Quick Facts

  Next Start Date: January 6, 2025


  • Delivery: 100% Online
  • Major Credits: 30
  • No GRE Required
  • Part-time and full-time options

If you teach or want to teach mathematics at a community college, consider what Ball State’s online master of arts (MA) in foundational mathematics teaching in the community college can do for your career and your classroom:

  • You can continue to teach while you pursue the degree because our program is offered 100 percent online.
  • You’ll learn to effectively teach general education mathematics courses that are not calculus-based at the community college level.
  • You’ll have the reward of helping students find first-year success in a subject that can often be the stumbling block that keeps them from earning their degrees.
  • As you guide your students to first-year success, they’ll have a better chance of finishing their degrees, graduating on time, and continuing studies toward a four-year degree.
  • You’ll be part of one of the few programs across the country that focuses on teaching math to adult learners.

Other Program Features

  • Ball State’s program combines topics in math content, math pedagogy, and the needs of adult learners like yourself, all of which are important components of programs for community college instructors.
  • You can complete the program in 18 months to two years as a full-time student. But if you are teaching full time in a community college and want to attend part time, you can finish in 2½  to 3 years, by taking about one course each semester.
  • Our online graduate education programs are consistently highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report, and they are ranked 21st in the nation for Best Online Master's in Education Programs for Veterans.

Contact Our Academic Advisor

Jerry Woodward, Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences
Department of Mathematical Sciences

Recent U.S. labor market data show that the MA in Foundational Mathematics Teaching in the Community College is a career in demand:


  • The U.S. Department of Education reports that there’s an inadequate pipeline of teachers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.
  • The White House challenged the nation in 2013 to recruit 100,000 new effective STEM teachers over the next decade.
  • The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, projects nearly 17,000 openings for postsecondary math teachers due to growth and replacements.
  • An increasing number of professionals are transitioning to mathematics teaching careers at community colleges from positions outside of education, and do not have secondary teaching experience, according to a study by Kathy Rogotzke at Iowa State University.

José Contreras has been an associate professor at Ball State since 2010. Before coming to campus, he taught at the University of Southern Mississippi for 14 years. His years of teaching experience include seven years as a high school math teacher. His areas of expertise include teacher education, teaching and learning with technology, geometry education, theories of learning mathematics, and history of mathematics. Contreras earned his PhD in mathematics education from The Ohio State University.

Sheryl Stump is professor of mathematics, teaching undergraduate and graduate classes for prospective and practicing teachers and designing curriculum. Since coming to Ball State in 1996, her research and scholarship have focused on the development of teachers’ knowledge for teaching mathematics through problem solving and inquiry. Some of her work has focused on algebra, and she is devoted to fostering a more dynamic and meaningful understanding of concepts and symbols. Stump is also interested in mathematics teacher leadership and has worked with colleagues across the state to study and promote the work of elementary mathematics specialists. She taught high school math for six years in New Mexico and New York. She completed her PhD in mathematics education from Illinois State University.

Jerry Woodward is assistant professor and has taught in the middle school, high school, and university classroom. His many areas of expertise include additive reasoning, multiplicative, reasoning, algebraic reasoning, learning theory, pre-service and practicing teacher education, inquiry-based pedagogy, and STEM education. He holds an Indiana teaching license in mathematics for grades 5-12 and a computer endorsement for grades K-12. Woodward earned his PhD in mathematics education from Purdue University.

Course Requirements

Anticipated Course Schedule

View a schedule of course offerings through summer 2023.

The MA in foundational mathematics teaching in the community college consists of 30 credits. It is not a licensure program.

All courses are offered in an asynchronous format, meaning there is no specific sign-on time each week. Instead, you have weekly assignments and deadlines that you complete at times and places most convenient to you.

Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (18 credits)

  • MATH 613 Quantitative Reasoning from an Advanced Viewpoint (3 credits)
  • MATH 614 Algebraic Reasoning (3 credits)
  • MATH 615 Number Concepts and Number Theory (3 credits)
  • MATH 616 Rational Numbers and Proportional Reasoning (3 credits)
  • MATH 623 Probability, Data Analysis, and Statistical Reasoning (3 credits)
  • MATH 640 Measurement Concepts and Geometric Reasoning (3 credits)

Research and Pedagogical Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (9 credits)

  • MATH 631 Technology for Mathematics Teachers (3 credits)
  • MATH 693 Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving (3 credits)
  • MATH 694 Research Methods in Mathematics Education (3 credits)
  • MATH 692 Exit Survey (0 credits)

Pedagogical Knowledge for Teaching Adults (Choose 3 credits)

  • EDAC 634 The Adult as a Learner (3 credits)
  • EDAC 635 Strategies for Teaching Adults (3 credits)

For course descriptions and prerequisites, see the course catalog.

View Catalog

Ready to Apply?

Review deadlines, admission requirements, and application materials, then start your application.

Want to Learn More?

Do you have questions about this program or online learning? We’re here to help! You may request more information using our online form, or feel free to reach out directly to one of our staff.

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