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Why Should You Major in Mathematics?

Students at the board

Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, and Actuarial Science are consistently ranked among the majors with highest earning potential (see Payscale Salary Report), with many careers opportunities available after graduation.

Interested in law school?  Major in math!  Mathematics majors score higher (on average) on the LSAT than history majors, political science majors, English majors or economics majors.

Interested in a graduate business degree? Major in math!  Mathematics majors, on average, do very well on the GMAT.

Interested in grad school in engineering or physics?  How about medical school?  A mathematics major is great preparation!

Of course you can always major in mathematics to become a math teacher or professor, but there are also careers in quality control, operations research, statistics, and actuarial science, to name a few that want employees with strong math backgrounds.  These careers routinely land at or near the top of surveys of job desirability based on environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress level.  (See CareerCast's rankings, for example.)

Check out the MAA Online Career Profiles webpage for lots of examples of careers in mathematics and related fields.

Why Mathematics at APSU?

  1. Small class size and individual attention from faculty.
  2. Five different major options (mathematics, statistics, mathematic education, actuarial science, or data science).
  3. Excellent close-knit college.
  4. Opportunities in undergraduate research with internationally recognized scholars.
  5. Active student organizations --the Galois Math Club and the Tennessee Epsilon Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, national mathematics honor society.
  6. Honors courses in mathematics.
  7. Opportunities to attend regional and national conferences.
  8. Opportunities to take the Putnam Exam and to enter the Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
  9. Good record of placing graduates in highly ranked Master's and PhD programs.
  10. Many scholarship possibilities of our majors.

Here are some quotes from our students: