Career Options

Jobs requiring mathematical skills are regularly listed at the top of the rankings of most desirable and highest-earning jobs (CareerCast Jobs Rated Report, PayScale College Salary Report). The applied mathematics major provides ideal preparation for a variety of analytical careers in science, industry, business, government, and the education and nonprofit sectors.

APU mathematics graduates have gone on to prestigious graduate schools (including University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of Colorado, Boulder; University of Washington; and California State University, Fullerton); accepted choice offers to teach at various secondary schools; been selected for Teach for America and Math for America; and moved into attractive industry positions.

Careers for Applied Mathematics Majors

• Actuary
• Animator
• Architect
• Biostatistician
• Budget Analyst
• Climatologist
• College Professor
• Computer Scientist
• Cryptanalyst
• Economist
• Electrical Engineer
• Epidemiologist
• Financial Market Analyst
• Math Teacher
• Mathematical Physicist
• Mechanical Engineer
• National Security Analyst
• Operations Research Analyst
• Software Engineer
• Statistician
• Technical Writer
• Urban Planner

Starting Salary¹

The typical starting salary of an applied math major is $55,800. The typical salary after 10-19 years is $115,000.

Job Titles of People with Applied Mathematics Degrees

• Portfolio Manager, Barclays Global Investors
• Options Trader, Peak6
• Math Educator, Assessment Technology
• Simulation Specialist, Raytheon Missile Systems
• Director of Information and Technical Services, Kansas Electric Power Cooperative
• Program Analyst, Census Bureau
• Director of Institutional Retirement Plans, CPS Investment Advisors
• Computer Consultant, IET Company
• Health Physicist, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Statistician (Medicine), U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
• Senior Actuarial Associate, Manulife Financial
• Major, United States Air Force, United States Strategic Command
• Deputy Director, Division of Math Sciences, National Science Foundation
• Development and Operations Engineer, Amazon
• Senior Systems Engineer, Walt Disney Animation Studios