There is a prevailing myth that if you get a mathematics degree the only things you can do are teach or become an actuary. The reason for this myth is because the only mathematicians one sees on a daily basis are teachers and living in Iowa we know that insurance companies hire actuaries. In reality, mathematicians are needed by almost every industry, college, and government agency because all of these organizations need problem solvers and that is what mathematics students do best. It is just that these people have titles other than "mathematician", so we often forget that they started out studying mathematics in college.
Mathematics majors can do anything and our alumni have great success at whatever job they choose. College graduates who study mathematics have better chances of getting into graduate school, have higher salaries, and have more job satisfaction. These statistics on the benefits of studying mathematics make mathematics great for students no matter what their career plans are. Below is just a partial list of the jobs our mathematics alumni hold. Profiles of our current students will tell you about the things that they are interested in and are doing to prepare for these and other jobs. The profiles of our alumni are also a good place to look to see what someone can do with a mathematics degree.
| Actuary | Virtual Reality Engineer |
| VP of Finance, Real Estate Industry | High School Teacher |
| Mechanical Engineer | VP of Information Management |
| College Professor | College Track Coach |
| Insurance Underwriter | Information Analyst |
| Marketing Manager | Industrial Engineer |
| Medical Doctor | Systems Analyst |
| Database Administrator | Computer Programmer/Analyst |
| Insurance Auditor | Information Technology Analyst |
| Lawyer | Research Technician |
| Grant Coordinator | Agriculture Researcher |
Don't just take our word for it. Check out our careers page to find out what real mathematics majors do for a living!
Mathematics Majors are special for the following reasons.
- They are expert problem solvers.
- They get to investigate interesting problems from a variety of fields.
- They are highly respected for their abilities.
- They are very versatile and able to adapt.
- They are marketable, no matter what the economic situation.
- Mathematics majors can do anything!
Simpson mathematics students learn valuable skills that give them a competitive edge after graduation by participating in activities beyond the classroom.
- Communication skills (verbal and written)
- Teamwork skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Motivation/initiative
- Organizing/managing/coordinating
- Time/deadline management
Mathematics is not just Algebra and Calculus. Check out the interests of our faculty.
- The mathematics you are learning right now is just the basis for where you can go in the future.
- There are many areas of study within mathematics other than what you study in high school.
- Mathematics can be applied to almost any discipline: political science, biology, economics, education, medicine, chemistry, physics, etc.
- Mathematicians study areas such as Game Theory, Mathematical Modeling, Statistics, Chaos Theory, Geometry, Knot Theory, and Graph Theory.