What do musicians, video game animators and robot engineers have in common? They all use math in their work lives. Mathematics is an essential tool in many industries with many different application. It uses abstraction and logical reasoning to make deductions that are applicable to real-world phenomena. As Albert Einstein once said, "Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas."
If you got a kick out ... of long division and the quadratic equation in high school, you may be a shoo-in to study mathematics at the post-secondary level. There, you can prepare for a professional career—either as a theoretical mathematician, or by applying mathematical techniques to solve practical problems in business, government, and society. Theoretical mathematicians contribute knowledge to the field of mathematics; they are often based in academia, where they usually work as teachers and scholars
Opportunities in applied mathematics are even broader. With a bachelor's degree in mathematics, students can become top- and mid-level managers and executives, computer systems analysts/programmers, secondary school teachers, and professionals in insurance, securities, real estate and business. These jobs are generally well-paid and require specialized knowledge in addition to math skills.
A degree in mathematics combines theory and practice. Many programs allow students to focus on a particular subset of mathematics that is of interest to them, such as statistics, calculus, set theory, or theoretical computer science.
What if you want to study mathematics, but your schedule literally won't add up? Online degrees in mathematics enable students to set their own academic schedule and work from wherever they log onto the Internet. These programs may use video lectures and online discussion in lieu of classroom sessions—two things that are idea for serious, independent study of mathematics.
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