An online master’s in mathematics is a graduate degree for three fairly different people: someone who wants to teach mathematics at a community college, someone deepening applied and computational skill for quantitative work, and someone preparing for doctoral study. Titles vary – MS in Mathematics, MA in Mathematics, MS in Applied Mathematics, MS in Mathematics Education, MS in Applied and Computational Mathematics. The title tells you less than the required course list and the exit requirement.
This page explains how these programs are structured, who each track is actually designed for, what the thesis and comprehensive exam options mean, and what to compare across schools.
Quick answers
What is an online master’s in mathematics?
It is a graduate degree that extends undergraduate mathematics into measure-theoretic analysis, advanced algebra, applied and computational methods, or mathematics pedagogy, delivered through distance coursework. Programs end in a thesis, a project, or a comprehensive examination.
What is the difference between an MS and an MA in mathematics?
The distinction is not standardized, so read the catalog. In many departments the MS is the more technical degree with a thesis or applied project, and the MA is the coursework degree aimed at teachers. In others the labels are reversed or historical. Compare required courses and the exit requirement, not the letters.
Do I need an undergraduate mathematics degree to be admitted?
Usually you need the equivalent coursework rather than the exact major. Most programs expect the calculus sequence, linear algebra, differential equations, and at least one proof-based course – commonly real analysis. Applicants from engineering, physics, economics, and computer science are frequent, and some programs let you make up a missing course as a prerequisite in the first term.
Will a master’s let me teach mathematics?
At community colleges, often yes: a master’s with a stated number of graduate mathematics credits is the common hiring requirement. At four-year universities, tenure-track positions typically require a doctorate. Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary, earned a median annual wage of $79,940 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). A graduate degree does not qualify you to teach in a K-12 classroom, which requires a state license.
Is a master’s required to work as a mathematician?
For the occupation BLS labels mathematician, a graduate degree is the typical entry point and a doctorate is common. The occupation is small: 2,400 jobs in 2024 with about 100 openings a year and a projected 0.7 percent decline (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Most graduates work under other titles.
How long does a master’s in mathematics take?
Total credits vary widely by program and by whether you take the thesis or the examination route, and part-time enrollment is common among working students. Confirm total credits, the exit requirement, and any residency with each program rather than assuming a single timeline.
At a Glance
- Degree types: MS in Mathematics, MA in Mathematics, MS in Applied Mathematics, MS in Mathematics Education
- Typical duration: Varies by credits, track, and enrollment intensity – confirm the catalog
- Admissions: Bachelor’s degree plus calculus, linear algebra, and usually a proof-based course
- Exit requirement: Thesis, applied project, or comprehensive examination
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for mathematics; verify institutional accreditation
Schools to compare
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.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$102,772
Avg net price
$12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$128,566
Avg net price
$16,075/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Typical topics in a master’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| Real Analysis |
Measure, integration, and convergence at the graduate level |
| Abstract Algebra |
Groups, rings, modules, and field theory beyond the undergraduate survey |
| Topology |
Continuity and structure without distance, and why analysis needs it |
| Numerical Analysis |
Stability, conditioning, and error in computational methods |
| Applied Mathematics and Modeling |
Differential equations, dynamical systems, and continuous modeling of physical or economic systems |
| Probability Theory |
Measure-theoretic probability, stochastic processes, and their applications |
| Optimization |
Linear, nonlinear, and integer programming, the core of operations research |
| Mathematics Pedagogy |
How mathematics is taught and assessed, in the education-track degrees |
| Thesis, project, or comprehensive exam |
The exit requirement, which varies by program and track |
The three tracks, in practice
Teaching. If the goal is community college instruction, look for a program that names a graduate mathematics credit total and includes courses in the subjects you would teach: calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and often a pedagogy course. Hiring committees look for that credit count. Postsecondary mathematical science teaching is a stable but slow-growing occupation, projected at 2.3 percent growth through 2034 with 4,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Applied and computational. If the goal is quantitative work in industry, an applied master’s should require numerical methods, optimization, probability, and real computing rather than one survey course. This is the track that competes with a data science master’s, and the honest comparison is what fraction of the credits are mathematics versus machine learning and engineering. Operations research analysts earned a median annual wage of $88,940 and data scientists $120,230 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS).
PhD preparation. If the goal is doctoral study, the master’s has to include graduate real analysis and abstract algebra, ideally with a thesis and a faculty advisor who can write a letter. A coursework master’s without proof-based graduate courses is a weak PhD application regardless of the grades. Ask directly where recent graduates were admitted.
Skills and outcomes to compare
Outcomes vary by program, but you can compare:
- Whether the required core is proof-based, applied, or pedagogical, stated in the catalog
- Total graduate mathematics credits, which is the number community colleges screen on
- Whether the exit requirement is a thesis, a project, or a comprehensive examination, and whether you can choose
- Which computing tools are required, and whether they are taught or assumed
- Whether faculty advise online students on theses at the same level as campus students
- Whether any course requires synchronous attendance or on-campus proctored examinations
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online Mathematics Degrees Work
How to compare online master’s programs
- Identify the track: teaching, applied and computational, or PhD preparation.
- Read the required core and confirm it matches that track rather than the marketing copy.
- Count graduate mathematics credits if community college teaching is the goal.
- Check the exit requirement and whether thesis advising is genuinely available at a distance.
- Confirm which prerequisite courses you are missing and how the program lets you make them up.
- Confirm proctoring requirements and whether any residency or on-campus examination exists.
- Verify recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database.
No accreditor evaluates mathematics programs specifically – there is no programmatic accreditor for this field. Institutional accreditation is the check that matters. A graduate degree does not create a state teaching license, an actuarial credential, or a research post.
Admissions requirements
Requirements vary by school, but most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree and specific prerequisite coursework rather than a specific major. Common elements include transcripts, a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and a resume. Standardized test scores are frequently optional. What distinguishes mathematics admissions is the coursework audit: the department checks whether you have the calculus sequence, linear algebra, differential equations, and a proof-based course, and it may admit you conditionally pending one of them.
If you are coming from an applied field with strong computation but no proof course, say so in the application and ask which bridge course the department recommends. Departments answer this question often, and the answer is more useful than a catalog page.
Master’s vs a bachelor’s pathway
A bachelor’s in mathematics is enough for actuarial work, analyst roles, and most quantitative jobs when it is paired with exams or programming. A master’s changes three things: it meets the credit requirement for community college teaching, it deepens applied and computational skill for roles that screen on graduate coursework, and it is the standard bridge into a doctoral program. It does not by itself qualify you for K-12 teaching, which requires a state license, and it does not substitute for the actuarial exam sequence.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online Mathematics Degree Worth It. If inference from data is the work you want, compare the statistics program guide; if the job is building software, compare computer science.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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