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Mathematics is among the most fascinating of all intellectual disciplines, the purest of all art forms, and the most challenging of games. The study of mathematics is not only exciting, but important mathematicians have an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to society by helping to solve problems in such diverse fields as medicine, management, economics, government, computer science, physics, psychology, engineering and social science.

Here I try to give you a flavor of some of the areas of mathematics in which there are many opportunities. At the end I provide a brief “road map” of mathematics.

A bachelor’s degree in mathematics will prepare you for fascinating jobs in statistics, actuarial sciences, mathematical modeling, and cryptography; for teaching; as well as for graduate school leading to a research career in mathematics or statics. A strong background in mathematics is also necessary for research in many areas of computer science, social science, and engineering.

· Mathematics is often done in conjunction with another field; biology, physics, economics, or a host of others.

· Mathematical modeling (explained below) is used to solve real problems in a variety of fields.

· Statistics is a growing field, particularly in those fields dealing with human behavior.

· Many topics in “pure math” have important applications in computer science.

· There is a national shortage of teachers in all the mathematical science (pure math, applied math, statics, and computer science)at all levels, so any of these fields goes well with teaching and/or research.

· Mathematics is a field with a surprising variety of specialties which have different “feels” to them. You probably won’t like all of them equally, any more than most musicians feel the same about rock and classical music, or most English majors like all authors and periods equally. So if you come across a math course that isn’t your favorite, but there are others that you really like, it just means that you are getting to know math better and your taste is becoming more refined.

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