General Career Advice

A student who majors in mathematics at Wellesley College is prepared for a variety of career paths, whether graduate school in mathematics or a related field like economics or biostatistics, as well as a career in education, medicine, finance, technology, and engineering. Transferable skills in critical thinking and logical reasoning are core elements to the study of mathematics and are necessary in fields as diverse as law, publishing, management consulting, data analysis, and software development.

Regardless of your desired career path, each mathematics student should plan to pursue opportunities that provide valuable experiences and skills - such as campus involvement, research, internships, volunteering, and community engagement. Not only are these great experiences to add to your resume, but they can also help you determine what type of work environments, activities, projects, and “X factors” are a good fit for you.

Graduate school can be part of the future career trajectory for mathematics majors, and not necessarily for a mathematics degree. Some students choose to enter graduate school immediately after Wellesley, while others may choose to work for a few years before returning to school. Still others may choose to not pursue graduate school at all.

Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Mathematics

If you are considering pursuing a graduate degree in mathematics or a related field, there are plenty of great resources out there to help you start asking the right questions. Check out the Graduate School resource page in Handshake for a broad overview about graduate school, including the application timeline, asking for references, and financing your education.

When looking for computer science graduate programs, you will need to do some in-depth research about those programs to gain a better understanding of their admissions requirements, the focus of their degree, research areas of the faculty, and the curriculum for the degree. While there are both objective and subjective factors that go into deciding what type of graduate degree or graduate program to pursue, some questions to start with include:

• What are the research specialties/areas of the faculty?
• What research projects do the current graduate student work on?
• What are facilities, laboratories, libraries, etc. like?
• What are the outcomes of the graduates — academia, research, industry, government, or other professional areas?
• What is the quality of life for a Master’s or PhD student?

If you are looking for an in-person consultation about graduate school, a good place to start would be by meeting with Alexis Trench, who is the Career Community Advisor for Technology, Engineering, & Physical Sciences. Additionally, you should plan to speak with the faculty in the mathematics department, as your faculty (especially your advisor) will be an essential resource in your graduate school application process.

For a snapshot of graduate programs that Wellesley students and alumnae have entered in the past, check out the Recent Alumnae section of the mathematics department website.

Career Resources and Professional Organizations

Mathematics Career Resources

• REU Sites: Mathematical Sciences
• American Statistical Society: Careers in Statistics
• Be An Actuary
• Math on the Job - How You Use Math at Work
• American Economic Association
• New York Life Insurance Actuarial Program

Professional Organizations

• American Mathematical Society
• American Statistical Association
• Association for Women in Mathematics
• Mathematical Association of America
• Society of Actuaries

Job Boards & Conferences

• STATtr@k
• Women in Mathematics in New England (WiMiN) - Hosted annually by Smith College

Updated January 10, 2018
If you have additional resources, please feel free to send them to Frances Adjorlolo at fadjorlo@wellesley.edu.