Career Paths
The placement rate for majors from Valpo’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics is consistently close to 100 percent.
In the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Handbook, growth for every job listed as a math occupation is predicted to be much higher than average for all occupations. In the age of big data, number crunchers are urgently needed to analyze ever-increasing volumes of data.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ list of math-related occupations represents just a fraction of the kinds of jobs our majors can do. In truth, a math, statistics, data science, or actuarial science major or minor increases a candidate’s appeal in almost every field: employers value the problem-solving and analytical skills that our programs teach. Here are a few of the places where recent alumni from Valpo’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics are currently working or studying.
Many alumni of the mathematics and statistics department go on to become successful educators. In fact, Valpo alumni teach at many of the high schools surrounding the Valparaiso community and are strongly recruited by these schools.
The following table shows some of the schools that have hired recent graduates of the mathematics and statistics department.
| Year | School |
|---|---|
| 2014-present | Lake Gibson Middle School City of Hammond Schools Springfield High School Arundel High School Columbia City High School Discovery Charter School Merrillville High School Valparaiso Community Schools West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School Hobart High School |
| 2009-2014 | Arrowhead High School Everest Academy Knox Community School System Lake Station Community Schools Northridge Middle School Reynoldsburg High School Portage High School Andrean High School Centerville Senior High School Greensburg Community Schools Nepal English Language Teachers’ Assoc. School City of East Chicago Veritas High School Campbell High School School City of Hammond |
| Prior to 2009 | Ann Arbor Public Schools Michigan City Area Schools Princeton City Schools Tri West Middle School Washington High School Griffith High School Lake Central High School Lutheran High School West Calumet High School Andrean High School |
Degrees in mathematics, actuarial science, data science, and statistics prepare students for employment in many industries and businesses. Alumni from the mathematics and statistics department have been successful in finding interesting job opportunities in these areas after they graduate from Valparaiso University. Note that in 2012 and prior, listings also included Computer Science majors.
Some of the companies that have hired recent graduates of the mathematics and statistics department are:
| Year | Company |
|---|---|
| 2014-present | Northrop Grumman ELCA w/ Lutheran Church of Rwanda Revature INT Managed Solutions Bellin Health Pricewaterhouse Coopers Panduit Geico Primerica BrandSafway Thrivent Financial Florida Department of Health Hunter Engineering Company Quicken Loans Cincinnati Financial Epic Systems Angie’s List Medix Ronson Equipment Company, LLC Department of Defense State Farm |
| 2009-2014 | Milliman Inc. American Income Life Interactive Intelligence Americorps Vista NSA Media Orbis Education: Orr Fellowship Verizon Wireless BEICO International Executives Service Corp Prevention Awareness Network S & K Schulz, Inc. (Snap-on Tools) HealthCall LLC Chicago Art Museum Epic Systems Caterpillar Rockwell Collins Provident Funding Vahala Foam, Inc. |
| Prior to 2009 | EDS Indiana Healthcare Golden Technologies Raytheon City of Waterbury San Antonio WNBA Silver Stars True Process Inc. Bankers Life & Casualty EDS Indiana Healthcare Caremark Lockheed Martin AT&T Hawkes Publishing Hewlett Packard Northwestern Mutual Department of Defense Motorola Western-Southern Life |
Academic excellence in a specific field, while necessary to continue on to graduate school, is not sufficient in itself. A well-rounded undergraduate experience, self-confidence, and the motivation to persevere through the intensity of graduate work are also necessary. At Valparaiso University, we help students develop in all of these areas.
Many of the alumni of the mathematics and statistics department have attended graduate school. As expected, many have continued their studies in mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematics education, statistics, operations research, and computer science. However, others have used their degree from Valparaiso University as a step towards graduate work in physics, biology, philosophy, and theology. Still others have gone on to law school, medical school, and respected business schools.
Listed below are graduate schools and fields of study chosen by alumni:
| Year |
Graduate School (Field)
|
|---|---|
| 2014-present |
Georgia Tech (Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization)
Ohio State University (Economics)
Valparaiso University (Analytics and Modeling) University of Michigan (Physics)
University of California Riverside (Philosophy)
Oregon State University (Statistics) IUPUI (Biostatistics)
Northern Illinois University (Mathematics) University of Florida (Mathematics) |
| 2009-2014 |
University of Michigan (Statistics)
North Carolina State University (Computer Science) University of Chicago (Physics) Purdue University (Education) University of Minnesota (Actuarial Science) Valparaiso University (Information Technology) Northwestern University (Mathematics) |
| Prior to 2009 | Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (Comp Science) Valparaiso University (MBA) Washington State University (Physics) Northwestern University (Industrial Engineering) Thomas M. Cooley School of Law (Law) University of Notre Dame (Mechanical Engineering) University of Nebraska (Environmental Science) Michigan State University (Physics) Colorado State University (Physics) |