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mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science

What mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science Majors Need to Know

Programs in mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science graduates include:

• Clinical Project Manager
• Clinical Trials Manager
• Research Coordinator
• Adjunct Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• College Professor
• Associate Professor
• Instructor
• Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Geology Professor
• Astronomy Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to mathematics and atmospheric/oceanic science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.9%
Master’s degree	30.4%
Doctoral degree	14.8%
Post-doctoral training	8.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%
Some college courses	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
First professional degree	0.3%

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

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	134,694
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	30,141
Biological and Physical Sciences	28,033
Data Analytics	12,891
Data Science	7,716
International/Globalization Studies	5,740
Nutrition Sciences	5,456
Behavioral Sciences	5,391
Sustainability Studies	4,374
Cognitive Science	3,121
Natural Sciences	2,648
Computational Science	2,395

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.