Mathematics
The logical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills you learn while studying a mathematics degree can lead to careers in IT, finance, engineering or teaching
Job options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
- Acoustic consultant
- Actuarial analyst
- Actuary
- Astronomer
- Chartered accountant
- Chartered certified accountant
- Data analyst
- Data scientist
- Investment analyst
- Research scientist (maths)
- Secondary school teacher
- Software engineer
- Sound engineer
- Statistician
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
- Academic researcher
- CAD technician
- Financial manager
- Financial trader
- Game designer
- Insurance underwriter
- Machine learning engineer
- Management consultant
- Meteorologist
- Operational researcher
- Palaeontologist
- Private tutor
- Quantity surveyor
- Radiation protection practitioner
- Software tester
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.
Work experience
If you're keen to use your mathematical skills in your chosen career, a relevant industrial year out, a final-year project, or a dissertation will be helpful. You could also find out if there is an opportunity to work with academic staff on a research project as part of a summer internship.
Placements are available on some mathematics degree courses in areas such as:
- banking
- the Civil Service
- computing
- consulting
- financial services
- retail.
Whatever role you apply for, having previous work experience will help your application stand out. Think about career areas you may be interested in and try to match up some relevant experience.
For example, if you want to train as a teacher once you've completed your degree, try to get some classroom experience or work within a play scheme or sports club. You can also look for opportunities within banks, IT teams or engineering companies.
You can also look at getting student membership with the Institute of Mathematics and it's Applications (IMA). This gives access to events, careers advice, research updates and the potential to make contacts with future employers.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Typical employers
Mathematicians and statisticians are in demand across a range of sectors and employment opportunities are commonly found in:
- education
- engineering
- finance, banking and accountancy firms
- government - local, central and agencies
- insurance companies
- IT, business consultancy and operational research companies
- market research and marketing companies
- medicine and health - including private pharmaceutical companies and the NHS
- petroleum and nuclear industries
- publicly-funded research institutes
- space science and astronomy.
Find information on employers in accountancy, banking and finance, business, consulting and management, information technology and other job sectors.
Skills for your CV
Studying a maths degree develops skills in:
- designing and conducting observational and experimental studies
- investigating, analysing and interpreting data, finding patterns and drawing conclusions
- information technology
- approaching problems in an analytical and rigorous way, formulating theories and applying them to solve problems
- dealing with abstract concepts
- presenting mathematical arguments and conclusions with accuracy and clarity
- advanced numeracy and analysing large quantities of data
- logical thinking.
These are skills that can be applied in many careers, not just those closely related to mathematics.
The degree also enhances other general skills that all employers expect, including:
- communication skills
- time management
- organisational skills and working methodically and accurately
- decision-making skills
- self-management
- teamwork and the ability to work independently.
Further study
Further study is a popular option for mathematics graduates. Postgraduate study at Masters level, for example, can be useful for some maths-related careers such as operational research, medical statistics in pharmaceutical companies, meteorology and engineering design. A PhD may also be helpful for finding work in these areas and is essential for academic careers.
Most finance-related careers and actuarial work require further study during employment to complete professional exams. You'll typically be expected to study in your own time.
You could study a specific statistics course, such as applied, medical and official statistics.
Postgraduate qualifications are also available to take you into other careers such as teaching, IT or marketing.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in mathematics.
What do mathematics graduates do?
The top jobs for mathematics graduates include programmers and software development professionals (12%), actuaries, economists and statisticians (10%), secondary education teaching professionals (8%), finance and investment analysts and advisers (7%), chartered and certified accountants (7%), IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (5%), data analysts (4%), management consultants and business analysts (3%) and financial administrative occupations (2%).
| Destination | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Employed | 64.1 |
| Further study | 11 |
| Working and studying | 11.5 |
| Unemployed | 7.2 |
| Other | 6.3 |
| Type of work | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Business, HR and finance | 38.2 |
| IT | 19.6 |
| Education | 10.7 |
| Clerical, secretarial and administrative | 7.6 |
| Other | 23.9 |
For a detailed breakdown of what mathematics graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?
Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.