Find your perfect college degree
Facts and Stats
- From 2022 to 2032, about 33,500 math occupation openings* for actuaries, data scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, and operations research analysts are projected each year.
- American graduate students** account for only one in five learners of math-intensive subjects–including electrical engineering and computer science–in US universities.
- The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed*** 40% of students scored Below Basic on 8th grade math. 36% scored Basic Math and 26% were scored Proficient or Above.
Hate math? So do a lot of other people!
Research indicates that 40% of Americans hate math. So, if you hate math, then there’s a good chance it isn’t because you’re not smart; it’s just that math isn’t a very likable subject.
There are many different reasons why people, especially students, hate math. Understandably, many avoid pursuing anything that involves math for this very reason.
Is Math Really Inevitable?
It turns out that it is. But don’t let that dishearten you– most degrees will require you to use a little bit of math here and there. Still, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem because, fortunately, the whole “math is inevitable” proverb only applies to basic math you’ve most likely already learned in high school.
You can flourish in many other fields unrelated to math. All you have to do is choose from various careers and majors that don’t require stressful and complex mathematics.
Incredible math skills can take you places, but so can your other skills and talents. For a better insight into which things you might have a knack for, you can also take a multiple intelligence test.
Degrees That Don’t Require Much Math
When choosing a degree with little to no math, find something that aligns with your interests. Here are the best college majors that don’t require you to deal with mathematics.
Psychology
If you are fascinated with different philosophies, analyzing minds, and understanding why people, or even animals, behave the way they do, Psychology—a versatile major with an excellent job outlook—might be the perfect major for you. Federal data also indicates that counseling jobs will increase by 6% within the next ten years.
Psychology majors study essential (but manageable) and minimal math courses, particularly Statistics, but this requirement is considered generally light.
School/s offering excellent Psychology programs:
- Stanford University has a top-ranking Psychology department. It also features a resource called “pathways” to help students decide on academic paths within their Psychology program.
- University of California, Los Angeles, offers three undergraduate major options: Psychology (BA), Cognitive Science (BS), and Psychobiology (BS). All three focus on different areas of psychology, but the fundamental knowledge needed to pursue each is pretty similar.
Religious Studies
Religious Studies is different from Theology despite the clear overlap. Theology is more dedicated to training spiritual leaders, while Religious Studies focuses more on the beginning and evolution of religions and religious traditions, including their associated philosophies.
Courses in this major depend on which school you attend, but the math courses are minimal to zero. Potential careers include being an educator, lawyer, and social worker, as well as work involving counseling and research.
School offering excellent Religious Studies programs:
- Yale University, a best-ranked college for Religious Studies, features 11 fields of study.
Anthropology
An Anthropology degree studies human evolution, diversity, history, and culture. Specializations include Social Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, and Archeology.
The math requirement is relatively light in this field and often only applies to the research part of the academic program. Relevant courses in an Anthropology major include foreign language, social sciences, history, and world religions.
Anthropology graduates become educators, researchers, and archaeologists. They also qualify for work in Public Relations and Human Resources.
School/s offering excellent Anthropology programs:
- Arizona State University has an Anthropology program that features a scientific approach to Anthropology, practically combining biology and history in a single program.
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice examines the justice system, law, criminal behaviors, and their relations to society. Course topics often incorporate sociology, crime studies, and a bit of basic math in statistics classes, all of which make the criminal justice curriculum an excellent foundation for a pre-law degree.
Career opportunities for criminal justice graduates can be found in law firms, law enforcement, and corporate security. They also find work in law enforcement following rigorous training.
School/s offering excellent Criminal Justice programs:
- University of Colorado, Denver – UCDenver Criminal Justice students may complete a dual bachelor’s/master’s degree program, which allows them to complete graduate-level coursework even at an undergraduate level and obtain both degrees in 5 years instead of 6.
Political Science
Political Science curricula typically incorporate only a bit of basic math in statistical data, much like in Psychology and Anthropology. Certain BA programs may have zero math credits but develop the negotiation, leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills of Political Science majors.
School/s offering excellent Political Science programs:
- Vanderbilt University offers students the option of majoring in Political Science or choosing from three political science minors.
Sociology
As a Sociology graduate, you will better understand the multicultural world and the issues affecting societies and their people. High-paying jobs in this degree that will barely require math, including marketing, education, law, human resources, and journalism, await Sociology graduates.
Apart from the good job outlook, the employment of sociologists is also projected to grow by 5% from 2022 to 2032.
School/s offering excellent Sociology programs:
- University of Pennsylvania offers bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees in Sociology. Did you know that Sociology degree holders from UPenn earn around $12,242 more than the average income of Sociology majors from other schools?
Marketing
Pursuing a degree in marketing might sound counterintuitive when trying to avoid math. Fortunately, the majority of Marketing degree programs out there require only basic math courses and a hint of business math!
A Marketing degree leads to lucrative careers, particularly as marketing managers and advertising specialists.
School/s offering excellent Marketing programs:
- University of Pennsylvania offers a dual concentration on Marketing and Communication, preparing students for advanced studies and employment.
Graphic Design
Since graphic design typically involves computers, it’s easy to think that you might need to deal with a lot of math in this field. However, graphic design programs are more focused on internships and portfolio-building, and there’s not much math in that!
Graphic design degree holders may also pursue careers in related fields, including industrial design, multimedia, advertising, and public relations.
School/s offering excellent Graphic Design programs:
- The Academy of Art University has a School of Graphic Design that lets students choose between taking a Graphic Design program online or in person.
- The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) offers both an MFA and a BFA in graphic design, and the school’s well-known graphic design program is also the largest undergraduate department in the school.
Culinary Arts
A Culinary Arts degree, which only uses math for calculating ingredient costs and measurements, is one of the easiest (and deliciously fun) degrees beyond food preparation and presentation. It also incorporates the principles of Nutrition and Hospitality disciplines.
Culinary Arts majors become chefs in hotels and restaurants, pursue a career as a private chef, or set up a culinary business.
School/s offering excellent Culinary Arts programs:
- Mississippi State University offers a Culinary program that blends Food Science and Culinary Arts, preparing students for more diverse roles in the food industry.
- Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts offers various culinary degrees. It is the only accredited school that offers 100% online culinary courses.
Fine Arts
The Fine Arts coursework typically includes art history and techniques to strengthen students’ creative skills. This program, which does not involve a lot of math, provides a solid foundation for careers in interior design, architecture, photography, creative writing, and animation.
School/s offering excellent Fine Arts programs:
- Academy of Art University features five Fine Arts programs plus an online degree.
Foreign Language
Foreign Language, which focuses on communication and fluency, doesn’t have Mathematics as a core course. Aside from learning mainstream languages, students build their vocabulary, improve their communication skills, and immerse themselves in different cultures.
Foreign Language majors can become linguists and translators or pursue lucrative foreign language careers in public relations, publishing, and the travel and tourism sector, where knowledge of foreign languages is required.
School/s offering excellent Foreign Language programs:
- Cornell University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in Foreign Language and Linguistics.
- Texas A & M University-College Station – At Texas A&M, you can pursue a major or a minor in Foreign Language to supplement your degree plan.
English
The typical English major coursework includes linguistics, history, and virtually nothing math-related! English degree holders can pursue teaching, advertising, public relations, and law careers.
Graduates who wish to become English professors at elementary education or post-doctorate levels or anywhere in between must complete additional courses and obtain a teaching license.
School/s offering excellent English programs:
- Stanford University offers five English programs, including a Coterminal Master of Arts in English and a Ph.D. in English.
- University of Chicago has an English Department that offers various areas of study and is lauded for its interdisciplinary approach to literature.
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts, the study of humanistic inquiries, includes History, Literature, Sociology, Philosophy, and Creative Arts in its coursework. This program only requires basic math classes without a strict academic path like Medicine or Law but leads to more career options than professional and technical degrees.
School/s offering excellent Liberal Arts programs:
- Campbellsville University offers a Liberal Arts & Sciences Major and lets you choose from different fields of concentration.
Communications
A degree in Communications, which focuses less on advanced math courses, hones students’ public speaking, writing, and general communication skills. Students and graduates are also exposed to technical communications, advertising, and mass media.
A Communications program prepares students for career paths in different industries, such as education, marketing, public relations, and politics.
School/s offering excellent Communications programs:
- University of Nebraska features a program in Communication Studies with one-on-one teaching interaction.
Linguistics
Linguistics, defined as the scientific study of language, analyzes language context, form, and structure. Linguistics may use some mathematics to study and model language phenomena, but your choice of concentration determines the type of math you will be dealing with.
Potential careers for Linguistics graduates include copy editing, communication roles, education, and speech and language therapy.
School/s offering excellent Linguistics programs:
- University of Pennsylvania offers a 14-course major in Linguistics and a minor. There is also a minor in ASL for students interested in learning sign language.
Health Science
If you wish to become a health professional, a Health Science degree is the less complicated alternative to Medicine. Health Science majors develop essential clinical and non-clinical healthcare skills for jobs in healthcare facilities. The coursework includes Biology, Pharmacology, Human Anatomy, and Physiology—without mathematics as a core requirement.
Graduates can work as medical assistants, surgical technicians, and other health-related jobs. They can also pursue Medical Journalism.
School/s offering excellent Health Science programs:
- University of Wisconsin offers a certificate program and a bachelor’s program in Health Sciences, with ten established courses.
Nursing
Nursing, which makes an excellent pre-med course, is your gateway to a huge selection of jobs. You can earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), which mainly requires a high school diploma, or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to earn the RN title and become qualified for nursing jobs. However, many employers prefer candidates with at least a BSN.
Nursing students may be required to ace the math placement test because basic math still makes up a small part of nursing education. They will then move on to nursing-specific courses such as Social Science, Pharmacology, History, and Anatomy.
School/s offering excellent Nursing programs:
- University of Illinois, Chicago offers a wide variety of nursing programs, including certificate programs and a fully online RN to BSN program for working nurses looking to advance their careers.
Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety is yet another degree that doesn’t involve many math courses but still has quite a high earning potential. Students develop an in-depth understanding of workplace safety standards while gaining risk management skills for identifying and addressing safety concerns.
Occupational Health and Safety graduates work in offices, schools, factories, hospitals, and construction sites where hazards are more likely to occur.
School/s offering excellent Occupational Health and Safety programs:
- The University of Arizona – The Environmental and Occupational Health program at the University of Arizona has two available tracks: Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) and Industrial Hygiene (IH).
Sonography
A Diagnostic Medical Sonography degree is one of the non-STEM degrees for future medical sonographers and diagnostic imaging specialists. These experts prepare patients for scans and operate diagnostic imaging equipment to produce images of internal organs and tissues, which will then be used for diagnoses.
School/s offering excellent Sonography programs:
- The Cure Center is a top medicine school that offers all ultrasound specialties, including sonography, in a single program.
Nutritional Science
Like Nursing, Nutritional Science is a pre-med course that isn’t math-heavy. Graduates pursue careers as nutritionists, dietitians, and related jobs in the food, business, research, and science industries. Others also pursue the related Animal Nutrition program.
School/s offering excellent Nutritional Science programs:
- University of Texas, Austin offers an on-site Master of Science in Nutritional Science (MSNS) program and an online degree that can be completed in 1-2 years.
Summary Points
While knowing advanced math concepts and extra math courses may come in handy and be required for some professions, a math-less career path that aligns perfectly with your interests and skill set is something you can always find.
As shown on our list, many options exist for people who dislike math. Tap into your passions, skills, and talents by pursuing a degree truly fit for you, and find yourself fulfilled with an excellent earning potential!
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