What can you do with a maths degree?

Considering a maths degree because you love the subject, but concerned that your career options might be limited to finance or teaching? Think again! Maths opens the doors to a wide variety of career paths, far beyond those traditional options. You could find yourself modelling disease outbreaks, developing complex digital security systems, predicting the weather, or even shaping policy in government.

Studying maths also gives you skills that can help in your career. These include logical thinking and solving complex problems. Advanced programming skills, particularly in languages such as Python, MATLAB, or R, are highly valuable for conducting data analysis.

Jobs that require a maths degree

We’ve found ten possible careers for mathematicians that you might not have thought about:

Meteorologist

If you are interested in creating models to predict events then you might enjoy meteorology. You could become a weather forecaster or a weather scientist. Meteorologists collect data from the atmosphere and the oceans and analyse it to predict weather patterns. The experience of data modelling that you’ll gain during a maths degree will be an advantage here.

Computer game designer

Although you’ll usually need to do further study to become a computer game designer, maths is a huge part of this role. You’ll need the ability to create intricate puzzles, design algorithms for virtual worlds, and understand how to create code to control aspects of a game such as velocity and acceleration. Game theory can also come into play if you are creating games where strategic decision making is key.

Epidemiologist

The 21st century has seen unprecedented public health challenges with the outbreak of Covid-19. Epidemiologists have a vital role to play in this. They apply mathematical modelling to analyse the spread of diseases, predict outbreaks, and develop strategies for disease prevention.

Actuarial consultant

Actuarial consultants use mathematical and statistical techniques to assess and manage financial risks for businesses and organisations. Much of their work is in the insurance and pension sectors.

Your expertise in probability theory, statistics, and financial mathematics means you can help clients make informed decisions about managing their financial liabilities and assets. You’ll use mathematical models to assess risks and set insurance premiums.

Data analyst

The job of data analyst will suit you if you have strong mathematical skills and are analytical. Data analysts need to translate raw data into accessible graphs, charts, and reports, to explain what it actually means. This can then be used to inform business decisions. Data analysts can be found in various sectors. For example, a market research analyst uses mathematical techniques to analyse consumer trends. They conduct surveys, and provide insights to guide marketing strategies.

Skilled analysts can also be found in government advisory bodies, pharmaceutical companies, consultancy firms, the media, and insurance companies to name just a few.

Cryptographer

A cryptographer plays a key role in cybersecurity – crucial with the dangers we face in today’s digital age. They study and develop techniques to secure communication and data from unauthorised access or manipulation. For example, keeping messages private online, or securing bank transactions.

As a cryptographer, you will use both your technical skills and the logical thinking you gain from a maths degree to develop complex security systems using cyphers and algorithms. You could also work to decrypt information to search for vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

Sports analyst

If you have a love for sports, you could combine this with your analytical skills and become a sports analyst. A sports analyst develops mathematical models to predict player, vehicle, or racehorse performance. Some sports analysts are able to travel extensively, depending on the sport. A professional football team, for example, often has an in-house analyst working to improve the team's performance. They'll also analyse the performance of the opposition working out how best to take advantage of their weaknesses.

Political scientist

Although it might not seem immediately obvious, an interest in politics together with a maths degree could lead to a career as a political scientist. Using game theory, for instance, you could try to predict what strategy a political opponent might take, and study decision-making, including voter behaviour. You can use your analytical skills to assess political trends, public opinion, and policy implications.

Quantitative analyst (Quant)

Quantitative analysts work in the financial industry. With a strong mathematical background, including expertise in areas such as calculus, linear algebra, probability theory, and statistics, you’ll be able to analyse complex financial data and develop sophisticated models to predict market trends, manage risk, and optimise investment strategies.

Commodity broker

Commodity brokers buy and sell goods such as oil and metals on behalf of their clients. These days they also trade complex financial products (derivatives) – things such as shares, stocks, and bonds. You need to monitor the international market, be able to interpret market reports, and devise hedging strategies. It’s a fast-paced career with high levels of responsibility (and long working hours), but this is reflected in the salaries. Although you don’t need a maths degree to enter this profession, STEM subjects are often preferred due to the high levels of numeracy they provide.

Further study

Maths is also a good basis for further study in other STEM fields such as applied computing, physics, astrophysics, and even engineering. Here at Dundee, if you study maths you’ll have the opportunity to take modules which cross over into these areas. This will give you solid foundations if you want to specialise later on, and explore even more career options.