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Major · Mathematics & Statistics

Specialty math tracks filed under the 27.01 catchall code

Mathematics, Other (CIP 27.0199) is the federal IPEDS catchall for math programs that don’t fit Mathematics, General or any other named code in the 27.01 subfamily. About 284 degrees are awarded each year across just 33 institutions, with a five-year earnings median near $74,309. Programs filing here are usually specialty math tracks, so content varies by school.

Schools offering
33
Annual completions
284
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$74k

About this major

Mathematics, Other (CIP 27.0199) is the federal IPEDS catchall for math programs that don’t fit Mathematics, General or any other named code in the 27.01 subfamily — the CIP definition is, verbatim, “any program in mathematics not listed above.” Programs filing here are usually specialty tracks rather than the broad theory-and-proof curriculum: math-with-computer-science blends that don’t fit cleanly under Mathematics + Computer Science (30.0801), math-with-finance or actuarial-leaning programs, named secondary-math-education tracks without licensure, and niche pure-math specializations. Coursework still runs through calculus, linear algebra, real analysis, and probability, with the program’s actual character revealed in upper-division electives rather than in the code itself.

The major fits students who want a quantitative bachelor’s and have identified a specific specialty track at a specific school. Programs reward students comfortable with proof-based reasoning paired with willingness to write code — graduates who skip programming tend to find the bachelor’s underutilized in the analytics, finance, and software lanes available to bachelor’s-only completers. Comfort with dense problem sets and translating ambiguous research questions into models are the traits these programs select for.

The scale is small: about 284 completions a year across 33 institutions, with a five-year earnings median of $74,309 — almost identical to the Mathematics, General median, which suggests most curricula here resemble the theory-leaning math programs rather than applied or quant blends. Output is heavily concentrated at University of California-San Diego (128) and University of California-Los Angeles (104), which together account for roughly 82 percent of national completions, followed by Yale (13), UC Davis (10), and Pitzer College (6). Career destinations skew toward graduate-credential tracks: Mathematicians ($121,680, master’s typical), postsecondary Math Science Teachers ($79,350, doctorate typical), and Natural Sciences Managers ($161,180, mid-career).

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary $79k +2.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Mathematicians $122k -0.7% Master's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$74k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$60k

Bachelor's

$75k

Who this major is for

You may thrive in a 27.0199 program if you’ve identified a specific specialty math track at a producing school — a math-with-CS, math-with-finance, or named pure-math curriculum that files under the catchall code for institutional reasons rather than curricular weakness — and if real analysis and proof-based linear algebra feel like puzzles rather than punishment. Comfort writing code outside class helps, since bachelor’s-only destinations like data analyst, quantitative analyst, and entry-level actuarial work all run through programming. Verify from graduate placements that your target career or grad-school path is well-served by the program — the catchall framing only matters as a research signal.

Think twice if you haven’t identified a specialty target and want a broad, recognizable major — Mathematics, General (CIP 27.0101) at 18,758 completions is much larger, more uniform, and signals more clearly to recruiters and graduate admissions. Reconsider this route if all the named careers expect graduate study (Mathematician at $121,680 needs a master’s, postsecondary teaching at $79,350 needs a doctorate, Natural Sciences Manager at $161,180 is mid-career) and you want a clean line from coursework to a first job. The packet shows almost no associate’s completions at the top schools, so this CIP behaves as a bachelor’s-only credential in practice, with master’s or PhD as the standard pivot for named research and faculty roles.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Mathematics, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 128 128
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 104 104
Yale University New Haven, CT 0 13 13
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 10 10
Pitzer College Claremont, CA 0 6 6
Barnard College New York, NY 0 5 5
Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO 0 4 4
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 3 3
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA 0 2 2
Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA 0 2 2
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Mathematics, General

18,758 completions/yr

Statistics, General

3,379 completions/yr

Applied Mathematics, General

2,591 completions/yr

Mathematics and Computer Science

1,125 completions/yr

Financial Mathematics

611 completions/yr

Statistics, Other

347 completions/yr

Mathematics and Statistics, Other

338 completions/yr

Computational Mathematics

338 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Mathematics, Other field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Mathematics, Other worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does the .0199 in CIP 27.0199 actually mean, and how is it different from 27.9999?
The CIP 27.0199 code is, verbatim, “any program in mathematics not listed above” — the federal IPEDS catchall for math degrees that don’t fit a named code inside the 27.01 Mathematics subfamily. The only large named sibling at that subfamily level is Mathematics, General (27.0101), so 27.0199 collects specialty math tracks that institutions don’t want to file as general math: math-with-computer-science blends, math-with-finance or actuarial-leaning programs, niche pure-math specializations, and secondary-math-education tracks that aren’t licensure-bound. The broader 27.9999 catchall (Mathematics and Statistics, Other) sits one level up and spans the whole 27 family — math, statistics, applied math, and everything in between. The two codes look similar but operate at different scopes: 27.0199 is math-only, 27.9999 is math-and-stats umbrella.
How does 27.0199 compare to the named CIP codes in mathematics?
The named siblings each carve out clearer territory. Mathematics, General (CIP 27.0101) at 18,758 completions is the dominant proof-and-theory bachelor’s and absorbs most U.S. math output. Statistics, General (27.0501) at 3,379 completions is the broad-scope statistics curriculum. Applied Mathematics, General (27.0301) at 2,591 completions emphasizes modeling, numerical methods, and scientific computing. Mathematics + Computer Science (30.0801) at 1,125 completions is the joint math-CS credential filed under the interdisciplinary family. Mathematics, Other (27.0199) at 284 completions is materially smaller than any of these and sits closest to Computational Mathematics (27.0303) and the broader 27.9999 catchall (both at 338 completions) in scale. Earnings track Mathematics, General almost exactly — both report a five-year median near $74,309 — which suggests the curriculum at most schools resembles the pure or theory-leaning math programs rather than applied or quant tracks.
Why are only 33 schools listed, and what does the institution mix tell me?
The small institution count (33 schools, 284 total completions) is the signature of a catchall CIP — most U.S. math output files under the named 27.0101 code, and only programs whose curriculum or naming doesn’t fit cleanly land here. The list is heavily concentrated at the top: University of California-San Diego (128) and University of California-Los Angeles (104) together account for roughly 82 percent of national output by themselves, with Yale (13), UC Davis (10), and Pitzer College (6) filling out the next tier. That UC-system fingerprint suggests several California flagships file specialty math BAs — joint or named tracks — under 27.0199 rather than 27.0101. Each school has its own administrative reason for filing here, so cohort-level signals don’t transfer well between institutions, and program research at the school level matters more than the code itself.
What jobs do graduates actually land, and is a bachelor’s enough?
Of the three careers attached to this CIP, only one lists a bachelor’s as the typical entry credential — Natural Sciences Managers at $161,180 with 3.7 percent projected growth, and that role is a mid-career destination reached after years of industry experience, not an entry-level seat. The other two are graduate-credential tracks: Mathematicians at $121,680 (master’s typical, with a slight projected decline of -0.7 percent) and Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary at $79,350 (doctorate typical, 2.3 percent growth). Bachelor’s-only paths into data analyst, quantitative analyst, scientific software, and entry-level actuarial work are real and common — but those roles aren’t named in the packet, so the wage numbers on this page describe the longer-run or graduate-school outcomes rather than first-job earnings. The five-year bachelor’s median of $74,925 reflects the realistic mid-tenure picture: above the national bachelor’s median but well below the graduate-credential ceiling.
Should I pick a 27.0199 program or one of the named CIP siblings?
The CIP code is a poor decision input on its own — what matters is whether the specific program fits your goals. If you’ve identified a specialty math track at one of the producing schools (UC San Diego, UCLA, Yale, UC Davis, Pitzer) that the institution happens to file under 27.0199, the catchall code is just an administrative artifact and the program may be excellent. If you’re looking for a broad, recognizable major and the school offers Mathematics, General (27.0101) as a named alternative, the named CIP avoids the catchall variability and signals more clearly to graduate-school admissions and recruiters reading transcripts. Verify three things before committing: what the program actually covers (proof-based courses, programming requirements, statistics depth, capstone), where the last two cohorts of graduates have placed, and whether the department’s recommendation pipeline reaches the graduate programs or industries you’re targeting.
Is graduate school the natural next step after a 27.0199 bachelor’s?
For the named occupations attached to this CIP, yes. Mathematicians at $121,680 typically expect a master’s, and Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary at $79,350 typically expect a doctorate, so any research-scientist, named statistician, or tenure-track faculty role generally requires graduate study. Common destinations from a strong 27.0199 program include MS Statistics, MS Biostatistics, MS Financial Mathematics or MFE, MS Data Science, and PhD Mathematics — the same pipeline that serves Mathematics, General (27.0101) graduates. Bachelor’s-only paths into data analyst, quantitative analyst, scientific computing, secondary math teaching (with a post-bacc certification), and entry-level actuarial work — where SOA or CAS exam progress substitutes for a master’s — work without further degree spend, so the rational sequence depends on whether you’re aiming at named research roles or applied industry work.