In February, Trump tweeted a link to an article titled “Math degrees were for dumbasses.
Now they are for the most brilliant minds.”
This is the same Donald Trump who recently suggested that the “most brilliant minds” of the world should be working at NASA.
Trump’s tweets have sparked debate over whether or not the math degree is worth a place in an elite education system.
Trump has not only been accused of using his math degree as a recruiting tool but also has claimed that it is not necessary to go to college.
A 2015 report from the Institute for Advanced Study at Tufts University found that only 22% of U.S. students graduate from college with a math degree.
A similar study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that students with a college degree earned an average of less than $30,000 a year, while those with a bachelor’s degree earned $76,000.
The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin asked students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill if they had ever heard of math degrees.
They said that they had not, and that they are not “highly regarded.”
They added that they did not know whether math degrees are needed in order to succeed in the “top” job market.
Rubin also asked students if they considered themselves “highly” qualified.
The survey found that 54% said they were not.
“The average person with a high school degree does not necessarily have the ability to perform well in the job market or to contribute to society,” Rubin wrote.
“Many people with less than a high-school degree have a much higher probability of being unemployed.”
Rubin asked students to answer a series of questions, which included the following:What is the average SAT score of someone who received an honors or high school diploma?
What is a typical college-level GPA?
Which math degree was earned by your parents?
How did your parents prepare you for the jobs market?
What were the skills you learned during your school years?
What was your education system like?
What are the average salaries for graduates of a given math degree?
Do you think math degrees should be a requirement for entry-level jobs?
What do you think of the Common Core State Standards?
Are you a math major?
Have you ever received an award or honor in mathematics?
Do math majors in your field have any impact on your career?
Tell us what you think about this story at math.newsroom.com.
