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Comment by hackermailman | Hacker News Reader

UK OpenU has a remote applied math/stats BSc and they've been around for 50 years (though recently plagued with financial problems) http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/q36

You'd pay the same tuition to go to a local school P/T though, total cost to complete is around $4k USD per year plus whatever you have to pay to a local testing center (here it was $60 per exam). Another way is just work through a rigorous introductory text like Concrete Math by Knuth and hire local math grad students to tutor you (or for them to come up with their own curriculum) but since it would be nice to spend all this time and gain actual credentials I'd be interested in distance math degrees too if anybody knows of others, University of London only has graduate level distance math degrees.

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> UK Open University

As a person that has two math degrees and knows someone that received their PhD in a CS/Math/Logic area (i.e. PL) I couldn't +1 this recommendation enough. That person is now a professor at a college in the UK but studied while elsewhere in the EU.

The OP stated:

>I am looking for suggestions on online mathematics degree options

The Open University is a very valid choice for this.

I'd agree with that, mathematics has always been a high priority for the OU.

Another vote in favour; I took a masters in maths with the OU and it was a rigourous, solid mathematical experience throughout. Having done all the work and sat a number of quite hardcore exams, it's also nice to get a bit of paper at the end of it.

I'm doing a masters in Computing with them now. I'm enjoying it quite a lot, and it is definitely rigorous (though more on the management side rather than the technical side).

If I may ask, which master are you doing exactly?

I did my BSc in Mathematics with the OU. Overall it was a very good experience. Rather than teaching by lectures, the OU provides you with high quality and substantial written materials. As with any other university you are expected to keep up with the course schedule, and will be required to submit assessments and sit exams at certain times.

The reliance on written materials with much less face-to-face teaching (compared with a traditional university) was to me a distinct advantage as it gave me more control over the pace of the course.

If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel going to OU impacted your professional career compared to going to a more traditional university?

> You'd pay the same tuition to go to a local school P/T though, total cost to complete is around $4k USD per year plus whatever you have to pay to a local testing center (here it was $60 per exam).

How it will be for total degree? According this [0], it will be £17,568. That is 16lacs INR, quite expensive.

[0] - http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/qualifications/q36#fee...

The rates change depending where you live, India could be cheaper. I also believe OU Uk has regional accreditation in the US, which makes them cheaper than my local alternatives that charge $29-40k for a BSc.

> The rates change depending where you live, India could be cheaper.

how do I find more info about this?

You change your country on their site and then look at tuition/programs or ask their admissions. For example Scotland residents pay much less or there's IGNOU which does online math degrees for 10k rupees a year (I actually tried to get in there, but my country refused, the materials are still pretty good/rigorous). No idea the accreditation for IGNOU but OU Uk with regional means can apply to US grad schools like that Georgia Tech online MSc for compsci.

Want to add to the weight of voices recommending the Open University. It's very well regarded in the UK. Used to be that they'd air their lectures in the (very) early morning on UK terrestrial TV.

I watched a movie once where a hostage had been left gagged and tied to the bed holding the tv remote. As he flicked through the channels it came to that channel and some weird looking guy in 70s attire was giving a really dry lecture. As the hostage tried to change the channel the remote fell to the floor.

He might not make it out alive, but he’ll know when a space is Hausdorff

4k per year? My masters at a US school cost 4k per class :(

My master did cost 500€ per semester, same as bachelor before. I do not comprehend why education is that expensive anymore. Information can basically travel for free and everyone could get access to the best teachers around the world...

But no...

Because accreditation. Vanderbuilt U claimed 5,000 hours annually, at a cost of about $2.92 million, to report to its regional accreditor every year.

I think the process of accreditation is highly questionable. While I think there should be some form of quality assurance for academic institutions, it didn't measurably improve the situation in my country.

I am located in Europe and there are quite some difference about who accredits institutions compared to the US.

Local critics say that the process is expensive, bureaucratic, inefficient, a danger to academic autonomy and slow.

That said, regardless of the process, the distribution of knowledge is easier than any time before. That students in the US need to take huge loans has to be a testament of giant organizational failure.

The UK OpenU website, http://www.openuniversity.edu, is very slow and unusable right now. This is likely due to the HN effect

It's notable that it's insecure, http-only...

The Open University is https://www.open.ac.uk The .edu TLD is generally for US institutions.

I selected "Canada" in the initial overlay, which redirects to .edu.

Regardless, both are slow, both are http-only.

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