TL;DR

Applied Mathematics maps to BLS occupations averaging about $157,447, with roughly 85,320 workers nationwide in those roles. About 11,002 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 64%.

Key Statistics

11,002
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$10,724
Median In-State Public Tuition
$46,212
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$157,447
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
85,320
Workers (related occupations)
64.2%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)
3
Bachelor's Completions (IPEDS 2023)

Applied Mathematics: what the data shows

Common questions about applied mathematics degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a applied mathematics degree?

A Applied Mathematics program is classified under NCES CIP 00.2703 in the 00.0027 field family (00.27).

IPEDS counted 11,002 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of applied mathematics degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 00.27 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a applied mathematics degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.2703 in our file:

  • 3 Bachelor's (60.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
  • 2 Master's (40.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What do you learn in applied mathematics?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Sound Engineering Technicians (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 00.2703, but occupation data show multiple pathways.

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a applied mathematics degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Applied Mathematics to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Sound Engineering Technicians13,050$66,430
Civil Engineers355,410$99,590
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health84,930$80,060
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors23,220$109,660
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers99,300$226,600
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers6,770$101,020

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a applied mathematics degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,724 and median net price is $19,497.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Applied Mathematics and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$10,724 Median In-State Public

$46,212 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Applied Mathematics majors are, on average, $10,724 for in-state public colleges, and $46,212 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Applied Mathematics programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

11,002 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Applied Mathematics from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Applied Mathematics.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Applied Mathematics programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Applied Mathematics programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

# School State Net Price
1 Moorpark College CA $742
2 CUNY Brooklyn College NY $2,943
3 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College NY $2,978
4 CUNY City College NY $3,486
5 Berea College KY $4,483

Schools with the lowest average net price for Applied Mathematics programs.

Graduation Rates

64.19% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

63.81% Average Graduation Rate

118 Institutions Reporting

50.91% - 77.58% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Applied Mathematics programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 00.27 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.2703 in the survey year used in our extract (5 total across levels below).

  • 3 Bachelor's (60.0% of IPEDS total)
  • 2 Master's (40.0% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $157,447. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Applied Mathematics graduates alone.

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$145,455 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Applied Mathematics majors is $145,455.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Applied Mathematics majors.

Occupations by Share

85,320 2023 Workforce

The number of Applied Mathematics graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Applied Mathematics by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Applied Mathematics in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Applied Mathematics.

Age distribution for Applied Mathematics degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Gender distribution of Applied Mathematics degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Racial and ethnic distribution of Applied Mathematics degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Applied Mathematics are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Applied Mathematics.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Applied Mathematics field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Applied Mathematics majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Applied Mathematics majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Applied Mathematics majors.

About

Applied Mathematics

In 2023, 11,002 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Applied Mathematics.

CIP Code

00.2703 - Applied Mathematics

What the data shows

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $157,447. The largest mapped role by headcount is Sound Engineering Technicians (13,050 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,724 in-state at public colleges and $46,212 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.