Careers and employability
Whether you specialise in mathematics, statistics or physics, you'll find employment in diverse careers around the world throughout academia, industry and government.
You'll leave us equipped to apply your skills and knowledge to real-life challenges.
On graduation, you will:
- have highly developed levels of personal initiative and be able to think independently
- have the ability to work collaboratively across national and international boundaries
- understand the importance of the interdisciplinary nature of science
- possess superior technical skills
- understand the nature of sustainability
- be able to communicate the nature of your discipline to the wider community
- be immediately employable.
Mathematics
Many mathematics graduates study advanced degrees and go on to research positions at universities, the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and private companies.
Statistics, operations research and financial mathematics are the areas of mathematics most often used in industry, and there has been a particular upsurge in the number of mathematicians employed in banking, finance, insurance and risk-management.
Graduates with a strong degree in any area of mathematics are respected for their excellent quantitative and problem-solving abilities and win a wide range of rewarding positions in the public and private sectors. Please see our Mathematics Career Options study pathways (PDF, 68.5 KB).
Visit the careers pages of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute and the Australian Mathematical Society for up-to-date lists of Australia-wide job advertisements.
Statistics
Students majoring in statistics are in high demand in business, industry, research and government. In business and industry, statisticians are involved in quality control, reliability, product development and improvement, plus delivery and marketing processes. Statisticians may also manage assets and liabilities, determining the risks and returns of certain investments.
Statisticians are employed by nearly every government department and in many scientific, medical, environmental, defence and agricultural agencies. Business firms rely on workers with a background in statistics to forecast sales, analyse business conditions, and help solve managerial problems.
Physics
Physics graduates develop robust, high-level analytical and problem-solving skills that are widely applicable and highly valued by a diverse range of employers including those in education, finance, engineering, computing and management.
Physicists engage in exciting and rewarding careers in the public and private sectors across many industries, including:
- government, as researchers and managers
- academia, as teachers, researchers and technicians
- education and science communication
- the health and medical sectors
- nuclear physics.
Other physicists progress to a higher degree and work in research and development, undertaking fundamental research to increase scientific knowledge, or applied research to develop new devices, products or processes.
Plan for your future
Find out where a UQ qualification can take you, and hear from science and mathematics alumni about their careers.
Watch our video
Want a cool job in mathematics? See how solving big problems can have big impacts on the world (YouTube, 6m:52s).