Mathematics & Computer Science

Types of Degrees Mathematics & Computer Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many mathematics and computer science graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	993
Master’s Degree	256
Doctor’s Degree	22
Associate Degree	19
Graduate Certificate	12

What Mathematics & Computer Science Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to math and compsci were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Math & CompSci Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Math & CompSci Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to math and compsci:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Math & CompSci Majors

Math and Compsci majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Mathematics & Computer Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with math and compsci:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Business Intelligence Analysts	9.3%	$90,270
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics & Computer Science?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 993 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science in 2021, making it rank #167 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 70% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of math and compsci majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	235
Black or African American	26
Hispanic or Latino	73
White	286
International Students	307
Other Races/Ethnicities	66

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Math & CompSci, too. About 30.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Taiwan

How Much Do Mathematics & Computer Science Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science made a median starting salary of $87,146 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $59,869 (25th percentile) and $99,839 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to math and compsci so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $93,350 to $139,680 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to math and compsci. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Mathematics & Computer Science

Some degrees associated with math and compsci may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for math and compsci careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	3.1%
Some College Courses	1.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	51.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.6%
Master’s Degree	19.7%
Doctoral Degree	8.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	5.0%

Online Mathematics & Computer Science Programs

In 2020-2021, 101 schools offered a math and compsci program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	5	0
Bachelor’s Degree	5	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	21	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Mathematics & Computer Science Worth It?

The median salary for a math and compsci grad is $93,350 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 134% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,069,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Mathematics & Computer Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to math and compsci.

Major	Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	34,975
Biological & Physical Science	30,075
Interdisciplinary Studies	9,074
International Studies	7,368
Nutrition Science	5,330
Behavioral Science	4,169
Sustainability Science	3,005
Cognitive Science	2,776
Natural Sciences	2,214
Human Biology	1,939
Human Computer Interaction	1,857
Computational Science	1,360
Data Analytics	1,338
Gerontology	1,234
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution	1,175
Science, Technology & Society	1,095
Systems Theory	884
Museum Studies	816
Dispute Resolution	648
Data Science	541
Multicultural & Diversity Studies	482
Historic Preservation	416
Cultural Studies & Analysis	405
Marine Science	334
Classical & Ancient Studies	275
Biopsychology	183
Medieval Studies	104
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics	97
History and Political Science	66
Holocaust Studies	66
Maritime Studies	50
Accounting & Computer Science	48
Earth Systems Science	44
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	42
Geography and Environmental Studies	40
Environmental Geosciences	20
Anthrozoology	13
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies	12
Mathematical Economics	10
Linguistics and Computer Science	6
Linguistics and Anthropology	4
Economics and Computer Science	2
History and Language/Literature	0
Thanatology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Toresbe under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.