Sandrah Abbuah
Dr. Mark John Isola
English 100-10
December 6, 2012
Abbuah 1
The Wonders that is Applied Mathematics
In the 21 st
century math has become a well-known subject worldwide in the medical or technology fields. Some form of math is used in almost every field and because of this more people are beginning to acknowledge the subject. In order for us to explore and understand what a Bachelors of Science in Applied Mathematics, we should first, gain an understanding of what an Applied Major is and what key components form the major, secondly, understand how it differs it from a Pure Mathematics Major, and thirdly, what jobs or goals could be obtained with such a major. Wentworth Institute of
Technology (WIT) and other colleges help demonstrate these three elements by showing them in their own Applied Mathematics program. I will conclude with some comments on future goals and job prospects upon graduation.
When going through the web and trying to get an overall understanding of the definition of Applied Mathematics, one definition that is represented of all of then was,
" Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains. Such applications include numerical analysis, mathematics of engineering, linear programming, optimization and operations research, continuous modelling, mathematical biology and bioinformatics, information theory,

Abbuah 2 game theory, probability and statistics, financial mathematics, actuarial science, cryptography and hence combinatorics and even finite geometry to some extent, graph theory as applied to network analysis, and a great deal of what is called computer science.” (Hardy 41)
This basically says that Applied Mathematics is taking what was learned from your basic math classes and using it in your other classes. The definition states that with the major math classes the following types of classes would be taken “…numerical analysis, mathematics of engineering….”(Hardy 41) The classes here go hand in hand with
Computer Science so in a way the two majors are similar. Knowing the overall definition is important because one would gain a better understanding as to why the name “applied” was given. Before reading this I didn’t know that Computer Science was similar to my major. I knew that I was taking a few computer science classes but I didn’t really know why.
Wentworth’s Applied Mathematics Department gives a basic definition of what an Applied Mathematics Major is. A PowerPoint presentation from the Chairman of the
Applied Math Department states, “Mathematics is a language of science…refers to the mathematical principles and techniques used in a variety of fields such as physics, engineering, biology and medicine, finance and meteorology… applied mathematics uses tools to solve problems...”(Hattaway 3) meaning that Applied Mathematics major consists of subjects other than math such as physics and engineering. This in a way is like the definition I talked about in the above paragraph. Since these two definitions are similar, I could conclude that Wentworth is on a good track of demonstrating what the

Abbuah 3 major should look like. This is good because I would want my degree from here to be worth the same, if not better than a degree from some other college.
When I looked more into Wentworth requirements for a Bachelors of Science in
Applied Mathematics (BSAM) I found that, Wentworth offers a three-year program while other colleges offer the average four-year undergraduate program. Two semesters in as a
BSAM student at Wentworth would look like this: fall semester, the student would take
“Methods & Topics in App. Math. I, Engineering Calculus I, Discrete Math, Computer
Science I, and English I”(W.I.T. 1) and spring semester, they would take “Methods &
Topics in App. Math. II, Engineering Calculus II, Engineering Physics I, Computer
Science II, and English II.” (W.I.T. 1) There are some classes here that can be related to engineering and computer science. All the classes don’t have to be taken in any particular order. You can take any class any time unless some have prerequisites of a different subject that the student hasn’t taken already.
There are two different math majors that could be taken. It isn’t simple to decide from these two majors, applied mathematics and pure mathematics, which one would be better. Unfortunately, there isn’t any well-known way or a simple mathematical equation way to decide.
“Pure mathematics is often concerned with a focus of abstraction, rigour, and proof of the fundamental mathematical frameworks like analysis and logic. Applied mathematics is an applied endeavor which uses a lot of the methods that pure math mathematicians have invented and verified to be true or ‘close enough’.”(Prof. C 1)

Abbuah 4
A simpler way to look at the definition is to see that pure mathematics is math done for the fun of doing math, while applied mathematics is math done for practical use. Applied mathematics tries to model, predict and explain things in the real world, while pure mathematics, on the other hand, does things not related to the physical world. It solves problems, finds facts and answers questions that don’t depend on the world around us, but on the rules of mathematics its self. I saw that even mathematicians couldn’t agree on this issue. If one is thinking of studying for a math degree, they should see if one of the majors fits in the area of their interest.
Questions that are often asked by students concern the issue of what can be done with this major. I found different types of organizations, from governmental and nonprofit institutions to corporate organizations that offer jobs to undergraduates with applied math degrees. These companies hire mathematicians and computational scientists students. A few areas that jobs could be found, data analyst at a marketing research firm, actuary, software development engineer, artificial intelligence programmer, national security researcher, Geographic Information System (GIS)
Programmer, biostatistician, and operations researcher. As a student of Wentworth, I know that Wentworth has a great co-op program for students. It enables them to get their feet in an area they might want to work in. The experience that the student will gain through internships or co-op opportunities would help them determine what they want in a workplace. These steps are for students who want to go to the work field upon graduation.
Two of the jobs that are offered to an Applied Math major are market research and GIS Programmer. A marketing research analyst’s
job is to collect and interpret data

Abbuah 5 on what current customers, potential customers, and other key individuals think about their product so that companies can make the products better.
Market researchers help advice political, social and economic decisions made by many organizations and businesses. American Marketing Association definition: "Marketing Research is the systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services.”(Jacobson 3) This basically states that they help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.
A job as a market research analyst could be found in any industry. They could work with the public to gather information and data, but most of the time they work at a computer, collecting and analyzing marketing data and preparing reports. A market research analyst evaluates data using statistical techniques and software. They must interpret what the data means for their client. They often make charts, graphs, or other visual aids to present the results of their research, and because of this a strong background in math and analytical skills. Most companies look for at least a bachelor’s degree.
On the other hand, a GIS Programmer would create web based mapping applications. Web mapping is the process of designing, implementing, generating and delivering maps on the World Wide Web. “An integrated system comprising hardware, software, data, people and practices used to create, store, display and analyze geospatial data (points, lines, areas, surfaces, and gridded data) and related attributes (distinguishing characterisitics).”( Grady 5 ) A day in the shoes of a GIS programmer would includes writing and testing JavaScript code to be up on a GIS websites. A GIS programmer would also develop an internal webpage to support other programs that was used in developments such as HTML, ArcView, and Arc. In addition, they would meet with

Abbuah 6 clients, but the manager would mostly do this. A GIS programmer is often used by other companies, but could also be used by the government or the public.
Other than working, one could get a graduate education. I know that Wentworth doesn’t have a Masters program for Applied Mathematics, but Harvard School of
Engineering and Applied Science offers a doctoral and a masters degree program. New
York University offers a great Masters of Science in Mathematics. Their description of what the classes would consist of,
“The master's degree in mathematics encompasses the basic graduate curriculum in mathematics, … A typical master's program will involve a basic analysis course, linear algebra, complex variables, basic probability, possibly courses in ordinary and partial differential equations, and choices from other courses usually taken in the first and second years of graduate study,...”(New York University 1)
A lot of other colleges might have a different masters program, but it would still have similar subjects that follow the general description of an Applied Mathematics definition.
Upon graduation I would like to work in a field where I would be able to decode messages. In my Methods & Topics in Applied Mathematics class we touched a little on cryptography. Cryptography is the study and practice of encryption and decryption. I was really into what we were doing so I looked into job areas that would use cryptography.
Encryption is taking ordinary information, or plaintext, and putting then into something that people wouldn’t understand, also known as ciphertext. Decryption is the reverse process where one would take ciphertext and convert them into plaintext. Cryptography

Abbuah 7 uses computer science and mathematics, as well as information theory, engineering, and computer security. I found a title called cryptographic technician, “… are responsible for operating cryptographic equipment that is used to code, decode, and transmit secret information. Such equipment is used in law enforcement agencies, armed forces, and business organizations.”(IT Program 1) Some employers hire applicants with an advanced degree in mathematics, engineering, or computer science. As an Applied
Mathematics major, I feel that I fall in this area. I plan on doing more research on possible internship co-op position for this up coming summer.
Overall, an Applied Mathematics degree could be gain with knowledge of pure mathematics, but with an application of real world problems. The Applied Mathematics degree also has a combination of other subjects such as Computer Science and
Engineering. As explained above, there is a large area of jobs that someone could work in from governmental and non-profit institutions to corporate organizations.

Abbuah 8
Work Sited
Cone, Harriet Gail. Godfrey H. Hardy: "Asymptotic Formulae in Combinatoric Analysis" and A̲ M̲a̲t̲h̲e̲m̲a̲t̲i̲c̲i̲a̲n̲'̲s̲ A̲p̲o̲l̲o̲g̲y̲ . N.p.: n.p., 1988. Print.
Hattaway, Amanda. " Bachelor of Science in Applied Math (BSAM) ." PowerPoint presentation for Math 270, Wentworth Institute of Technology. Fall 2012
Grady, Rich.
“Presentation on GIS.”
PowerPoint presentation for Wentworth Institute of
Technology. Fall 2012.
Jacobson, Ross. “A Higher Education Marketing Research Firm”. PowerPoint presentation for Wentworth Institute of Technology. Fall 2012.
Wentworth Institute of Technology. "Applied Mathematics Program Launches Career
Lecture Series." New @ Wentworth . N.p., 15 Sept. 2012. Web.
<http://www.wit.edu/news/2012/09/2012-09-15.html>.
New York University . "The M.S. Programs.".
Department of Mathematics. N.p., n.d.
Web. <http://www.math.nyu.edu/degree/ms/scicomputing.html>
Prof. C. "Pure vs. Applied." Applied Mathematics . Paul Gartside, Dec. 1999. Web.
<http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/files/study-guide/p1.3.1.html>.
"Associate, Bachelor IT Programs." Cryptographic Technician Job Description .
Associate, Bachelor IT Programs, n.d. Web.
<a"http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/7758/Cryptographic-
Technician.html">