Applied Mathematics (MS) – STEM Designated Degree Program
The MS Applied Mathematics program provides students with foundational abilities in applied mathematics as well as in-depth specialized knowledge and skills in support of their specific goals. The training that students will receive in this program prepares them for a variety of career goals, including employment in a wide range of industries for which the analytic capacities of applied mathematics are highly sought after, or for the academically ambitious student, further study in a doctoral program. In addition, the program will be very useful to extend the development of secondary school teachers who wish to develop competencies in these increasingly exciting areas of mathematics.
Our program in Applied Mathematics was formulated to primarily train students for a post-MS career in industry (but with flexibility to train students interested in further graduate studies at the doctoral level or to teach at the secondary level). The proposed program will be the only graduate program in Applied Mathematics in New Jersey that includes three culminating options from which students can choose: an internship, a capstone project, or a thesis. For students seeking an opportunity to carry out applied mathematics work with an employer and engage in projects taking place in that organization, the internship may be the best option.
Beyond course offerings, students are required to participate in one of three possible culminating experiences (internship, capstone, thesis). In-depth research experience along with the knowledge gained from communicating the results through a written project report/thesis and oral presentation/defense will be invaluable to students.
The MS Applied Mathematics program will meet the needs of a broad array of students seeking careers in industry and research that uses quantitative methods, as well as in education. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 33% growth in jobs in mathematics between 2016 and 2026 (”much faster than the national average of 7%”), with an MS degree as the typical entry-level degree.
Graduates of the program can find employment in a wide variety of industries including aerospace corporations, analytics and forecasting organizations, chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturers, communications services providers, computer information and software firms, energy systems firms, financial industry, insurance companies, and medical device companies, to name just a few.
According to Burning Glass Technologies’ Real-Time Job Market Analytics Software, there were approximately 1.2 million US job postings in 2017 for a selection of applied mathematics occupations with an average advertised salary of $85,000, and approximately 125,000 job postings in the “NY-NJ-PA” Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2017 with an average advertised salary of $96,000. In addition, there were approximately 8,000 US job postings and 400 job postings in the NY-NJ-PA MSA in 2017 for a mathematics secondary teacher.
Along with the Applied Mathematics (MS) degree, the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics also offers the following options for graduate study: Statistics (MS).
Please refer to our programs of study page for a comprehensive list of all of the graduate programs offered within the university.