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Bachelors in Mathematics Programs in the USA: Top 20

Twelve of these twenty degrees have the word applied, computational or statistics in the title, and that is the division that matters. Applied mathematics teaches modelling, optimisation and numerical method, and points at industry. Pure mathematics shows itself through courses like real analysis and abstract algebra, and is the stronger base for a doctorate. From 717 mathematics programmes on record, these twenty are described by which side they sit on and how much computing comes with them.

How this list is ordered: Ordered by each university's QS World University Rankings position where it has one, then by research citations recorded by OpenAlex; one programme per university, and universities with neither measure are left out.

Full time or part time
Full time416 58%Full or part time301 42%

Same 717 records.

When these programmes start
Fall365 50%Spring365 50%

Counted from the intake stated on 365 of 717 records. A programme listing more than one intake is counted under each.

1 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

Harvard University · Massachusetts

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#5
  • Research citations147,623,675

Harvard's applied mathematics degree builds the standard toolkit first — calculus, linear algebra, statistics and differential equations — then turns it outwards.

Mathematical modelling and computing follow, which is where the subject stops being abstract. A model is a decision about what to ignore, and learning to make that choice well is the real training here.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

2 Bachelor Computational and Applied Mathematics

University of Chicago

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#13
  • Research citations39,573,581

Chicago makes computation part of the degree title, and the emphasis is genuine. Mathematical method and computational technique are taught as one subject.

The problems come from science, engineering and finance rather than from textbooks, which forces students to decide which method a messy situation actually needs.

Two routes are named: operations research analyst, and mathematician working in industry.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst
  • Mathematician in Industry

Full programme details →

3 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

University of California, Los Angeles

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#40
  • Research citations67,096,936

UCLA teaches applied mathematics with one eye on the fields that hire mathematicians: engineering, physics and data science.

The core principles are taught properly first, so the applications rest on something solid. Problem-solving and critical reasoning are named outcomes rather than assumed side effects.

Students finish able to move into a technical field without a second degree.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

4 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

Brown University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#69
  • Research citations15,825,691

Brown's applied mathematics covers the five tools that applied work actually runs on: differential equations, modelling, statistics, computational method and optimisation.

Optimisation is the one students underrate. Most industrial mathematics problems reduce to finding the best option under constraints, which is exactly what it teaches. Theory is paired with real problems throughout.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

5 Bachelor Mathematics

University of Minnesota - Morris

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#203
  • Research citations44,929,596

Morris runs a broad mathematics degree, with geometry sitting alongside algebra, calculus, statistics and applied work.

Geometry has quietly disappeared from many mathematics curricula, so its presence here widens what students see. Advanced concepts and real applications are both encouraged rather than one at the expense of the other. The small campus means close contact with staff.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

6 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

University of Rochester

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#236
  • Research citations16,165,770

Rochester's applied degree is built around advanced calculus, then extends into differential equations, numerical analysis and statistics.

Numerical analysis is the practical heart of it: knowing how to compute an answer when no exact solution exists, and how much to trust the result. The quantitative skills transfer across industries.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

7 Bachelor Mathematics

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#275
  • Research citations17,999,711

Virginia keeps real analysis in the core, which marks this as a serious mathematics degree rather than a methods course.

Algebra, calculus, statistics and differential equations make up the rest, with theoretical and applied work both represented.

Real analysis is where students learn to prove things properly, and it is the course that separates those heading for research from those heading for industry.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

8 Bachelor Mathematics

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#281
  • Research citations34,908,078

Johnstown includes discrete mathematics alongside calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, which opens the computing side of the subject.

Discrete mathematics is the foundation under algorithms, cryptography and anything involving networks, so its inclusion matters more than the name suggests. Applications are explored beyond the core courses.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

9 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

Case Western Reserve University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#294
  • Research citations17,257,367

Case Western frames applied mathematics around industry demand, and makes no apology for it. The degree exists to produce people who can solve complicated quantitative problems at work.

Quantitative reasoning, analysis and problem-solving are the three named outcomes, developed through practical application of mathematical theory.

The case for the subject is simple: data keeps growing and the people who can interpret it do not.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

10 Bachelor Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics

University of Notre Dame

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#294
  • Research citations8,515,180

Notre Dame combines three fields in one award: applied mathematics, computational mathematics and statistics. Few undergraduate degrees cover all three properly.

The applications reach across science, engineering, economics and technology, with theory and practice mixed throughout.

Entry wants a high school diploma with strong mathematics and science results, relevant advanced coursework such as calculus and statistics, and standardised test scores where required.

Entry requirements, as the university states them

  • High school diploma with strong performance in mathematics and science subjects
  • Relevant coursework in advanced mathematics, such as calculus and statistics
  • Standardized test scores (if required by the university)
  • IELTS score of 6.5 or higher
  • TOEFL score of 90 or higher

Full programme details →

11 Bachelor Mathematics

Tufts University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#334
  • Research citations13,111,207

Tufts gives a wide view of the subject, covering algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics and discrete mathematics.

That breadth is deliberate and useful for students who have not yet decided between pure and applied work, since both are represented.

Theoretical frameworks and practical approaches are taught together rather than in separate streams.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

12 Bachelor Applied Mathematics & Statistics

State University of New York at Stony Brook

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#452
  • Research citations14,298,244

Stony Brook joins applied mathematics to statistics, and the statistics is substantial: probability theory and statistical inference are core rather than optional.

Calculus and linear algebra supply the mathematical base. Inference is the skill that lets you say what a dataset supports and, just as importantly, what it does not. The combination is directly employable.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

13 Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

Washington State University at Vancouver

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#466
  • Research citations7,838,804

Washington State's Vancouver campus awards a Bachelor of Science covering calculus, algebra, probability, statistics and mathematical modelling.

Probability and modelling together are what make a mathematics graduate useful to an employer who has data and a decision to make. Theoretical study and applied work are balanced across the four years.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

14 Bachelor Mathematics

University of Hawaii at Hilo

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#488
  • Research citations5,966,195

Hilo teaches pure and applied mathematics side by side rather than making students choose at the start.

Calculus, algebra, statistics and mathematical modelling form the content, with hands-on work supporting the theory.

Keeping both open is sensible at undergraduate level, since most people discover which side suits them only after meeting a proof and a model.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

15 Bachelor Mathematics

University of Hawaii at Manoa

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#488
  • Research citations5,966,195

Manoa covers calculus, algebra, statistics and discrete mathematics, with theory and application developed together.

What stands out is where graduates are pointed. Alongside operations research, the programme names quantitative analysis in finance and research science, which are three genuinely different careers from one degree.

The spread suggests a curriculum broad enough to support any of them.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst
  • Quantitative Analyst in Finance
  • Research Scientist in Mathematics

Full programme details →

16 Bachelor Mathematics

State University of New York at Buffalo

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2024#491
  • Research citations11,738,556

Buffalo keeps abstract algebra in the core, which signals a degree with real mathematical depth rather than a methods survey.

Calculus, linear algebra and differential equations complete the foundation, and the stated aim includes preparation for advanced study.

Abstract algebra is where mathematics becomes about structure rather than calculation, and it is demanding.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

17 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

Brandeis University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2023#497
  • Research citations5,708,172

Brandeis teaches pure mathematics and applied method in the same degree, so students meet proofs and models in parallel.

Calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics form the shared base, with applied courses showing how each is used on real problems.

The structure suits someone who wants to keep graduate study open while building employable skills.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst

Full programme details →

18 Bachelor Applied Mathematics & Statistics

Colorado School of Mines

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#501
  • Research citations2,055,920

Colorado School of Mines pairs applied mathematics with statistics and adds computational method and data analysis to both.

Calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistical modelling form the core. The engineering setting of the school shows in the problems students are given.

Two routes are named rather than one: operations research analysis and business intelligence consulting, which points at the data side of the degree.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst
  • Business Intelligence Consultant

Full programme details →

19 Bachelor Applied Mathematics

Missouri University of Science and Technology

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2025#527
  • Research citations1,948,358

Missouri Science and Technology goes further into applied specialisms than most undergraduate degrees, covering numerical analysis, optimisation and mathematical modelling.

Calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and statistical analysis form the base underneath them. Those three specialisms are what consulting and engineering firms hire for.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Operations Research Analyst
  • Research Scientist in Mathematics

Full programme details →

20 Bachelor Mathematics

CUNY Hostos Community College

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2024#545
  • Research citations4,302,690

Hostos teaches mathematics through CUNY, covering algebra, calculus, statistics and discrete mathematics.

The programme sets out to build analytical thinking and problem-solving rather than only technique, which is what makes a mathematics degree useful outside mathematics.

Theoretical and applied work are both included, giving a foundation that transfers into computing, finance or further study.

Full programme details →

Mathematics degrees in the USA: pure, applied and everything between

How do I tell a pure degree from an applied one?

Read the course list, not the title. Real analysis at Virginia and abstract algebra at Buffalo are pure mathematics markers. Mathematical modelling, optimisation and numerical analysis, which appear at Brown, Rochester and Missouri Science and Technology, mark an applied degree. Several programmes teach both and let you choose later.

Which ones make statistics a named half of the degree?

Three. Notre Dame joins applied and computational mathematics to statistics in one award. Stony Brook teaches probability theory and statistical inference as core. Colorado School of Mines pairs applied mathematics with statistics and adds data analysis. If you want to work with data, those three are the clearest routes.

How much programming is involved?

More at some than others. Chicago's degree is computational by name and design, applying computing to problems in science, engineering and finance. Mines builds computational methods into the core, and Missouri Science and Technology teaches numerical analysis and optimisation. A pure degree may leave you to pick up coding elsewhere.

What jobs do these actually lead to?

Operations research analyst is the route named by almost every programme here, and it is a real, well-paid job solving allocation and scheduling problems. Hawaii at Manoa also names quantitative analyst in finance and research scientist. Mines names business intelligence consulting.

What should I have studied before applying?

Notre Dame is the one that spells it out: a high school diploma with strong results in mathematics and science, relevant advanced coursework such as calculus and statistics, and standardised test scores where the university asks for them. Expect similar expectations elsewhere even when they are not published.

Mathematics lists elsewhere

Other subjects in USA

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