Program Overview

This course is great preparation for a career in research, whether you want to work on solutions to abstract mathematics problems or apply your problem solving skills to challenges in industry. You’ll learn how to answer some of the most complex questions so that, when you graduate, you can use the same tools to solve real-world problems in a logical, analytical way. In your final year, you’ll complete a major research project.

The topics you can cover during your degree range from the most abstract parts of algebraic geometry and number theory, to the mathematical techniques that are used to understand global challenges like infectious disease and climate change. This flexibility means you can follow a pathway through your degree that’s focussed on your future career. If you want to work in data science, finance or technology, you can choose modules that will give you the knowledge and experience that graduates in these industries need.

The modules in first year cover the essentials you’ll need for the rest of your degree – calculus, algebra, modelling, data science and more. You’ll develop programming skills using Python and R, and learn to present your work as a professional mathematician using LaTeX. You’ll also work with your personal tutor to hone your problem solving abilities and develop the broader careers skills that all employers value.

In second year, you’ll continue to build a powerful toolbox of mathematical techniques, which you can apply to increasingly complex problems. There’s less compulsory maths and more options, so you can choose whether you want to focus on fundamental topics like group theory and differential equations, or maths applied to topics such as finance and data science.

By third year, you’ll have the skills, knowledge and experience to go in lots of different directions in mathematics. We’ll give you lots of optional modules to choose from in the second half of your degree, so you can study the topics that you’re best at, that will be most useful to the career path you want to take, or that you enjoy the most.

These module options are based on the expertise of our maths lecturers. This means you’ll be taught by mathematicians who are working on the latest advances in the area of maths that you’re studying.

In your final year, you’ll also complete your own research project. You’ll choose a topic in an area of mathematics that interests you, and work closely with one of our staff who is an expert in the field. This is one of several opportunities you’ll have, alongside summer research placements, where you can work with our mathematicians to tackle a complex research question.