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General Mathematics

Types of Degrees General Mathematics Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6
Associate’s Degree	4,427
Bachelor’s Degree	17,066
Master’s Degree	2,499
Doctor’s Degree	1,165

What General Mathematics Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a General Mathematics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Mathematics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

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

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	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 General Mathematics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing 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	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development 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 Mathematics graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	55.9%
Master’s degree	22.6%
Doctoral degree	5.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.2%
Post-doctoral training	2.7%
Some college courses	1.9%
Postsecondary certificate	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.1%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Mathematics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63.3% of General Mathematics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	9,226	36.7%
Men	15,937	63.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	11,387	45.3%
Asian	3,450	13.7%
Hispanic or Latino	3,884	15.4%
Black or African American	805	3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	60	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	22	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,018	4.0%
Race Unknown	683	2.7%
International Students	3,854	15.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Mathematics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General 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	$51,386
4 years	$65,097
5 years	$75,512

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,512 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Mathematics Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General 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
Associate’s	33	26
Bachelor’s	17	38
Master’s	17	24
Doctoral (Research)	1	2

^{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 Mathematics Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Mathematics graduates earn a median of $65,097 four years after completion — roughly 71% 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
Mathematics	27.01
Algebra and Number Theory	27.0102
Analysis and Functional Analysis	27.0103
Geometry/Geometric Analysis	27.0104
Mathematics, Other	27.0199
Topology and Foundations	27.0105
Applied Mathematics, General	27.0301
Computational and Applied Mathematics	27.0304
Applied Mathematics, Other	27.0399
Financial Mathematics	27.0305
Mathematical Biology	27.0306
Mathematics and Statistics, Other	27.9999

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.