Careers and Opportunities

There are a great many things to do with a math major! We list a few sites below that indicate careers making use of math skills. You also might want to check our Alumni Network to see what prior BC math majors have ended up doing. As you'll see, the list is remarkably varied.

These pages and links are sponsored by professional organizations in the mathematical sciences and related fields.

Remember that the Career Center at Boston College has a wealth of information to assist you in identifying likely career paths and opportunities.

The American Mathematical Society (AMS)

The AMS maintains an excellent website for professional mathematicians. Best of all, they've put together a helpful brochure called "Resources for Undergraduates in Mathematics".

The Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

The Mathematical Association of America has a section on Students and Careers.

The National Security Agency (NSA)

The NSA is a leading employer of mathematicians. "As an NSA mathematician, you may find yourself designing and analyzing complex algorithms, or expressing difficult cryptographic problems in mathematical terms, and then applying both your art and science to find a solution ... or demonstrating that a solution cannot be found, given certain computational limitations and reasonable time limits." Learn more at their Career Center site.

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)

Have you ever wondered what a mathematician working in industry or the government does all day? SIAM has already thought about this! Take a look at the career area of their website. Read their Mathematics Careers Bulletin Board, featuring career profiles of mathematicians in nonacademic positions.

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)

INFORMS has devoted a page to helping you decide whether a Career in Operations Research/Management Science is Right for You.

The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

The Association for Women in Mathematics was founded in 1971. The purpose of the association is to encourage women to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences. The activities of the association include programs for undergraduate and graduate students, research mathematicians, and teachers at all levels. The association lists a number of career resources.

The American Statistical Association (ASA)

ASA is a professional scientific and educational society that hopes to promote excellence in the application of statistical science. This group maintains a page that "presents an overview of the field of statistics and the possibilities and opportunities for those who study statistics."

The Society of Actuaries (SOA)

The SOA site is a clearinghouse for information on all areas of the actuarial profession. On their related site www.BeAnActuary.org, you can find out whether you're suited for an actuarial career, find out how to become an actuary (e.g., find out what classes will best prepare you to enter the profession), find out what can you expect on the job, and find out where to look for employment.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Founded in 1947, ACM is the world's first educational and scientific computing society.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

Founded in 1920, the mission of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is to provide the vision and leadership necessary to ensure a mathematics education of the highest quality for all students. This organization provides resources for elementary, middle, and high school teachers of mathematics. It has taken the lead in changing mathematics education for the better.

National Education Association (NEA)

NEA is America's oldest and largest organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 in Philadelphia and now headquartered in Washington, D.C., NEA proudly claims more than 2.5 million members who work at every level of education, from preschool to university graduate programs. If you are interested in jobs with the NEA or employment as an educator, you'll find information within their web site. You'll also find links to the most popular education employment resources online.
 


If you'd prefer to do some of your own research, just go to Google and ask either "What Can I do with a Math Major" or "What Can I do with a Math Degree." You'd be surprised at the large number of detailed documents that are available on the web that will be helpful to you -- many have been put together by other educational institutions and are impressively extensive.

BU MS Program in Environmental Health Data Analytics

Mathematics majors are invited to an information session on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 for the Boston University MS Program in Environmental Health Data Analytics. Information on the program may be found at www.bu.edu/sph/education/degrees-and-programs/ma-ms-programs/ms-eh-data/.

Graduate Study in Biostatistics

The University of Michigan / Department of Biostatistics Prospective Student Information Day will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016. It will provide an opportunity for students who may be interested in graduate study in Biostatistics to learn about the program and the University and meet their faculty. There will be presentations by students and faculty providing examples of ongoing work in the department, summarizing job opportunities and career prospects, and providing guidance on admission policies and financial support.

Fellowship Opportunity

The Horizons School of Technology is offering fellowship support to 10 outstanding university students in their pursuit to become tomorrow's leaders in technology. The program is a part-time 6-month experience that teaches software engineering and provides students with the network and perspective needed to launch their careers in tech. Details for Fall 2016 are available at http://www.horizonsbootcamp.com/fellowship

Research support, internships and other opportunities

From time to time, we receive information from outside organizations that may be of interest to students with a math major or minor. In addition to the general information sources and items below, check out our web pages for scholarships and fellowshipsinternships and training, and events.

MATH IS....

Check out this video from IBM

AMS RESOURCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES WEB PAGE

The American Mathematical Society maintains a webpage with resources for undergraduate students interested in mathematics. In addition, it provides a service called "Headlines and Deadlines for Students," providing e-mail notification of mathematics news and of upcoming deadlines that are of special interest to both graduate and undergraduate students. These e-mail notifications will be issued about once a month, and when there's special news. Imminent deadlines will be included in these e-mails, which will link to a web page that's a centralized source of information relevant to students and faculty advisors. You can sign up by visiting the web page.

BC CAREER CENTER SCIENCE OFFICE HOURS

Every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m., the Career Center holds a Science Outreach in the Higgins atrium. This is an opportunity to have your resumes and cover letters reviewed, and to ask questions about internships or careers.

MAA MATH CLASSIFIEDS

The Mathematical Association of America is proud to announce its new careers website. In addition to the academic positions already available on the MAA website, this new site will offer bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. level students a central place to find positions in a variety of industries that will utilize their mathematics degrees. Job seekers can search jobs, post resumes, and sign up for customized job alerts at no charge. Visit http://www.mathclassifieds.org

NOAA STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES WEB PAGE

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recently launched a new website that contains scholarship, internship, and fellowship information for high school, undergraduates, graduates, and post-docs. For more information visit www.oesd.noaa.gov