diff --git a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_profile_view.coffee b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_profile_view.coffee
index 51afd0bd24..2d248f49c7 100644
--- a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_profile_view.coffee
+++ b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_profile_view.coffee
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ if Backbone?
       @$el.html(Mustache.render(@template, params))
       @$("span.timeago").timeago()
       element = @$(".post-body")
-      MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
+      if MathJax?
+        MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
       @
 
     convertMath: ->
diff --git a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_show_view.coffee b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_show_view.coffee
index 6319b1d950..5a1a0a5b29 100644
--- a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_show_view.coffee
+++ b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/discussion_thread_show_view.coffee
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ if Backbone?
     convertMath: ->
       element = @$(".post-body")
       element.html DiscussionUtil.postMathJaxProcessor DiscussionUtil.markdownWithHighlight element.text()
-      MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
+      if MathJax?
+        MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
 
     edit: (event) ->
       @trigger "thread:edit", event
diff --git a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/response_comment_show_view.coffee b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/response_comment_show_view.coffee
index e25a7ac5db..51432770a2 100644
--- a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/response_comment_show_view.coffee
+++ b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/response_comment_show_view.coffee
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ if Backbone?
     convertMath: ->
       body = @$el.find(".response-body")
       body.html DiscussionUtil.postMathJaxProcessor DiscussionUtil.markdownWithHighlight body.text()
-      MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, body[0]]
+      if MathJax?
+        MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, body[0]]
 
     _delete: (event) =>
         @trigger "comment:_delete", event
diff --git a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/thread_response_show_view.coffee b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/thread_response_show_view.coffee
index de71ca3eb2..6d634dd481 100644
--- a/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/thread_response_show_view.coffee
+++ b/common/static/coffee/src/discussion/views/thread_response_show_view.coffee
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ if Backbone?
     convertMath: ->
       element = @$(".response-body")
       element.html DiscussionUtil.postMathJaxProcessor DiscussionUtil.markdownWithHighlight element.text()
-      MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
+      if MathJax?
+        MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, element[0]]
 
     edit: (event) ->
         @trigger "response:edit", event
diff --git a/common/templates/mathjax_include.html b/common/templates/mathjax_include.html
index 753b2319a5..bb0c14ece9 100644
--- a/common/templates/mathjax_include.html
+++ b/common/templates/mathjax_include.html
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     tex2jax: {inlineMath: [ ['$','$'], ["\\(","\\)"]],
               displayMath: [ ['$$','$$'], ["\\[","\\]"]]}
   });
+  HUB = MathJax.Hub
 </script>
 %else:
 <script type="text/x-mathjax-config">
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@
       ]
     }
   });
+  HUB = MathJax.Hub
 </script>
 %endif
 
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee
index 8307ecd396..46cfc66827 100644
--- a/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/customwmd.coffee
@@ -2,11 +2,6 @@
 
 $ ->
 
-  if not MathJax?
-    return
-
-  HUB = MathJax.Hub
-
   class MathJaxProcessor
 
     MATHSPLIT = /// (
@@ -116,10 +111,11 @@ $ ->
     Markdown.getMathCompatibleConverter = (postProcessor) ->
       postProcessor ||= ((text) -> text)
       converter = Markdown.getSanitizingConverter()
-      processor = new MathJaxProcessor()
-      converter.hooks.chain "preConversion", MathJaxProcessor.removeMathWrapper(processor)
-      converter.hooks.chain "postConversion", (text) ->
-        postProcessor(MathJaxProcessor.replaceMathWrapper(processor)(text))
+      if MathJax?
+        processor = new MathJaxProcessor()
+        converter.hooks.chain "preConversion", MathJaxProcessor.removeMathWrapper(processor)
+        converter.hooks.chain "postConversion", (text) ->
+          postProcessor(MathJaxProcessor.replaceMathWrapper(processor)(text))
       converter
 
     Markdown.makeWmdEditor = (elem, appended_id, imageUploadUrl, postProcessor) ->
diff --git a/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee b/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee
index 9c3f3c5f92..83bad7f8cf 100644
--- a/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee
+++ b/lms/static/coffee/src/mathjax_delay_renderer.coffee
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class @MathJaxDelayRenderer
         @$buffer.html(text)
         curTime = getTime()
         @elapsedTime = curTime - prevTime
-        if MathJax
+        if MathJax?
           prevTime = getTime()
           @mathjaxRunning = true
           MathJax.Hub.Queue ["Typeset", MathJax.Hub, @$buffer.attr("id")], =>