Academic Advising for Applied Math and Statistics Majors

Advising in the Major

Students seeking Applied Math and Statistics academic advising, whether or not they are already admitted to the AMS major, should contact the Applied Math and Statistics Undergraduate Program Director, Professor Esther Arkin (Math Tower, Room P134B; esther.arkin@stonybrook.edu) or the Applied Math and Statistics Undergraduate Coordinator,  Cathy Arrighetta (631-632-8370; Math Tower P139B; cathy.arrighetta@stonybrook.edu) for preliminary assistance. 

Information on this website answers a range of frequent questions about major and minor requirements, double majors, areas of interest, and more.  Professor Arkin can also provide helpful advice to Applied Math and Statistics seniors about career advising and graduate school selection.  In addition, students can frequently get advice by speaking to instructors in their AMS courses after class.

Advising regarding SBC's and Other General University Graduation Requirements

While links on the Undergraduate Program section of this website list SBC's and University graduation requirements, for particular questions, students should go to the Undergraduate Office of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Engineering 231 for advising. Students with serious health or personal problems affecting their academic performance can get supportive counseling from this office. Staff in this office are responsible for clearing all CEAS students for graduation with respect to their SBC and general University graduation requirements, and so their assessment of your coursework is what counts.

Career and Graduate Study Advising

Many students are unsure about the next steps in their lives after graduation and what types of jobs they are qualified for. Some feel they need some sort of Master’s degree before entering the workforce. The Stony Brook Career Center over the years has given career advice to thousands of AMS majors and its staff will very helpful for you too.  The Applied Math Undergraduate Program Director Esther Arkin has experience advising AMS majors about graduate study and can also refer students to faculty with expertise about graduate programs in particular areas of Applied Mathematics and Statistics.

The majority of Applied Math seniors go directly into a job upon graduation in business, most commonly working for major corporation in the New York metropolitan area.  A popular career is an actuary—see the Actuarial Training webpage. However, with the increasingly quantitative nature of modern business, all companies are looking for graduates with strong mathematics skills. The companies will train new hires in aspects of their business that build on these skills. Most of these entry-level corporate positions also require some basic economics knowledge.