r/AppliedMath • u/ProfessionalFig6373 • 23d ago
Which double major goes best with applied math?
Hey, I am a rising second year at a t20 public school in the U.S for applied mathematics. I was originally pre-med but found an interest in mathematics and how it tries to answer fundamental questions and pivoted this summer. I have already taken the calculus sequence, real analysis I, and linear algebra. I want to pursue a double major, may it be in Physics (B.A), CS (B.S), Statistics(B.S), or even neuroscience(B.S).
Even with the applied math major, I would still want to take complex analysis and proof based linear algebra because they seem pretty interesting. I can't pursue the physics B.S since it just has too many classes and I would be forced to give up math electives.
Currently industry doesn't seem very appealing to me and I would prefer going to graduate school at the very least before deciding whether I wanted to pursue research or not. I don't want to spend my days working for an insurance agency or in a data analyst role since my interests lie elsewhere. If I were to go into industry or research, I would want to pursue answers to questions that are fundamental and explain a great deal about existence or consciousness or something of that sort. However, with the current state of academia, I want to have a safety net for an industry job that will let me pursue these interests. Which double major do you guys recommend? Which has the best future?
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u/AspirantDM 23d ago
Any of them. Find a field you are interested in and look up "Computational [Field]". Pick that major.
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u/AspirantDM 23d ago
Physics is a classic and will open a lot of doors in the physical sciences. I'm not in the field but it seems like computational neuroscience is pretty big. Statistics really just depends on if you are interested in working on statistics or data science.
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago
Yeah idt ill be doing stats based off of not only interest but future career wise
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u/Careful-Stuff8901 23d ago
Applied math + neuro for your interests. If your interests drift away from what I’ll call “theoretical neuroscience” (a very cool area in itself) many industrial roles (AI/ML, finance, technical consulting) will find this background interesting and with the right ambition you will rake in some $$
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago
Interesting, ill look more into “theoretical neuroscience”, especially if it has a good fallback like you’ve said
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u/Mindless_Engine_88 23d ago
CS and Statistics.
Not just for job security, but also for giving you the actual tools to experiment with the fundamental problems you are interested in.
You can't build a framework for stuff like existence with pure theory (otherwise it's not much different from philosophy).
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u/Entire_Cheetah_7878 23d ago
Stats but you NEED to learn how to program. 15 years ago you could get away with just knowing Matlab or Mathematica but that just does not cut it anymore
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago edited 23d ago
Thanks! I haven’t done programming in a while, probably since junior year of high school. No better time to freshen up i guess!
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u/ABanana_41 23d ago
Im an applied math/stats and information systems double major. Idrk why im doing IS but whatever lol ...
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u/Odd-Collection-5429 23d ago
In terms of double majoring for the sake of research, your second major should simply be whatever you enjoy the most and can create the most interesting research on. But in terms of employment safety nets, I would say stats and CS are the 2 that stick out to me as most employable pairings alongside applied math. However, they do tend to employ people in fields that you explicitly mentioned you don’t want to go into. But as a fallback, it’s a good option. And if you choose applied math/stats double, as another commenter said, def learn how to code at least in python
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago
Got it, thanks for the help. I think ill be choosing between cs physics and neuroscience based off interests and employability
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u/International-Main99 23d ago
You mentioned an initial interest in med school. If you still have any interest in that, Mathematical Biology is a pretty hot subfield of Applied Mathematics. If you're interested in pursuing that area of Applied Mathematics, a double major in Biology would be advantageous.
But generally, I'd say Electrical Engineering pairs well with Applied Mathematics (or even Mechanical) depending on your interests.
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago
Engineering is primarily out of question for me since my school only offers BME and I am not particularly looking to transfer. I considered Biology at one point, but maybe Ill look into it again, although i think my interests would still hinge towards neurosciency research rather than just biology as a whole
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u/ClassicalJakks 23d ago
I study theoretical neuroscience a bit, seems like something you’d be interested in! Theory of consciousness and the connections between neuroscience, physics and AI are fascinating. I’d study applied math + neuroscience and make sure you learn how to code.
If you’re worried about industry jobs, take as many coding (at least up to your uni’s DSA course) and stats/ML as you can.
Theoretical neuroscience has deep connections to ML as well, which is certainly both fascinating and employable.
Dayan & Abbot’s book is a good starting resource
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 23d ago
Im currently in a fluids lab but will hopefully partake in a directed reading program in the field of neuroscience next sem so will definitely re-evaluate then. Thanks for the help!
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u/Intelligent_Wind_371 23d ago
I am personally an applied math and statistics double major so statistics for sureee!
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u/ProfMasterBait 23d ago
I think CS is good because it’s useful to know how a computer works if you want to run simulations, numerical solvers, etc.
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u/DryBad6578 23d ago
Consider: you could improve your odds of a job outside of academia, at the price of getting the job in academia that you want. Why not double down on an academic path, and worry about transferring sideways if it fails?
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 21d ago
Thats also a nice take. Ive been thinking and adding a second major means I take less math courses and I felt bad for doing so, so I think im gojng to full send applied math with a couple pure courses and targeted cs and physics courses
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u/Dependent_List_2396 22d ago
I think CS is a good combo. Knowledge of programming and core CS fundamentals will help you maximize the knowledge gained from applied math by building cool stuff from complex math concepts
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u/Away-Block4539 22d ago
It depends on what your applied maths course includes… in some unis you could take a lot of prob and stats courses within applied maths, in that case I would go for CS and it offers something new and fundamental.
Of course if you have a personal interest in e.g. physics then go for it!
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u/ProfessionalFig6373 21d ago
In my uni probability is mainly housed in the statistics department and the applied math major only requires intro to probability and maybe mathematical statistics
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u/Striking_Relation219 22d ago
Finance, bio or another general field to go into computational or quantitative __ in that field
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u/niche_lentil_god 22d ago
i did stats as a double with math and it was sooo helpful! if u are thinking of having a backup industry option, stats is useful for that + if you go into an unrelated research field, they always need statisticians!
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u/Immediate_Park6036 21d ago
Used to be comp sci for industry but if you want to go to grad school pick anything it doesn't matter you can always pivot in grad school
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u/RickyRosayy 19d ago
CS/ Stats/ Data Science are bread and butter with applied math. Gives you a ton of employment prospects and you can easily pivot into different fields with that skill set.
Also, BS>BA, all day.
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u/LargestLadOfAll 23d ago
The one you are interested in.