Questions about an "Applied and Computational Math Sciences" degree

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hey everyone, I have some questions about a certain degree that I am pursuing. Here's just some background info.</p>

<p>I attend the University of Washington in Seattle, and I am current a Sophomore undergrad. I have taken up interest in a major called "Applied and Computational Math Sciences" (ACMS for short), a multi-discipline BS degree offered jointly by my university's Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, and Statistics departments. </p>

<p>I have mainly chosen to pursue this degree for two reasons. Firstly, the Computer Science department itself is VERY competitive to get into (and Computer Science was my initial desired major before I realized that I might not be able to enter the Computer Science department). Secondly, I have always enjoyed math and have been really good at it. I enjoy math and computer programming very much and I figure this degree is a nice blend of Math and Computer Science. I am able to take many different kinds of math, applied math, and computer science classes, all of which go up into the 400 level. Plus, the ACMS program requires a minimum grade point average which I exceed, so that's nice.</p>

<p>So I began to think about a future with an ACMS degree. I really want to enter the software industry, perhaps in one of these disciplines:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>An animator (which I know utilizes a lot of linear algebra, something I will be learning this Autumn) </p></li>
<li><p>A general computer programmer (I know a lot about data structures and object oriented programming, and I'm proficient in Java and teaching myself C++ and perhaps C#)</p></li>
<li><p>A video game programmer (though I am concerned about this, because I've researched many major video game companies' job requirements and almost all of them require a BS in Computer Science or a related field. I'm not sure if ACMS can be considered a related field) </p></li>
<li><p>Any other interesting career utilizing math and computer programming.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>My main question is, can an BS in ACMS be sufficient for these career options? Would I have to explain to my employers about my knowledge in this degree if my employers expect a Computer Science degree? </p>

<p>I would hate to be excluded from such exciting careers just because I don't have a Computer Science degree. </p>

<p>If this helps any, I plan to join my university's math club this year and perhaps start some programming projects with my peers. I want something to put on my resume for the future that would make me stand out from competition.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time and input, and I apologize if this was a lot to take in. I appreciate your help very much.</p>

<p>XRaptor</p>

2

<p>You will be fine. The question is do you plan to do some intern that realtes to SW engineering? MS may be a good place to start. Adobe is another good company.</p>

3

<p>My undergraduate degree is in Computational Mathematics (Michigan State University). I will admit, my case was similar to yours in which my school had like a 3.5+ GPA just to get into the last two years of the program. Add to that, I was not fond of the hardware aspect of CS. At the same time, I did not like pure math enough to read a book by Rudin or did not care much for Real Analysis, Topology nor Complex Variables.</p>

<p>So I found a “work around”…. Computational Mathematics. It required the math that I liked (numerical analysis, combinatorics, graph theory, operations research) as well as the MORE MARKETABLE computer science courses (programming, data structures, networks, databases, computer graphics).</p>

<p>Now the KEY (in my opinion) of taking Computational Mathematics as a major is to take just enough computer science courses so that you could get into a graduate computer science if wanted to. That means taking (whether required or not by the Computational Mathematics program) the following: Programming Languages, Analysis of Algorithms and Operating Systems. Besides, those three courses come in handy anyway since Programming Languages will give insight on how languages are parsed and processed regardless of platform. Algorithms will help you tighten up your approach to coding and Operating Systems will give insight on how operating systems work regardless of platform.</p>

<p>Computational Mathematics will definitely get you into the software engineering/development industry. The only thing is that you may have to petition your school’s placement services to “let you in” on some of the visiting employers because the placement services department may just focus on CS majors only.</p>

<p>Also, sometimes you may have to word your resume to say Math-CS Option or Math-CS Emphasis because not every person will know about Computational Mathematics without you having to explain it. Saying Math/CS is easier for them to digest.</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

4

<p>SHSurprise:</p>

<p>Yes, I plan on doing an internship in my junior or senior year. Those companies you mentioned (Microsoft and Adobe) are great places to start, thank you for your advice!</p>

<p>GLOBALTRAVELER:</p>

<p>Wow, I’m surprised that you have had a similar situation! I like the computer science courses you suggest that I take. I found the list of required computer science courses as well as optional computer science courses for the ACMS major (the ones marked with a * are required):</p>

<p>*CSE 373: (3) Data Structures and Algorithms
*CSE 417: (3) Algorithms and Complexity </p>

<p>*Any two of these below:
CSE 374: (3) Intermediate Programming Concepts and Tools
CSE 410: (3) Computer Systems (this is like the Operating Systems course you suggested)
CSE 413: (3) Programming Languages
CSE 415: (3) Artificial Intelligence</p>

<p>Thanks for assuring me that my degree can land a job in the software industry. What did you start out doing once you received your Computational Mathematics degree? Grad school or industry?</p>

5

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</p>

<p>I went straight into industry right after undergrad. My GPA was “ok”, but not high enough to get into a so-called “good and known” school right after undergrad, so I worked in industry about 8 years before going back to grad school.</p>

<p>My first job was designing/developing a scientific database for Westinghouse.</p>

<p>After about 8 years, I went on to grad school and picked up an M.S. Engineering (Systems) from University of Wisconsin. After you have some years of actual experience under your belt, the grad schools are less strict about GPA & GRE scores so I took advantage.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the advice about grad school too. :slight_smile: I will surely keep that in mind.</p>

<p>So what kinds of careers can I expect with a BS in ACMS? I forgot to mention that there are different “tracks” that can be taken in the ACMS program. I’m highly considering the “Discrete Math and Algorithms” track. They are listed below with individual descriptions:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Do you think the “Discrete Math and Algorithms” track is the best route to go in order to land a career in the software industry?</p>

7

<p>Computational Mathematics degrees are highly sought after at Trading and prop firms. You can acquire a job at a Options firm as a programmer for two reasons: 1st you can program and 2nd you have the knowledge from the core of your degree that is basically the backbone of many trading systems. If you do graduate work in it firms will hire you for big bucks.</p>

8

<p>JuggernautCos0:</p>

<p>It sounds like your suggested employers would rather consider the “Operations Research” track, not the “Discrete Math and Algorithms” track which I will be pursuing. Unless I’m wrong. But thanks for your suggestions, they sound very interesting!</p>

<p>Any more ideas?</p>