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General Applied Mathematics

Types of Degrees General Applied Mathematics Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Applied Mathematics have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Bachelor’s Degree	2,955
Master’s Degree	998
Doctor’s Degree	253

What General Applied Mathematics Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Applied Mathematics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Applied Mathematics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Applied Mathematics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Applied Mathematics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Applied 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.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Applied 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	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Applied Mathematics professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Applied Mathematics graduates include:

• Data Analyst
• Research Scientist
• Research Analyst
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Data Modeler
• Data Engineer
• Applied Scientist
• Data Specialist
• Data Analytics Specialist
• Quantitative Methodologist
• Psychometric Consultant
• Statistical Analyst
• Statistical Consultant
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Clinical Project Manager

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	53.5%
Master’s degree	24.6%
Doctoral degree	6.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.4%
Post-doctoral training	3.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.8%
Some college courses	2.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
First professional degree	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Applied Mathematics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.7% of General Applied Mathematics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,526	36.3%
Men	2,683	63.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,313	31.2%
Asian	759	18.0%
Hispanic or Latino	338	8.0%
Black or African American	114	2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	144	3.4%
Race Unknown	152	3.6%
International Students	1,384	32.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Applied Mathematics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Applied 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 General Applied Mathematics Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Applied 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	2	1
Master’s	1	4

^{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 General Applied Mathematics Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Applied 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, Other	27.0399
Computational and Applied Mathematics	27.0304
Computational Mathematics	27.0303
Financial Mathematics	27.0305
Mathematical Biology	27.0306
Mathematics and Statistics	27.0503
Mathematics, General	27.0101
Applied Statistics, General	27.0601
Mathematical Statistics and Probability	27.0502
Mathematics and Statistics, Other	27.9999
Statistics, General	27.0501

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.