BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Online Mathematics Degrees (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: A mathematics degree is training in proof, structure, and modeling – calculus, linear algebra, real analysis, abstract algebra, probability – not a vocational credential for one job title. Most online mathematics programs lean applied or lead toward teaching, because upper-division proof courses and proctored exams are the hardest part of the major to move online. The job titles the degree reaches are mostly gated by something other than the diploma: actuaries pass a professional exam sequence, secondary math teachers hold a state license, and the occupation actually called “mathematician” is small and usually wants a doctorate. Institutional accreditation is the check that matters, since mathematics has no programmatic accreditor. Compare accredited programs below.
Around 1,148 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in mathematics and statistics fields in 2024, and 972 of them report offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). That is a wide field, and the programs inside it differ more than the shared major name suggests. Browse the best accredited online colleges to compare schools that offer them, or see mathematics programs by state to find programs near you.
Schools Offering Mathematics Programs
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Mathematics graduates work as actuaries, statisticians, operations research analysts, data scientists, teachers, and financial specialists far more often than as mathematicians. Median annual wages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
Median annual wage for the highest-paying mathematics careers. Source: BLS OEWS. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$72,040
</> Embed or cite this chart
Copy this code to embed the chart (a link back to this page is included):
Projected job growth (2024-2034) for mathematics careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSOC 25-2031
$72,040Median annual pay
Mean annual$76,320
Employment (US)1,065,210
Pay range (25-75%)$59,980 - $92,570
Financial Specialists, All OtherSOC 13-2099
$81,100Median annual pay
Median hourly$38.99
Mean annual$93,810
Employment (US)132,130
Pay range (25-75%)$61,290 - $110,410
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Read the wage table against the size of each occupation, because the two do not move together. Mathematicians had a median annual wage of $126,710 with the 10th percentile at $69,240 and the 90th at $195,190 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). It is also one of the smallest occupations BLS tracks: 2,400 jobs in 2024, a projected 0.7 percent decline through 2034, and about 100 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Actuaries paid a median of $130,000 with the 10th percentile at $78,570 and the 90th at $215,100 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), across 33,600 jobs projected to grow 21.8 percent with 2,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Data scientists paid a median of $120,230 across 245,900 jobs, projected to grow 33.5 percent with 23,400 openings a year. Statisticians paid $105,650 across 32,200 jobs at 8.5 percent growth, and operations research analysts $88,940 across 112,100 jobs at 21.5 percent growth with 9,600 openings a year. On the teaching side, postsecondary mathematical science teachers had a median of $79,940 and secondary school teachers $72,040 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, specialization, and experience.
Quick Answers
What is a mathematics degree?
A mathematics degree is a study of quantitative structure and argument. The core is the calculus sequence, linear algebra, differential equations, a proof-writing transition course, and then upper-division work in real analysis, abstract algebra, probability, and numerical or applied methods. What separates it from a statistics or data analytics major is that the object of study is the mathematics itself: why a method works, under what conditions it fails, and how to prove it.
Is a mathematics degree the same as a statistics degree?
No. Mathematics is broader and more proof-oriented. Statistics concentrates on inference from data – sampling, estimation, experimental design, regression – and usually requires more applied computing. Many mathematics majors take a statistics concentration inside the math degree, which is a reasonable middle route. If the work you want is dashboards, reporting, and business questions rather than theory, compare data analytics instead.
Can you study mathematics entirely online?
Yes, but read the course list carefully. Applied mathematics, mathematics education, and actuarial-track degrees translate to distance delivery cleanly. Fully proof-based upper-division sequences are offered online less often, and when they are, they usually come with proctored exams. Confirm which upper-division courses run online and how often, since a course offered every third term can add a year.
Do you need a PhD to be a mathematician?
For the occupation BLS labels “mathematician,” usually yes or close to it. Federal statistical agencies, defense laboratories, and research groups typically hire at the master’s or doctoral level, and the occupation is projected to decline 0.7 percent through 2034 with about 100 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Most mathematics graduates work under a different job title.
Is there a programmatic accreditor for mathematics?
No. There is no recognized programmatic accreditor for mathematics degrees. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database. The one exception sits at the edge of the field: if the program includes a teacher-preparation track, the education unit may hold CAEP accreditation, and your state licensure board sets the actual requirements.
What you’ll study
Mathematics curricula are unusually sequential. You cannot rearrange them, and that has practical consequences for online students.
The first layer is the calculus sequence plus linear algebra and differential equations. This is computational work: derivatives, integrals, series, matrices, eigenvalues, and the standard solution methods for ordinary differential equations. Most students arrive with some of it from high school or a community college, and it transfers more readily than anything later in the major.
The second layer is the transition to proof. Almost every program has a course with a name like Discrete Mathematics, Foundations of Mathematics, or Introduction to Proof. It teaches logic, sets, functions, induction, and how to write an argument that a reader can check line by line. This is the course where the major changes character, and it is the course students most often underestimate. Ask how it is taught online, because writing proofs and receiving line-level feedback is harder to run asynchronously than problem sets with numeric answers.
The third layer is upper-division theory and application. Real analysis and abstract algebra are the two courses that define a proof-based degree. Around them sit probability theory, mathematical statistics, numerical analysis, complex analysis, topology, combinatorics, mathematical modeling, and often a computing requirement in Python, R, or MATLAB. An applied mathematics track substitutes modeling, numerical methods, and optimization for some of the pure sequence. A mathematics education track substitutes methods coursework and a supervised teaching placement.
Expect roughly 120 semester credits at the bachelor’s level, with the major concentrated after the calculus sequence. Confirm each school’s credit total, its proof-course sequence, and how often upper-division courses run online rather than assuming they match a campus catalog. See how online mathematics degrees work for the delivery details.
Careers for mathematics graduates
The degree fans out into several distinct labor markets, and the credential that opens each one is not always the degree.
Actuarial work is the clearest path with the strongest numbers, and the degree is not the gate. Actuaries qualify by passing a professional exam sequence administered by the actuarial societies, which candidates typically start during the bachelor’s. The occupation paid a median of $130,000 and is projected to grow 21.8 percent through 2034 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). A mathematics degree with probability, statistics, and finance coursework is a strong preparation for those exams. It does not substitute for them.
Quantitative analysis roles – data scientist, operations research analyst, statistician – absorb a large share of graduates. These occupations are much larger than the mathematician occupation, and the hiring gate is usually demonstrated computing skill. Data science is the biggest of them at 245,900 jobs and 33.5 percent projected growth (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). If that is the target, add programming and applied statistics coursework deliberately, and compare a data science or computer science degree against a mathematics degree with a computing minor.
Teaching splits by level. Secondary school mathematics teaching requires a state teaching license, which means an approved preparation program, a supervised placement, and state exams. A mathematics bachelor’s alone does not qualify you; see the education program guide for how licensure tracks are structured. Postsecondary teaching of mathematical sciences typically requires a graduate degree, with community colleges often hiring at the master’s level and universities at the doctoral level.
Finance and analytics roles hire mathematics graduates under titles that do not say mathematics: financial analyst, risk analyst, pricing analyst, and the catch-all BLS category of financial specialists, all other, which paid a median of $81,100 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). For the job-by-job walkthrough, see what you can do with a mathematics degree. For labor-market context, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
How to choose an online mathematics program
Accreditation – confirm recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database. Mathematics has no programmatic accreditor, so institutional accreditation is the check that matters.
Track – decide among pure, applied, actuarial, statistics, and mathematics education tracks before you compare schools. They share a first two years and diverge sharply after that.
Course availability – ask how often each upper-division course is offered online. Sequential prerequisites plus a course that runs once a year is the most common cause of a delayed graduation in this major.
Proof instruction – ask how proof-writing courses are taught and graded at a distance, and whether you get line-level feedback or only a score.
Computing – confirm which programming languages and software the curriculum requires, since most of the jobs graduates take are computational.
Exams and proctoring – mathematics programs use proctored exams more than most fields. Confirm the proctoring method and any associated fee before you enroll.
Mathematics or a related field? Choose mathematics for theory, proof, and the flexibility to move between quantitative fields. Choose statistics if inference from data is the work, data analytics if the job is reporting and business questions, data science if you want statistics and programming together, computer science if software is the product, and education if teaching mathematics in a K-12 classroom is the goal.
