SIUC Mathematics - Careers Department of Mathematics Southern Illinois University Careers in Mathematics Mathematics research offers an endless variety of fascinating and challenging problems for those interested in going on to a doctoral degree and pursuing a university, industrial or scientific research career. The majority of mathematics graduates with bachelor's or master's degrees now take jobs with industry or government in such fields as aerospace, electronics, communications, insurance, and banking. Prospects for actuaries in the insurance industry are excellent. There are many positions for statisticians in government, industry, and education.
Mathematical programmers continue to be in demand.
Operations research is a growing field in which mathematics is applied to industrial problems of resource allocation, production scheduling, and distribution. Some positions in business and industry are open to mathematics graduates with bachelor's degrees, while others call for advanced degrees. In either case, you should supplement your mathematical training with courses in computer science. One of our recent bachelor's degree graduates is employed by the IBM corporation in Florida, where she worked on the development of the IBM Personal Computer. Several recent graduates have positions in actuarial work in insurance companies, including State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Illinois, and CNA in Chicago.