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Financial Mathematics

Types of Degrees Financial Mathematics Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Financial Mathematics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	628
Master’s Degree	4,683
Doctor’s Degree	24

What Financial Mathematics Majors Need to Know

Studies in Financial Mathematics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Financial Mathematics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Financial Mathematics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Financial Mathematics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Financial Mathematics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Financial Mathematics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Financial Mathematics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Financial Mathematics graduates include:

• Data Analyst
• Analyst
• Bank and Savings Securities Trader
• Research Analyst
• Model Risk Manager
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Bond Analyst
• Equity Research Analyst
• Securities Research Analyst
• Securities Analyst
• Securities Consultant
• Corporate Securities Research Analyst
• Quantitative Researcher
• Operational Risk Consultant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Financial Mathematics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	56.4%
Master’s degree	23.8%
Doctoral degree	5.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Post-doctoral training	2.4%
Some college courses	1.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.1%
First professional degree	0.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Financial Mathematics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 66.4% of Financial Mathematics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,795	33.6%
Men	3,540	66.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Financial Mathematics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,296	24.3%
Asian	369	6.9%
Hispanic or Latino	262	4.9%
Black or African American	87	1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	91	1.7%
Race Unknown	102	1.9%
International Students	3,119	58.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Financial Mathematics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Financial Mathematics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$69,764
4 years	$85,594
5 years	$100,060

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $100,060 — roughly 43% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Financial Mathematics Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Financial Mathematics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	7	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Financial Mathematics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Financial Mathematics graduates earn a median of $85,594 four years after completion — roughly 125% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Applied Mathematics	27.03
Applied Mathematics, General	27.0301
Applied Mathematics, Other	27.0399
Computational and Applied Mathematics	27.0304
Computational Mathematics	27.0303
Mathematical Biology	27.0306
Mathematics and Statistics, Other	27.9999
Mathematics, General	27.0101
Mathematics and Statistics	27.0503
Algebra and Number Theory	27.0102
Analysis and Functional Analysis	27.0103
Applied Statistics, General	27.0601

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.