Industrial Internships Academic research is by no means the only career open to holders of advanced degrees in mathematics. In recent years, more than a quarter of our PhD graduates, and probably a much higher proportion of our Master's graduates, have found challenging and rewarding work that uses their mathematical skills in private industry and government research labs. The UW Math Department places a high priority on preparing students for careers in industry and government as well as in academia. The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics ( SIAM ) recently issued an in-depth report on Mathematics in Industry . That report listed the skills most needed by mathematicians in industry as - skill in formulating, modeling, and solving problems from diverse and changing areas; interest in, knowledge of, and flexibility across applications; knowledge of and experience with computation; communication skills, spoken and written; adeptness at working with colleagues ("teamwork'').
Virtually all math grad students become skilled at logical and analytical thinking and at formulating, modeling, and solving problems. But flexibility, breadth, computer and communication skills are not always as highly developed in typical math graduate programs. Often the best way to learn these skills is to spend some time actually working in an industrial setting. | |
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