Careers for AM Majors
This page is still a work in progress.
Jobs/Internships (non-academic) »
Graduate school (math or otherwise) »
Finding a job or internship
The Career Management Center (CMC)
The CMC is your main on-campus resource for jobs and internships. However, you can't just walk in there at the end of your senior year.
Career Fairs: Very few of the employers will have actually have "Applied Mathematics" listed specifically as something that they are seeking. While they do hire our majors, their representatives at the fairs are mostly geared toward recruiting engineers. So, we don't recommend just showing up that day with a resume and hoping for the best.
Recommended: Make a portfolio. The director of the CMC, Bruce Mueller, has assured us that with your portfolios, the CMC can find jobs for applied math majors when they travel around meeting with companies.
Recommended: Go to the CMC and speak with Lovetta Houston, the contact person at the CMC for applied mathematics. Do it soon, like right now!
You can become an actuary. These sites were recommended by Israel Krakowski (Travelers), during his math club talk on April 2, 2008:
- Be An Actuary
- Casualty Actuarial Society
- Society of Actuaries
- Information at the University of Arizona
One of the largest employers of Applied Mathematics majors is the federal government, with many agencies and departments looking for applicants. Here is a list of the most popular agencies:
- National Security Agency
- US Census Bureau
- National Institutes of Standards and Technology
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Department of Energy
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratory
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Applied math majors can become K-12 teachers (for example, Tony Parrillo '08). For the best advice on this career path, contact the Math and Science Education Department at IIT.
- There are fellowships for math teachers. Here are some examples (scroll down to the the last three links). The MSED department will know about more opportunities.
- To teach college, one must go to graduate school.
See "More about Careers" on the AM Undergrad program webpage.
Graduate School
Our undergraduates have gone to excellent graduate schools in mathematics (pure, applied, & financial), physics, design, accounting, and MBA programs. (A strong math background is more important to getting into an A-level graduate business school than having an undergrad degree in business!) Graduate school in mathematics can prepare you for a career in academics and/or broaden your job options in industry.
Considering graduate school in mathematics?
Talk to your professors! They are the experts on this topic.
Advice from Terry Tao
A quick introduction, and another (a bit out of date).
More at the MAA ([MAA#1] [MAA#2]) and AMS websites (in particular, see the list of Assistantships and Graduate Fellowships.)
Choosing a Ph.D. program: In mathematics, this usually depends on your particular interests, or even on the particular professors that you want to work with. So, you read, you go to a lot of talks, maybe to some conferences, you think about what kinds of classes you liked and why. And definitely talk with your professors.
Questions to ask when choosing a graduate (Ph.D.) program »
Ph.D. programs in the United States »
Nice books: one focused more toward surviving big-name Ph.D. programs ([1] [2] [3]), and a survey that helps organize and contextualize much of the math you saw (or didn't see) as an undergraduate ([1] [2])
People who are interested in a Ph.D. or other research-oriented program should try to get involved in research as an undergraduate.
Research Opportunities for Undergraduates ?
Pre-graduate school programs: [IMMERSE], [SMI], and two for women only: [1] [2]
