Why Study Mathematics?

But of course you don't have to be a gladiator to study a degree in Mathematics nor follow such a pure career route. Maths graduates in the UK can open their doors to a plethora of careers opportunities from banking and investment to working for the defence industry to teaching or even pharmaceutical development. So if you have a good head for figures and an inquiring mind then read on…

Well the above examples are just a few examples of the careers that a mathematics and statistics degree can open up to you. Increasingly, employers are looking for graduates with strong skills in reasoning and problem solving - just the skills that are developed in a mathematics and statistics degree.

Let us look at a few examples. The computing industry employs mathematics graduates; indeed, many university computing courses are taught by mathematicians. Mathematics is used to create the complex programming at the heart of all computing. Also cryptography, a form or pure mathematics, is deployed to encode the millions of transactions made hourly via the Internet and when we use debit or credit cards. Mathematics and Computer Science is a popular degree choice, and four-year degrees with a placement in industry are also available. The latter give graduates plenty of relevant experience to increase their employability.

Mathematics and Finance
Mathematics is also important in the finance sector. Sophisticated mathematical tools - such as the theory of chaos and time series forecasting - are used to map trends on the world future markets. Actuarial science, a branch of statistics, concerns itself with the evaluation and management of financial risks, particularly those associated with insurance companies and pension funds.

Actuaries are obviously employed by insurance companies, but they are also found in consultancy practices, government departments, stock exchanges, industry and commerce and universities. Actuaries are commonly employed in high-level management positions to advise on policy and strategies.

Mathematicians also forms an important part of accounting, and many UK institutions offer Mathematicians and Accounting as a degree option. Many accountancy companies prefer graduates to have a joint degree with mathematics rather than just a straight accountancy qualification. Other degree options include Financial Mathematics and Business Mathematics.

Mathematics and Medicine.

Medical statistics is an area of special interest, and is of vital importance in the development of new drugs where trials to discover cures and side effects demand careful statistical analysis. The use of statistics can speed up the release of a new drug and lessen the need for animal experiments. Sophisticated statistical techniques are also used in the battle against 'doping in sport', and the international Olympic committee has employed UK statisticians in this fight.

Mathematics & Design

In areas of design, mathematics is obviously used in the calculation of stresses and loads within structures, but what about modelling the workings of a microwave oven? In the latter case, a non-linear heat equation can be used to model the heating before expensive prototypes are built. Mathematicians also forms the basis of physics, so a mathematician might also be employed in space research, an example being in the calculation of trajectories for space probes. The defence industry also regularly employs mathematicians, and many UK graduates find their way into the Defence Evaluation and Assessment Agency (DERA)

Finally, we should mention teaching as a career Mathematics is recognised as a key core subject fundamental in any education system. The normal recognised way into teaching (either sat school or at higher/further education level) is via a degree. A normal degree in the UK takes three years to complete: to go into teaching requires a further year's study on a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course (or similar), before a student qualifies as a teacher.

The United Kingdom and other countries are facing a severe shortage of mathematics teachers, so employment prospects in this area are excellent. Having a teaching qualification does not automatically mean that you have to become a teacher - many other employers hire qualified teachers for their heightened presentation skills. Some students prefer to carry on with their studies and enrol on taught MSc, research MSc/Mphil or doctorate programmes.

Looking to the future

Hopefully this will have given you an insight into the range of careers available to the graduate with a mathematics-based degree, but obviously there are many other careers such a graduate could do.

It is important to remember that mathematics graduates are generally highly respected and valued by potential employers and this is worth considering while deciding which degree to do and how best to develop that beautiful mind!

Author: Stephen Burke,
Institute of Mathematics & Statistics
University of Kent at Canterbury.