Internet Resource Guide for Mathematics

Undergraduates: Choosing a Career in

Mathematics

Irene Murua Txintxurreta

10/4/2022
Professor Sigrid Streit
ENL 3030
Table of Contents
Introduction
v Content 3
v Assumptions 3
v Assumptions 3
v Organization 3
v Tips for Using this Guide 4

Resources
v American Mathematical Society 5
v Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications 5
v IMA Journal of Management Mathematics 6
v Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 7
v Involve 7
v U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic 8

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Content
This internet resource guide for mathematics undergraduates contains valuable information about
different mathematics careers. It offers information from a variety of sources that provide
information about different career opportunities for mathematics students. These publications
offer insight into several occupations that mathematicians may have, and they show different
ways in which mathematics can be applied to real-world issues. The guide includes distinct
resources that will answer questions that mathematics students encounter. It also offers
comparisons about several aspects, such as the salary and the work-life balance, of different
occupations that mathematics students have. Additionally, it provides information about different
master’s degree programs that are relevant for mathematics majors. However, this guide does not
explain how to apply for a master’s degree or a job. It offers information from a variety of
sources: It includes two journals, one government publication, and three Internet sites that
provide information about different career opportunities for mathematics students.
Audience and Purpose
The primary audience of this guide is mathematics undergraduates who are uncertain of which
career path to choose. The guide aims to help these students by providing information about
different career opportunities so that they are able to choose a career path that truly satisfies
them. Although this guide can be helpful for all undergraduates, most juniors and seniors have an
idea of what they want to do after graduation, therefore, the primary audience of this guide is
freshman and sophomore mathematics majors. The parents of these mathematics students may
read this guide to try to help their child in making such an important decision, so they might be
the secondary audience. Additionally, high-school students who are thinking about studying
mathematics might read this document since they may be intrigued to know which different
options a mathematics student has after graduation; and depending on how much they like these
options they may choose to major in mathematics or they may choose another alternative.
Assumptions
This guide was created under the assumption that anyone reading this may be a mathematics
major, or is considering becoming a mathematics major. Most of the information is easy to
understand but the journals contain some publications that require high-level mathematics
education. It is also assumed that this guide is only used for guidance on choosing a mathematics
career path, since it is such an important decision, students should also talk to their advisors or
other professionals.
Organization
The table of contents provides an overview of how this guide is organized. The resources are
presented from the most general to the most specific. First, the guide provides information about
two important mathematical organizations: The American Mathematical Society and The
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. In addition to the information about different
mathematics careers, these two websites include data about other concepts related to

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mathematics that can be useful for mathematics undergraduates. After presenting the Institute of
Mathematics and its Applications, the guide provides a journal that is published by this
organization. Next, the guide presents the website of another significant mathematics
association: The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Although this organization
offers a great deal of information, it is more specific than the ones previously mentioned because
it only focuses on industrial and applied mathematics. Then, the guide includes a journal called
Involve which focuses on mathematical research conducted by undergraduate students. Finally,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website is presented, in which students can find more specific
data and statistics about different mathematical occupations.
Tips for Using the Guide
- Before reading the guide, the table of contents section should be used to find specific
information and to make navigation easier.
- It is important to read the abstracts so that the students know what kind of information
they are going to find in those resources and if they are going to be useful for them.
- It is recommended to read the tips that are provided for each source to make the most of
them.
- If you do not have mathematics knowledge, begin by using the websites and the
government publication before using the journals since they require having a high-level
mathematics education to be able to understand them.

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American Mathematical Society
https://www.ams.org/home/page
The American Mathematical Society is a professional mathematicians’ organization that
promotes mathematical research and scholarship and serves the local, national, and international
communities through its meetings, publications, and advocacy. Its website encourages the
transmission of mathematical understanding, supports mathematical education at all levels, and
fosters an awareness of mathematics. Additionally, it provides information about The Research
Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) programs, including how to apply for them. Joining these
programs may be useful for undergraduates who are uncertain of which career path to choose
because by participating in different programs, they get closer to the working world and they can
recognize which specialization they like the most. The website also includes information about
why mathematics students should consider going to graduate school, it provides an overview of
all U.S. graduate programs that are offered, and it gives a guide to understanding the steps in
applying to graduate school and preparing strong applications. This is helpful for the students
because going to graduate school may be something they consider after graduation. The website
considers a diversity of fields that employ mathematicians, and this information can be useful
when it comes to figuring out what to do after graduation.
Tips:
- The “Find Graduate Programs” section contains external links to specific departments
that offer mathematics-related graduate programs.
- Create an account to be able to read more articles, make purchases, donations, or register
for meetings.
- Under the area "News & Outreach" you can explore the section "More Websites to
Explore" and you will find mathematics websites that AMS recommends, which provide
links to a variety of resources on a wide range of mathematical subjects, including: the
history of mathematics, current research, mathematicians, and video collections.

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Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications
https://ima.org.uk/case-studies/mathematics-matters/
The Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications is a professional and learned society for
qualified and practicing mathematicians. It has more than 5,000 members, including
mathematicians from all fields and people with an interest in mathematics. Its website promotes
and strengthens mathematical culture in the United Kingdom and worldwide and it also supports
the advancement of mathematical knowledge and its applications. The section “Mathematics
Matter” can be especially useful for undergraduates who are uncertain of which career path to
choose. It presents case studies that were developed by the IMA over a ten-year period to show
the benefits of mathematics research and to demonstrate how every aspect of our modern lives is
affected by mathematics. From "fighting cancer with maths" to "using maths to understand
climate change", these case studies’ topics vary widely. Each case study is an insight into one
particular application of mathematics, and this may make the students recognize some different
occupations that math graduates may pursue. After reading the cases, mathematics
undergraduates may be able to acknowledge which career path is the one that fits them. Reading
real-life experiences of professional mathematicians is useful for students to know what they
want and do not want to do in their future.
Tips:
- The case studies can be found under the area called "publications" in the section
"mathematics matter."
- It is recommended to become a member of the organization, which costs 10$ per year.
This will connect you with world-class industry professionals and a widespread
community of mathematicians from a diverse range of sectors. Additionally, it will
enhance your career by giving you access to the Initial Professional Development (IPD),
CPD, graduate training schemes, and competencies frameworks developed by the IMA
with global recognition. Also, it will increase your opportunities with the use of post
nominal letters, demonstrating your professional standing to employers, clients, and
peers.

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IMA Journal of Management Mathematics
https://academic.oup.com/imaman?login=true
The IMA Journal of Management Mathematics aims to publish high-quality mathematical
research that can be directly utilized or has the potential to be used by managers of profit, non-
profit, and governmental, or public organizations to enhance their operations. It is published by
the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications. The defining characteristic of this journal is its
emphasis on the central position of mathematical modeling and analysis and the equal balance of
theory and practice. It offers articles that focus on using mathematics and mathematical modeling
to solve issues in business, industry, commerce, or government. Additionally, it includes novel
meta-analyses of literature, analyses of the "state-of-the-art" that offer new perspectives, and
case studies that apply mathematics to real-world issues. This journal may be useful for
undergraduates who are uncertain of which career path to choose because it includes publications
dealing with different topics such as operations management, decision sciences, transportation
science, operational research, marketing science, analytics, and risk modeling. This journal
provides students an overview of different ways they can apply mathematics in real life, namely,
it shows different paths a mathematics student can take after graduation. By reading the
publications, students may identify which career path they find the most interesting.
Tips:
- It is published by the previously mentioned Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications.
- You need to get a subscription to purchase a single issue to read most of the publications
but some of them are free.
- Under the main page, you can find the “most read articles” which most of them are free.

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Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
https://www.siam.org/
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics is a nonprofit company that educates
professionals from different fields in useful mathematics so they can implement it in practical,
industrial, or scientific applications. Its website promotes engineering, industry, research, and
society through the use of mathematics and computational science. The website provides
publications that rely on research to produce useful new computational and mathematical tools
and methodologies for science, society, industry, and engineering. This resource is helpful for
mathematics students who are uncertain of which career path to choose because it provides a list
of a wide variety of career opportunities that are open to people with mathematical talent and
training. It offers a guide with examples of organizations that hire mathematicians, and possible
job titles for people with applied math and computational science backgrounds and education.
The necessary job skills for each occupation are explained as well as the pros and cons of each
job. This guide also includes information about the salary and the work-life balance.
Additionally, this organization offers online information sessions where professional
mathematicians with different careers answer questions and share real-life experiences. This
provides an opportunity for students to network with mathematicians and to ask them any
questions they have.
Tips:
- Under the section called "careers," click resources, then choose "career in math sciences"
to be able to download the "careers brochure" pdf.
- Go to "siam engage" to be able to exchange ideas and expand your network of colleagues
in academia and industry.
- You can create an activity group which provides an intellectual forum for SIAM
members interested in exploring a particular area of applied mathematics, computational
science, or cross-disciplinary application.

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Involve
https://msp.org/involve/2022/15-2/index.xhtml
Involve is a mathematical journal that promotes and highlights high-quality mathematical
research conducted by students at all academic levels. It is published by the Mathematical
Sciences Publishers which is a non-profit organization that focuses on developing software for
publishing, and on assisting and creating top-level scientific-research publications. Involve aims
to nurture student participation in research, and submissions from all mathematical branches can
be found. It provides a venue for mathematicians wishing to encourage the creative involvement
of students. This journal may be useful for undergraduates who are uncertain of which career
path to choose because the research journals that are published cover different areas of
mathematics; they represent different options that mathematics majors have. By reading these
publications students may realize which area they like the most and they may get an idea of
which career path they want to choose. Involve is a great resource for students who want to
pursue a master’s degree because it inspires mathematical exploration and provides an
opportunity for students who are serious about their research. Some students may not be able to
comprehend submissions from other journals written by professional mathematicians but since
Involve is written by other students, the vocabulary that is used is easier to understand.
Tips:
- Online access to recent issues of Involve is by subscription or single-article purchase.
You can find information about subscriptions and prices under the section called “The
Journal” which can be found on the left side of the main page.
- Involve can be obtained at a discount as part of the MSP Package and the EMS+MSP.

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/mathematicians-and-statisticians.htm
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is the main Federal Government fact-finding organization in
the broad field of labor economics and statistics. Its website provides data on labor market
activities, price changes, working conditions, and productivity in the U.S. economy. This website
includes data on many different characteristics such as demographic data, statistics by industry,
statistics on business costs, and statistics by geography. It also provides information by
occupation, including career information, employment levels and projections, and data on
earnings and working conditions. This website includes an occupation outlook handbook for
mathematics students. It offers information about the employment distribution of workers by
occupational group and it also provides a list of top-employing occupations for workers with a
mathematics degree. It includes data about the typical entry-level education for each occupation
as well as the percentage of employment growth projected in each occupation from 2021 to
2031. Additionally, it provides a job summary of each occupation as well as salary information.
For example, it informs that the median pay for mathematicians in 2021 was $96,280 per year.
Aspects such as the median annual wage and the projected employment growth might be
important for mathematics undergraduates when it comes to choosing a career path.
Tips:
- The occupational handbook for mathematics students can be found under the section
called “publications.” You should choose to browse occupations by “field of degree” and
then click on “mathematics.”
- Download the CareerInfo app for the Occupational Outlook Handbook to be able to
browse profiles by occupational group or top lists. Occupational profiles describe what
workers do, typical entry-level education, training, and other qualifications needed,
worker’s pay and job outlook among other things.
- On the "Data for Occupations Not Covered in Detail" page, you can find employment
predictions, wage information, and other details for comparable occupations that are not
included in the main table. A "BLS Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS)" profile
contains details on the physical demands, cognitive and mental requirements, and other
requirements for workers in this category. Links to these two modules are found under
the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

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