This major emphasizes the use of computers to solve mathematically modeled physical problems. Students often pursue positions as mathematical analysts, scientific programmers, software engineers, or systems analysts. Job opportunities in private industry and government abound in this field.

To view the a more detailed list of courses for this program, click here.
Rochester Institute of Technology College of Science

The curriculum provides a foundation in mathematics through courses in calculus, differential equations, graph theory, abstract and linear algebra, mathematical modeling, numerical analysis, and several other areas. You will gain extensive computing skills through a number of high-level programming, system design, and other computer science courses.

Although cooperative education is optional for computational mathematics students, many participate for three or more months in paid, professional co-op positions before graduation. Students have worked in a variety of settings on problem-solving teams with engineers, biologists, computer scientists, physicists, and markting specialists. For more information and co-op listings, visit the RIT Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services.

Mathematicians use mathematical theory, computational techniques, algorithms, and the latest computer technology to solve economic, scientific, engineering, physics, and business problems. [Also see Career Overviews for Applied Mathematics, Software Engineering, and Computer Science]

(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook)

Computational mathematics majors may complete a dual degree in as little as one extra year of study. You can complete a BS in computational mathematics and an MS in computer science to give you an edge over many computer science majors entering the workforce. You may also combine a BS in computational mathematics with an MS in applied and computational mathematics.

Employment of mathematicians is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. However, keen competition for jobs is expected. Employment of mathematicians is expected to increase by 16 percent during the 2010–20 decade. Advancements in technology usually lead to expanding applications of mathematics, and more workers with knowledge of mathematics will be required in the future. [Also see Career Overviews for Applied Mathematics, Software Engineering, and Computer Science]

(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics O.O.H.)

BS-only: $62,932 (average);$55,000-\$70,000 (range)

Statistics from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) for 2010-2011 graduates

Most often the work involving computational mathematics is done by persons whose titles are other than "mathematician," such as software engineer, computer scientist, analyst (e.g. operations research), cryptanalyst (codes), actuary, market Researcher, or financial advisor.

Bausch & Lomb Inc., CooperVision, Inc., Digital Receiver Technology, Inc., Epic, Google, Harbridge Consulting Group, Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin Corp., Los Alamos National Laboratory, Microsoft Corporation, Maxwell Systems, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Thomson Reuters, University of Rochester Medical Center, Xerox Corp.