Earning an M.A. in mathematics online from Norfolk State University has given educator Jessica Brown the tools to spread her love of math to her students and fellow teachers.
“Everyone is born knowing how to do math. It is your experiences with math that changed you,” said Jessica. “You might have had a teacher who didn’t give you the attention you needed or didn’t know what they were doing, or you had parents who told you they didn’t like math so then you felt like you didn’t like math.”
As a 2025 graduate of the Master of Arts in Urban Education – Mathematics online program, Jessica learned strategies to make math more engaging and relevant to today’s students. She aspires to teach cutting-edge math pedagogy to other educators. “To build interest in math, you have to relate it to the real world. Give students real-world situations and let them find the math problem within,” said Jessica. “Let them work at it and pick it apart to get their brains going and figure out where the math is. Just throwing a math problem at them is boring.”
Jessica took a nonlinear path to an online mathematics degree. She originally wanted to earn a bachelor’s in math but instead majored in English at Norfolk State University. In 2019, she enrolled in NSU’s on-campus master’s in math program, but her courses quickly went online when the pandemic hit. Overwhelmed with a full-time job, family responsibilities and taking four courses at a time, she withdrew from the program.
Four years later, with more than a decade of teaching experience, she enrolled in Norfolk State’s new fully online, accelerated program, the M.A. in Urban Education – Mathematics. Her prior credits left her just seven courses away from graduating. Courses were now just seven weeks long, which was an easier fit for Jessica’s lifestyle, especially since she continued to teach full-time while earning her master’s. “It definitely took discipline because I had to put aside my social life and home life,” she said I dedicated certain days when I was going to log in and get work done.”
Supportive Faculty Helped Her Maintain Momentum
Jessica said she found her instructors to be extremely supportive. “My advisors were more than willing to help me when I had an issue. The professors listened. If I had difficulties with the assignment, if I didn’t think I was going to make a deadline, they assisted me,” said Jessica. “My graduate liaison was constantly checking up on me. They have groups that reach out to you with meetings and study sessions and things like that.”
Her dean, who was also one of her professors, was especially encouraging. “I didn’t think I was going to do well in the class,” explained Jessica. “I went to her with every intention of dropping the class. She said, ‘no, you’re not dropping this class. I just read your paper; you got an A.’ She helped me, pushed me along. She made sure that I didn’t give up.”
Jessica enjoyed collaborating with her fellow students through discussion board posts, sharing feedback on assignments and insight into conclusions. Three of her most impactful courses were Multicultural Concepts and Perspectives, which showed her how a student’s cultural background impacts their behavior and interactions with others; Discrete Mathematics, which focused on finding math in unexpected places; and Mathematical Models and Applications, which emphasized real-world math, including identifying the problem and determining how to approach solving it.
While she expected her online education degree coursework to be 100% math, she quickly learned that she would be writing papers, doing research, making presentations and creating PowerPoints, all of which have enhanced her critical thinking skills and professional abilities.
How Her Master’s Is Transforming Her Career
Jessica is using her new knowledge not just in her classroom, but also in her private tutoring business and in supporting her community through her service sorority. She also hopes to be able to impart her strategies to other teachers through future professional development opportunities.
For those contemplating the M.A. in Urban Education – Mathematics, she strongly recommends having a background in math and a true love for math. “You should be the type of person who wants to help others love math and understand it,” she said.
But equally important is to be disciplined with dedicated study times. “There were many times when I thought this is too hard, I’m not going to be able to finish it,” she explained. “I was able to do it. I was able to push through. I’ve realized that I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was.”
Top Reasons to Consider the M.A. in Urban Education – Mathematics
Flexibility – Continue working and set your own study schedule, with asynchronous courses
Value – Tuition is affordable and paid by the course
Accreditation – This M.A. in mathematics program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
High Job Demand – The national teacher shortage is especially critical in STEM fields
Accelerated Completion – Progress quickly in 7-week courses and earn your M.A. in as few as 12 months
Learn more about the Norfolk State University M.A. in Urban Education online program
Achieve Your Goals with a Graduate Degree from NSU
In addition to online education degrees, Norfolk State University also offers online master’s degrees in computer science, cyberpsychology and electronics engineering. Explore all of our online programs.