Math Careers

Many students think the only possible careers for mathematics majors are in educational fields, but this misconception has been readily disproved by past graduates from PLU. While many of our graduates are accomplished mathematics teachers and district leaders, others have found successful careers as financial analysts or engineers, data scientists, actuaries, consultants, lawyers, software engineers, statisticians, government contractors, scientific researchers and in a variety of other positions. We have graduates working at many of the major Pacific Northwest companies, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks; we also have graduates working for local, state, and national government agencies. 

The mathematics major has historically been good at preparing students to adapt to technological changes, making them excellent candidates for positions at, for example, tech and health startups. Furthermore, as our society becomes increasingly data-dependent, almost every industry will need data analysts of some sort (from large industries all the way down to the smallest of nonprofits), and a mathematics major with a statistics and/or data science minor provides solid preparation for such careers. The mathematics major at PLU will provide you with a broad background including numerous problem-solving and modeling techniques. If you couple your major with minors or second majors in biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, physics, or business, you will likely be able to find interesting and challenging entry-level positions that seek people with strong quantitative skills. Your studies here can also prepare you for different graduate-level work including masters programs in mathematics, data science, and bioinformatics, that will prepare you for more advanced careers with major businesses or at national laboratories.

Our graduates have paired their study of mathematics with majors such as Hispanic studies, English, or music and minors in a wide range of disciplines. As a liberal arts university committed to Lutheran higher education, PLU provides students exposure and access to many fields of study, and makes our majors adaptable to a great variety of careers, and more desirable for employers who value well-rounded candidates whose education has equipped them with critical thinking skills. 

People with a background in mathematics find jobs in all areas. For more resources for what you can do with a focus in Mathematics, see the following links:

• AMS Website for Employment
• WeUseMath.org
• UC-Davis site about math careers
• Be an actuary
• MAA Careers
• American Statistical Association
• Women in Probability
• SIAM – Careers
• SIAM – Thinking of a Career in Applied Mathematics?
• Careers in Applied Mathematics
• Mathematics in Industry
• Math Careers (Cal State Fullerton)
• Why Major in Mathematics? (University of Georgia)
• Career Profiles (Part of the AMS-MAA-SIAM Mathematical Sciences Career Information Project)