Mathematician career

Kaimātai pāngarau

Mathematicians use mathematical theories and techniques to solve problems for organisations and clients. They may also do research.

Mathematicians use mathematical theories and techniques to solve problems for organisations and clients. They may also do research.

What would you do as a Mathematician?

Mathematicians

  • usually work regular business hours
  • usually work in offices
  • need to be logical, accurate and solve problems

Tasks

  • solve problems using mathematical theory and techniques
  • develop mathematical algorithms
  • design computer modelling programs
  • create scientific and mathematical models
  • use mathematical theory to analyse data
  • prepare data analysis reports
  • simplify and teach complex mathematical concepts
  • research new technology

How can you become a Mathematician?

You need a qualification to become a mathematician.

You need

  • a bachelor's degree in mathematics and statistics, computer science or similar area

You may need

  • a postgraduate certificate or diploma in mathematics and statistics or similar area

If you're in school

You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job.

Studying this at the University of Waikato

View all qualifications

Our Bachelor of Science with a Mathematics major covers calculus, algebra and discrete mathematics, including graph theory and networks. You can count up to 30 points of data analytics papers towards your major. For a wider skill set, pair Mathematics with Computer Science or Data Analytics as a double major. If you prefer a computing degree, you can take Mathematics as a second major in our Bachelor of Computer Science. Like all our undergraduate degrees, both include work-integrated learning.

After your degree, you can take a one-year Bachelor of Science with Honours in Mathematics. You can also move into a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Science. If you want to focus on research, our Master of Science (Research) and PhD let you work alongside our mathematics researchers.

View all qualifications

Mathematician FAQs

Scholarships

A range of scholarships are available to help with the cost of studying at Waikato. Options are available across a wide range of subjects and study levels, including scholarships for new students, current students and specific areas of study.

Find a scholarship

QS ranking

QS World University Rankings 2027

Waikato is ranked equal 293rd globally, placing us in the top 1.5% of universities worldwide, and 2nd in New Zealand by citations per faculty.