different fields, like finance, information technology, or even marketing. 

Here are a few great entry-level jobs for math majors including information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics about the average annual salary.

Database Administrator

Average salary: $93,750

As a database administrator, you’ll use software to analyze sets of data and help make databases run more effectively in a company. You’ll need good computer skills for this career, but math skills also play an important role. Therefore, it’s a good idea to study something like database technology or information technology in conjunction with your math degree. 

Financial Analyst

Average salary: $81,590

Financial analysts work to reduce financial risk within a company and also provide financial advice based on analysis. You might be working to analyze stocks, financial data, or even popular business trends to see what would be most effective for your company. You’ll need to be comfortable working with statistics and it’s possible that some companies will require extra certification, but this is a job you can get with an undergrad and little previous experience.

Market Research Analyst

Average salary: $63,790

Before investing into a new market, service, or product, companies want to know if it’s really worth it. That’s where market research analysts come in. Their role is to use their math skills to analyze the market and forecast trends to see if an investment is worth it. You can land this type of job with only a bachelor’s degree, and there’s a high projected growth for this job, so it’s definitely a career path you want to keep in mind.

Actuary

Average salary: $108,350

This is a really common field for recent math grads to work in. Using your mathematical skills and knowledge of statistics, you’ll work to project and manage risks for insurance companies. Essentially, you’ll be the one figuring out how likely an event is to occur and how much it would cost to cover it. You might need an actuarial certification to land this type of job, and it’s also a good idea to study some computer science or finance courses.

Photo by ThisisEngineering

Best Math Jobs for All Levels

The jobs mentioned above can be good for math majors at any level, but are primarily geared towards entry-level candidates. Here are a few more jobs that are ideal for math majors at any level of their career or experience.

Physicist

Average salary: $122,220

You’ll likely need more advanced degrees in math in order to work as a physicist. In this role, you’ll need to have a sharp analytical mind in order to make observations and turn them into mathematical calculations. Essentially, physicists want to observe and understand how the universe works, which is clearly no simple task.

Mathematician

Average salary: $92,030

Mathematicians work purely with numbers, and unlike a physicist, their job doesn’t really involve making observations. Mathematicians can work in either applied or pure mathematics, and they often work in academia or research roles where they work on solving different math problems. Some mathematicians work in business, government, or other roles where they help solve real-world problems using math.

Economist

Average salary: $105,020

If you’re interested in the way the economy works, then using your math skills to become an economist could be a great path for you. Economists analyze data and economic trends in order to make predictions on the market. As an economist, you can work for governments, think tanks, or even businesses looking for ways to increase profits. 

Financial Advisor

Average salary: $87,850

As a financial advisor, you’ll be working closely with clients to explain the intricacies of things like stocks, taxes, interest rates, bonds, and other financial topics. While having some experience with finance is an asset here, mathematics is important too since you’ll be working to estimate returns and create forecasts in order to help your clients put together a strong financial portfolio.

Statistician

Average salary: $92,030

Statisticians use statistical analysis and research techniques in their work for different industries. Statisticians can work with businesses, engineering firms, or healthcare companies to analyze data and offer conclusions based on the information gathered. For the most part, work in this field requires a master’s degree, so you’ll need a little more experience before working as a statistician.  

Operations Research Analyst

Average salary: $84,810

Operations research analysts work with businesses to help them become more effective by pointing out and solving problems within their organization. They gather data from different sources and then use it to understand problems that may arise in a business and then find ways to solve them. This job can be done with a bachelor’s degree, though many employers would prefer a candidate with a master’s.

Data Scientist

Average salary: $100,560

This is another role that can be done in a number of different industries, including technology, science, healthcare, government, and finances. Essentially, data scientists analyze a lot of data and then turn that into algorithms that are meant to solve problems or find patterns. They work with very large quantities of data so it’s important to know how to pull necessary information from the data to arrive at a conclusion. 

The Bottom Line

Wherever you are in your career, rest assured that there are plenty of good jobs for math majors out there, you just need to find the right one that fits you.

If you’re looking for additional education to complement your math degree, then consider doing a degree online. You can study while you work so you don’t have to give up your career while learning a new subject. University of the People (UoPeople) has some great online degrees that can be done remotely and that are tuition-free, so you have great options to choose from.