National Mu Alpha Theta

What National Mu Alpha Theta does

National Mu Alpha Theta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mathematics honor society founded in 1957 at the University of Oklahoma by Dr. and Mrs. Richard V. Andree. It serves high school students in grades 9-12 and two-year college students who excel in mathematics (eligibility requires completion of college preparatory math and a minimum 3.0 math GPA), operating through chartered school chapters led by faculty sponsors across the United States and 23 foreign countries. The organization is governed by a council comprising three national officers, four regional governors, and four representatives from partner mathematical bodies (MAA, NCTM, SIAM, AMATYC), with an affiliated 501(c)(3) Educational Foundation (est. 1996) administering scholarships, grants, and donations.

The organization's product portfolio centers on math competitions (Rocket City Math League, Log1 Contest, Mathematical Minutes Video Contest, National Convention contests), an annual five-day National Convention rotating among US cities, scholarships ($4,000 standard plus $5,000 named awards including Mary Rhein Memorial, Paul R. Goodey, and Kay Weiss), grants (Summer Math Program, Chapter, Competition, Convention, and Classroom Teaching grants), a recognition awards program (Kalin, Huneke, Sister Scholastica, Andree, Rubin, Herron, Governors' Leadership), and an online merchandise store selling honor cords, certificates, and branded items. Technology infrastructure is a website platform (mualphatheta.org) supporting chapter management, member registration, online store checkout, contest registration, and a newsletter archive dating to 2003.

The business model combines one-time lifetime membership fees ($10 per high school or two-year college member, rising to $12 effective August 1, 2026, with reduced $5-$6 rates for Title I schools), a $25 new chapter charter fee, $25 chapter reactivation fees, merchandise sales, and tax-deductible donations to the Educational Foundation. Go-to-market is sales-led through school-based chapters, with faculty sponsors recruiting students and submitting applications; marketing is amplified via a website, monthly newsletter, Instagram (@MATNatlOffice, 115,000+ Facebook followers), X, and YouTube. Mu Alpha Theta has grown to over 100,000 lifetime members and awarded more than $316,000 in scholarships, grants, and awards cumulatively as of 2018, with a staff of approximately 150 based at the Norman, Oklahoma national office on the University of Oklahoma campus.

Name

National Mu Alpha Theta

Legal name

Mu Alpha Theta

Website

https://mualphatheta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

National Mu Alpha Theta is a nonprofit mathematics honor society founded in 1957, serving over 100,000 high school and two-year college student members across the US and 23 countries via chartered school chapters, delivering math competitions, scholarships, grants, awards, and an annual National Convention funded through lifetime membership fees, merchandise sales, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mathematics Honor Society

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Competition Coaching & Training Programs (AMC/AIME/USAMO/MathCounts) (EDAMAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quiz Bowl & Academic Team Competitions (EDAMAGAF), Olympiad-Style Proof & Advanced Topics Programs (Number Theory/Combinatorics/Geometry) (EDAMAEAD)

Keywords

• Mathematics honor society
• Math competitions
• Student scholarships
• School chapter programs
• STEM education awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Norman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: One-time lifetime membership fees collected from student members upon registration. High school chapters pay $10 per member ($12 starting August 1, 2026), with reduced rates of $5-6 per member for Title I schools. Two-year college members pay the same one-time fee.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization operates an online store selling merchandise including honor cords, certificates, and branded items to members and chapters.
3. Educational Foundation Donations: The Mu Alpha Theta Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, accepts tax-deductible donations to support scholarships, grants, and reduce convention costs. The foundation derives one-third of support from public donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Mu Alpha Theta is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit that operates the only national mathematics honor society for high school and two-year college students in the United States. Founded in 1957 at the University of Oklahoma, the organization grants lifetime membership to qualifying students through chartered school-based chapters and provides free math competitions, an annual five-day National Convention, a portfolio of named scholarships and grants, and a recognition awards program.

Product overview

Mu Alpha Theta is a National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society providing a portfolio of programs including math competitions (Rocket City Math League, Log1 Contest, Mathematical Minutes Video Contest), an annual National Convention, scholarships (Mary Rhein Memorial, Paul R. Goodey, Kay Weiss), grants (Summer, Chapter, Competition, Convention, Classroom Teaching), awards program (Kalin, Huneke, Sister Scholastica, Regional Sponsor of the Year, Diane Rubin Service, Governors' Leadership and Service, Lisa C. Herron, Andree), official merchandise, newsletters, and educational resources. The organization operates through an online member management system and web portal, with chapters organized across four regions in the US and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lifetime Student Membership One-time lifetime membership in the national mathematics honor society for qualifying high school and two-year college students, granted through chartered school chapters managed by faculty sponsors. Members gain access to contests, scholarships, grants, awards, the National Convention, and recognition materials such as honor cords and certificates.
• Rocket City Math League A free international math contest open to all middle, high school, and two-year college students enrolled in pre-algebra through precalculus and above math courses. The contest consists of three 30-minute tests per level and an Interschool Team Test administered during the school year.
• Log1 Contest A school-based math competition similar to National Convention contests that allows schools to compete against institutions from across the country and world while staying at their home school.
• Mathematical Minutes Video Contest A video contest that asks chapter members to create educational and entertaining 2-5 minute videos on math topics. Videos are judged at Theta, Alpha, or Mu levels based on course content.
• National Convention An annual five-day national convention bringing together hundreds of teachers and students from across the country for math-related events, competitions, and networking. The convention rotates among host chapters across the United States.
• T-Shirt Design Contest An annual student design contest with a new theme each year in which students submit designs inspired by the year's theme, with winning designs produced and sold in the Mu Alpha Theta store.
• Mu Alpha Theta Scholarships Program Annual scholarship program awarding $4,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors and two-year college students who are active members. Includes three $5,000 named scholarships: the Mary Rhein Memorial Scholarship, the Paul R. Goodey Scholarship (for students who participated in mathematics-related research), and the Kay Weiss Scholarship (for students demonstrating commitment to promoting women's participation in STEM).
• Mu Alpha Theta Grants Program Five types of grants available to chapters and members: Summer Math Program/Research Grants (up to $2,000/student), Chapter Grants (up to $1,000), Competition Grants (up to $500), Convention Grants, and Classroom Teaching Grants (up to $1,500 for first-third year teachers).
• Mu Alpha Theta Awards Program Multiple awards recognizing outstanding students, sponsors, and chapters including the Kalin Award ($7,500 to winner plus $1,000 to chapter), Huneke Award ($2,000), Sister Scholastica Most Committed Sponsor Award, Regional Sponsor of the Year ($1,000), Diane Rubin Service Award ($5,000 to chapter), Governors' Leadership and Service Award ($4,000), Lisa C. Herron Community Award ($5,000 student and $2,500 chapter), and Andree Award ($2,500 each for high school and college winners).
• Vector Scholars Program A program offered since 2002 to recognize and reward students for outstanding efforts in mathematics and math education.
• Mu Alpha Theta Merchandise Store Online store offering official Mu Alpha Theta merchandise including membership certificates, honor cords (required for graduation recognition), t-shirts, and other chapter materials for purchase by members and chapters.
• New Chapter Charter One-time chapter charter available to accredited high schools and two-year colleges wishing to establish a Mu Alpha Theta chapter. Requires a $25 one-time charter fee, an accredited institution, and a faculty sponsor with qualifying mathematics credentials.
• Chapter Reactivation Service for previously chartered schools to reactivate a dormant Mu Alpha Theta chapter. Requires a $25 reactivation fee plus $10 per member registration fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 students are members in the United States and in 23 foreign countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered historical, core and minor.

• Pi Mu EpsilonhistoricalOthers · 1 January 1957Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Collegiate Honor Society of Mathematics, contributed funds for Mu Alpha Theta's initial organizational expenses when it was founded in 1957 at the University of Oklahoma.
• University of OklahomacoreOthers · 1 January 1957The University of Oklahoma provided space, clerical help, and technical assistance for Mu Alpha Theta when it was founded in 1957. The national office remains located at the University of Oklahoma campus.
• Florida State University (Dr. Robert Kalin)minorOthers · 1 January 1957Dr. Robert Kalin of Florida State University, a former president of Mu Alpha Theta and nationally recognized mathematics educator, established the Kalin Award in 1981 through a grant.
• Mathematical Association of America (MAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMu Alpha Theta partners with MAA, a major professional organization for mathematics. MAA contributes representatives to the Governing Council and provides support for the organization's mission of promoting scholarship in mathematics.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMu Alpha Theta partners with NCTM, the professional organization for mathematics teachers. NCTM contributes representatives to the Governing Council to help advance mathematics education goals.
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMu Alpha Theta partners with SIAM, the leading professional organization for applied mathematics. SIAM contributes representatives to the Governing Council and supports math competitions including SIAM/MathWorks Math Modelling Challenge.
• American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMu Alpha Theta partners with AMATYC, the professional organization for two-year college mathematics. AMATYC contributes representatives to the Governing Council and helps represent the two-year college constituency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Art of Problem Solving (AoPS): Math-focused online community, curriculum, and competition preparation platform serving the same gifted-high-school-math-student demographic. Comparable on competition prep, problem-solving content, and student community, but with a stronger digital and paid-course model.
• Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS): National STEM-competition and recognition organization for high school students. Comparable on national STEM competition programming and school-based engagement, and competes for the same math-and-STEM-gifted high schooler attention.

Direct peers

• MATHCOUNTS: National middle-school math competition organization running the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series. Direct peer in math competition programming for pre-college students and a feeder for high school math talent that later joins Mu Alpha Theta.
• National Science Honor Society (Science NHS): High school science-focused honor society with the same school-chapter, faculty-sponsor, lifetime-membership structure. Direct peer in the academic-honor-society operating model, competing for the same student-recognition mindshare within US high schools.
• Math Olympiad Program (USAMO / USAJMO): Elite-tier US math olympiad pathway administered by MAA (an Mu Alpha Theta partner). Comparable on competition staging and recognition for top high school math students, and overlaps with Mu Alpha Theta's Kalin Award nomination pool.
• Kappa Mu Epsilon: National mathematics honor society for students at smaller colleges and universities. Direct peer in the math-honor-society category with a comparable chapter-and-sponsor operating model, although its institutional focus is different.
• American Mathematics Competitions (AMC): Run by the Mathematical Association of America (an Mu Alpha Theta Governing Council partner), AMC administers the AMC 8/10/12 contests and the path to USAMO. Direct peer in math competition organization for the same target demographic.
• Pi Mu Epsilon: National collegiate mathematics honor society. Direct peer in the math honor society category, and explicitly named as a founding partner of Mu Alpha Theta. Serves the next stage of a member's academic journey, making it both a peer and a downstream pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• National Honor Society (NHS): The dominant general high school honor society, recognized by virtually every US high school. Comparable in operating model (school chapters, faculty sponsors, lifetime recognition) and significantly larger in scale, serving as a benchmark for member acquisition and chapter distribution.
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): Professional organization for applied mathematics that seats a representative on Mu Alpha Theta's Governing Council. Comparable on math-organization governance and outreach, and a content/competition partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MATNatlOffice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NationalMuAlphaTheta
• Facebookfacebook.com/115043465251677
• Instagraminstagram.com/MATNatlOffice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mu-alpha-theta-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Mu Alpha Theta