Careers and Internships

What Can I Do With A Mathematics Degree?

Mathematics majors from Miami have gone into a variety of careers. Fields in which mathematics plays a major role include actuarial science, astronomy, chemistry, physics, computer science, economics, engineering, biology, geophysics, oceanography, meteorology, linguistics, cryptology, seismology, and ecology.

Mathematics majors enter business careers, professional careers, and go to the top graduate schools.

Career and Internship Planning

If you are interested in the available jobs in mathematics, statistics, and operations research, see books such as Great Jobs for Math Majors, 101 Careers in Mathematics and Peterson's Guide to Engineering, Science, and Computer Jobs. Some of these may be available for loan from one of the Chief Departmental Advisers. Also, check the information boards in Bachelor Hall and Upham Hall. As a Mathematics or Statistics major, you are in a unique position. After mastering the abstract and demanding rigor of mathematics and statistics, you are perceived by employers as someone who is intelligent, can recognize patterns, generalize, and adapt to ideas and procedures in new areas.

Students who desire assistance in finding internships and jobs should register with the Center for Career Exploration and Success. The beginning of the sophomore year is a good time to start looking for possible internship experiences. This office also provides job-search assistance for graduate students.

Among the Career Center's more popular services are on-campus interviews with visiting employers and graduate schools, workshops on career planning and job finding, individual career counseling, assistance with resume preparation, video-taped "practice" interviews, credential services, and weekly Employment Opportunity Bulletins. The Career Center also maintains comprehensive materials on a wide variety of careers, as well as employment directories, summer job and internship information, graduate school guides, and "recruiting literature" from literally hundreds of employers.

Students should make every attempt to attend the Career Center's workshop series, and appointments for career counseling should be scheduled 2-3 weeks prior to the desired appointment time.

Actuarial Science 

If you are interested in becoming an actuary, you should consider the Minor in Actuarial Science.

Plan to take the first actuarial exam, which is given two times each year at Miami. The syllabus of this exam is in the area of probability and statistics. See Professor Byran Smucker (317 UPH, 9-0955, smuckerb@miamioh.edu) for details.

Job Resources

How do I find a job? It's a question almost every student, regardless of major, starts asking themselves. Start early and work with the Center for Career Exploration and Success located in the Armstrong Student Center. 

Visit the Career Center