Where Are the Mathematicans and Computer Scientists

            Where Are the Mathematicians and Computer Scientists?   As another school year begins, I am disturbed by the number of students declaring their major as mathematics or computer science.  The number of these students is decreasing and has been for many years. This observation is not based solely on enrollment and students at my school. Many recent reports seem to indicate this downward trend is happening through out the United States.

            Why is this occurring? Some reports state that there are not enough jobs available for students with degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics. I can understand this lack of jobs for mathematics majors, but not for those in computer science. Well times have changed. Now those corporations who used to hire computer scientists are out sourcing the work. If the quality of the work is good, the corporations can save money since they do not have to pay fringe benefits. A career in computer science was once the premier job to attain. This is no longer the case.

           A degree in mathematics can lead to jobs in teaching, industry, and business. Usually the more applied the degree is the more likely there is a job. For example, having a double major in mathematics and economics or mathematics and biology is more valuable than just having a degree in mathematics. Unfortunately, attaining a bachelors degree may not be adequate for many jobs. A teaching job today may now require a Ph.D. even in high school. The problem becomes that most Ph.D. candidates today are foreign students. We need more American students pursuing advanced degrees.

          With fewer students having mathematical skills, this impacts other fields of study. A student will not go into computer science because it is a science and does require some mathematical competency. Those students wanting a degree related to computers will choose computer information services (CIS) rather than computer science since it requires less mathematical skill.

           I believe we need to encourage more of our students to consider mathematics and computer science as fields of study. If we continue to depend on technical support and knowledge by non Americans, this country will begin to lose whatever technology advantage it has.