Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find, well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Math Degrees

$BEST FOR MATH LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES$

By Dr. Jed Macosko and James Barham

Published: Nov 8, 2021
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

The best mathematics liberal arts colleges are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best math degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding math faculty.

Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges Math Programs

Wesleyan University
Amherst College
United States Military Academy
Swarthmore College
Williams College
Smith College
Wellesley College
Vassar College
Barnard College
United States Naval Academy

Reed College 44%
Kenyon College 37%
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 33%
Macalester College 31%
Smith College 30%
Vassar College 20%
Wesleyan University 19%
Davidson College 18%
Haverford College 18%
Pitzer College 18%

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 21 to 1
Macalester College 10 to 1
Colorado College 9 to 1
Reed College 9 to 1
Pitzer College 9 to 1
Kenyon College 9 to 1
Colgate University 9 to 1
Davidson College 9 to 1
Barnard College 9 to 1
Bowdoin College 8 to 1

Kenyon College $63,310
Vassar College $62,870
Reed College $62,730
Colorado College $62,070
Wesleyan University $62,049
Colgate University $61,966
Haverford College $61,210
Amherst College $61,150
Wellesley College $60,752
Harvey Mudd College $60,703

Claremont McKenna College $64,288
Vassar College $61,940
Colgate University $61,594
Wesleyan University $61,449
Williams College $59,728
Smith College $55,830
Colorado College $34,300
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo $7,176

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Pitzer College
Macalester College
Davidson College
Claremont McKenna College
Harvey Mudd College
Colorado College
Kenyon College
United States Air Force Academy
Middlebury College

Pomona College 7%
Swarthmore College 8%
United States Naval Academy 8%
Amherst College 9%
Williams College 9%
Bowdoin College 9%
Harvey Mudd College 10%
Claremont McKenna College 11%
Barnard College 11%
United States Military Academy 11%

United States Air Force Academy 6 to 1
Pomona College 6 to 1
Williams College 6 to 1
Swarthmore College 7 to 1
Amherst College 7 to 1
Smith College 7 to 1
Wellesley College 7 to 1
United States Military Academy 7 to 1
Bowdoin College 8 to 1
Vassar College 8 to 1

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo $5,742
Davidson College $55,200
Swarthmore College $56,056
Smith College $56,114
Pomona College $56,686
Pitzer College $57,978
Claremont McKenna College $58,111
Bowdoin College $58,322
Williams College $59,660
Barnard College $59,687

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo $7,176
Colorado College $34,300
Smith College $55,830
Williams College $59,728
Wesleyan University $61,449
Colgate University $61,594
Vassar College $61,940
Claremont McKenna College $64,288

Key Takeaways

Students pursuing a mathematics degree at a liberal arts college benefit from personalized attention that will allow them to get to know their professors, which will eventually help them apply for a graduate program.
The college admission process at liberal arts colleges is more manageable than at larger four-year universities. However, students at liberal arts colleges shouldn’t expect their math departments to have cutting-edge facilities and resources.
While liberal arts colleges have only limited resources, there are several schools with a 3-2 mathematics education program.

Table of Contents

A bachelor’s degree in mathematics is an excellent starting point for a career in engineering, public health, economics, and much more. As a mathematics major, you’ll learn statistical analysis, linear algebra, differential equations, and a host of other foundational math subjects. Your mathematics degree will incorporate both theoretical concepts and practical applications in the full array of math sciences, including calculus, geometry, algorithms, and more. The best schools for mathematics are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of mathematics concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.

Degree popularity: Mathematics bachelor’s degrees are the 41st most popular undergraduate degrees across all student demographics, ranking much higher for men at 27th versus 48th for women. For white and Hispanic men it ranks 28th, but for black people, the degree doesn’t enter the top 50 for neither men nor women. It’s most popular among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, for whom it ranks the 16th most sought after degree, according to the number of degree earners reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics

Featured Programs

Math and Liberal Arts

If you’re looking for schools that allow you to explore mathematics through various lenses and provide individualized mentorship for research, a liberal arts college might be the right fit for you. A liberal arts college, while some may not expect it, can be an excellent choice for math majors to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Benefits of Studying Mathematics in a Liberal Arts College

If you’re interested in exploring the best liberal arts colleges for math degrees, you’re most likely also considering the benefits of earning an undergraduate degree at a liberal arts college.

Liberal arts colleges have their own merits in education, and often they offer better advantages than more prominent universities. For one, students will be exposed to some liberal arts core courses instead of only focusing on pure mathematics, which will give them an advantage in the workplace.

Liberal arts colleges, because of their smaller student population, have a lower student-to-teacher ratio. This allows students to have more one-on-one time with their teachers. Therefore, you should expect to receive more specialized help from your professors at schools like Harvey Mudd or Williams College compared to other major universities such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

You’ll get to know your teachers well and eventually have these professors write personalized letters of recommendation on your behalf to enroll in graduate degree or doctoral programs at research universities or grad schools.

Students pursuing college math programs at liberal arts schools are encouraged to enroll in at least one humanities course to add to their math program. Interested students can develop novel ways to integrate their hobbies or comprehend their math curricula.

3-2 Programs

While it’s true that taking math at a smaller school means your school’s math department has less access to cutting-edge resources and facilities, cross-registration can help you make up for that. Many liberal arts colleges, like Harvey Mudd College, Amherst College, and Pomona College, are part of more prominent consortiums that let students from one school take classes at another.

Therefore, using the 3-2 and cross-registration methods, you can still pursue your interest in mathematical sciences if you think liberal arts universities are the perfect fit.

Prospects After Graduation

Enrolling in a liberal arts college won’t hinder you from applying for a graduate degree. In reality, you’ll be able to spend a significant amount of time obtaining hands-on research experience because liberal arts universities have many more specialized possibilities available only to undergraduates.

Graduates of smaller universities are twice as likely to obtain a math doctorate than graduates of more prominent universities. Liberal arts colleges prioritize assisting undergraduates as they navigate the internship and job search landscape through career services.

Some of the faculty members at Harvey Mudd College and Williams College have won national teaching awards. This means that students in these liberal arts colleges are sure to receive high-quality undergraduate education in mathematics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Math Bachelor’s Degrees

Earning a bachelor’s degree in math can open numerous professional doors. Majoring in mathematics prepares you for a variety of careers analyzing and interpreting numbers and data, whether real or hypothetical. With a mathematics major, you hone your skills of logic and analysis to organize numbers, find patterns, and predict outcomes. This could suit you to work as a financial planning consultant for private clients, a cost analyst for a major firm, or a statistician for an important public health campaign.

Today, top influencers in mathematics are bringing new light to areas like Digital signal processing, Stochastic analysis, Mathematical digital art, Catastrophe theory, and much more.

Mathematics is a great major because of its versatility. Math majors can work in virtually any sector. Whether your interest is in finance, immigration, or transportation, there’s a math career for you. Mathematics professionals get to dig deep into data and apply their findings to challenges in healthcare, military strategy, space exploration, supply chain management, and so much more. Some math majors work in completely theoretical areas, solving centuries-old problems. Others teach teenagers and adults practical mathematics and advanced ideas. If you’re fascinated by numbers, patterns and shapes, you will likely have many career paths from which to choose.

Once you’ve declared your major in mathematics, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of math- and STEM-related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized mathematics electives, there are several common courses that most math majors will be required to take, including:

Discrete Mathematics
Differential Equations
Calculus
Algorithms
Linear Algebra
Statistics
Applied Partial Differential Equations
Vector Calculus
Numerical Analysis
Differential Geometry

Earning a degree in mathematics can qualify you for a number of well-paying jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of jobs for mathematics majors is expected to grow at a dramatic rate of 33% by 2029, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. And earnings are also significantly higher than the average for all occupations, with mathematicians and statisticians earning a median annual wage of $92,030 per year in 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

If you think a research university may be a better fit for you, see our ranking of the best research universities for a bachelor’s in mathematics.

How do we determine the best mathematics liberal arts colleges?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Influence”.

The influence of a college or university is based on the schools’s top academic influencers related to the discipline in this ranking. We track the influence of faculty and alumni affiliate with these school counting not only the publications and citations of the school’s affiliated people, but we also consider the overall web presence of the faculty and alumni. The greater the citations, authority of web links, web searches, and page views, the greater the individuals’s influence. Those combined make up the departments’s influence in the field of study. We believe tracking the academic influence of the people affiliated with a school is the best indicator of academic excellence.

If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and misused performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is more insulated from manipulation, and more reflective of real-world educational outcomes.