L'Hopital

I asked a similar question in the Graduate section, but I figured I might get an answer here as well.

If my goal is to do anything involving math EXCEPT teaching, is Applied Mathematics simply the better choice? Is there any difference between the job prospects for a Math major vs an Applied Math major? Is getting into Grad school for Applied Math or Math harder for either major?

Euler321

I'd go with applied math. In a non-academic job, everything you do will be applied. Employers aren't going to ask you to do proofs with abstract values, you'll be working with hard data.

panther124

Do what you're interested in! If you're worried that you won't get a job if you major in pure Math, then you can always take a lot of numerical courses or other applied math classes. Don't miss out on exploring theory just because you think it's useless in the working world. It's a lot more fun in my opinion, and definitely shows problem solving skills that any employer finds useful.

Besides, the government hires a lot of theoretical mathematicians (the top employer outside of academia), so you can always find something to do besides teaching (which is my goal too! haha).

AuburnMathTutor

Just take the right math and outside electives, sell yourself, and you can get hired doing anything you want. If you only take one kind of any class, that limits your options.

giants92

Pure Math -> Grad School
Applied Math -> Job after college

AuburnMathTutor

"Pure Math -> Grad School
Applied Math -> Job after college "

You can go to graduate school in applied math. And you can get a job with a pure math degree (you may not be doing pure math at your job, but...)

giants92

True. I was simply stating the norm. A generalization.

b@r!um

That's definitely not the norm. Most pure math majors do not go to graduate school. Out of ~40 senior math majors at my college, ~3 plan to go to graduate school in math, ~5 plan to go to graduate school in something else and the rest is planning to work. And considering that my college does not have a single faculty member in applied math, it is safe to say that all of them majored in pure math.

giants92

Ok, let me be more specific: pure math will gear you more towards grad school, while applied math will gear you more towards a career. If your goal before you start college is to go to graduate school, most math majors choose pure. If your goal is to work in a certain field where math is applied, most math majors choose applied.

AuburnMathTutor

In general, I agree. Unless you want to stay in more pure math areas, you should major in more specific, applied areas: engineering, statistics, computer science, even physics. I think that math (as a major) is a little on the overrated side... it's good to encourage students to pursue STEM fields, alright, but when people say that math majors are better at economics than economics majors, or better at CS than CS majors, or better at physics than physics majors, I think that's carrying it a little too far. I think the only fair thing to say is that math majors are better at math than other majors, and then you have to be specific about what you mean by "math".

giants92

Yea, I know what you're saying. Now that you bring it up: when people say those things, you have to be a little more specific. Econ majors who are also doubling in math do tend to do better in econ than those econ majors without math as a second major. I don't think those people mean that simply since you are majoring in math, you are better at econ. I think that those math majors who also do econ are better at econ than those who don't have math. Physics and CS may be similar, but not necessarily. Physics and CS are on the same level as math, and I don't think there is much of an edge, if any at all, for those Physics or CS majors that are doubling in math. However, I can strongly support that econ idea, because I am an econ/math major who has observed the econ concentrator population at large, but I am not a physics nor a CS major.

panther124

What do you mean by saying "Physics and CS are on the same level as Math?" The material in each of those majors is very different, yet related enough that you can benefit form studying both (just like Econ and Math). Hell, I don't think there's anything Math can't benefit. When was the last time you saw a large contributor without the epithet "Physicist/Mathematician" or "Computer Scientist/Mathematician"?

haru07

In my CS program the following math courses are required:

Calc I, II, III
Mathematics Modeling
Discrete Mathematics
Probability
Applied Statistics

Many people also take courses like linear algebra, combinatorics.

I don't think it is necessary to double major in CS/Math but the fields certainly help each other..especially the theoretical side of CS. After taking all those applied/discrete math courses I would have done almost half of the math major. Just would not have done the really pure stuff, like analysis and abstract algebra. Which also means math majors have done the math part of CS.

giants92

I meant same level of difficulty