Mathematics at City Centre for Mathematical Science
Talking to you today: Dr Olalla Castro-Alvaredo Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Admissions Tutor for Mathematics sa702@city.ac.uk Ms Laura Blatchford Work-based Learning Advisor This presentation will shortly be available from the Centre for Mathematical Science facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CityMathLondon June 2011
City University Open Days • All courses at City • Accommodation • Admissions 25 th June • Campus Tours 10 th September • Careers and Student Volunteering 22 nd October • Finance • International Student Advice • Library • Saddlers Sports Centre • Student Union
City’s distinctive features 5 th largest higher education institution within central London ( we have • more than 21,000 students including undergraduate and postgraduate) • International focus - students from over 160 countries and academic staff from 50 countries Produces some of the most sought after professionals - 10 th in the UK • for Employability and highest starting salaries* • Many of the degrees that we teach are directly related to specific professions (Law, Nursing, Actuarial Science, Jornalism) or, like Mathematics, prepare students for a wide range of careers • Award-winning Student Services: City University London has just won the prestigious Times Higher Education Leadership & Management award for Outstanding Student Services • We have 15 areas of academic activity where our research was assessed by the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) as being of a quality comparable with the very best in the world. *Sunday Times University Guide 2011
Introduction Mathematics at City is taught in the Centre for Mathematical Science. We recruit approximately 140 students per year onto a variety of different courses. Many of our students study Mathematics in combination with another subject, such as Finance, Economics, Computing or Statistics. The main goal is of this talk is to explain the difference between these various degrees, and indicate what you should consider when choosing between them.
Why study Mathematics (UG) Mathematics-based degrees provide students with skills which are fundamental in many fields of academic, industrial and entrepreneurial activity and highly valued by employers All City Mathematics graduates • Receive training in advanced mathematical techniques • Develop problem solving skills • Learn to think abstractly and logically • Are taught how to recast problems in a variety of fields in mathematical language and to subsequently solve them using the skills and knowledge acquired in their degree • Are given opportunities to work in a group and to develop oral presentation skills
Distinctive features of our courses All mathematics courses provide • Training in advanced mathematical techniques • Development of problem solving skills The courses at City • Adopt a modern approach, relevant to future careers or further study • Have a good record in preparing students for finding employment after completing their studies
Distinctive features of our courses All specialist modules are taught by experts in the relevant discipline. Our courses involve modules from • Cass Business School • School of Social Sciences (Economics Department) • School of Informatics Many of these modules are taken with students specialising in the particular subject in question, such as Economics, Actuarial Science, Banking, or Computer Science.
Course structure • Like most Universities today, City employs a credit-based system. • This gives more flexibility to the study programmes • Each course is organized in modules, each module is worth a certain number of credits • Each course has compulsory and optional modules. In the 1 st year all modules are compulsory, and in the second and third years more options become available
Module structure • All modules are either 15 or 30 credits • 15 credit modules involve 3 hours of lectures/labs per week • 30 credit modules are split into two 15 credit parts which may be taken in different terms, but will be examined together • An average week will involve about 15 hours of lectures/Labs • Every year of every BSc is worth 120 credits (7 or 8 modules per year)
Example: Year 1
Module assessment • For most modules assessment is based both on marked assignments (mostly 2) which are carried out as the module is taught (coursework) and a final exam • Coursework contributes 20% to the final mark and exam contributes 80% • A minimum mark of 40% for each part (CW and exam) is required to pass a module
Courses offered There are five BSc courses in Mathematics at City: • BSc/MMath Mathematical Science • BSc/MMath Mathematical Science with Statistics • BSc/MMath Mathematical Science with Computer Science • BSc/MMath Mathematical Science with Finance and Economics • BSc/MMath Mathematics and Finance
Mathematical Science/ Mathematical Science with Stats These two courses provide a thorough grounding in University level Mathematics, together with elements of Statistics and Computing. The 1 st year of these degrees is very similar, and students may switch freely between the two courses at the end of the first year.
Mathematical Science with Computer Science This course is similar to the degree in Mathematical Science, but with a variety of more specialised Computing modules. The Computing modules are taught by the School of Informatics. It is possible at the end of the first year to transfer into the Mathematical Science degree.
Mathematical Science with Finance and Economics This course provides an introduction to a variety of topics in Finance and Economics, in the context of a Mathematics degree. This is taught in collaboration with Cass Business School and the School of Social Sciences (Economics). This course has an extensive range of options, and covers many different types of finance and economics. This allows our students to experience a wide variety of potential future career paths. At the end of the first year, students can switch to the Mathematical Science or Maths with Stats degree.
Mathematics and Finance This course concentrates on the aspects of Finance relating to Actuarial Science, while still providing a core body of Mathematics. This is taught in collaboration with Cass Business School and the School of Social Sciences. Students on this course study those subjects relating to Actuarial Science in greater depth than on the Finance and Economics degree. At the end of year 1, students can switch to Maths with Finance and Economics, Mathematics, or Maths with Stats degrees.
Entry requirements Typical offer for all our courses starting September 2012 • 360 UCAS points with • A in A-level Mathematics or A-level Further Mathematics Offers exclude key skills and general studies, and count A-levels in mother tongues other than English at half value. Note that AS levels are also counted and therefore the 360 UCAS points must not necessarily come from 3 A-levels only.
Course structure • The first year of all courses consists of core modules covering the basics of each subject. • During the second year some options become available, with the third year consisting predominantly of optional modules. • There is an optional fourth year leading to an MMath degree for all degrees (a qualification halfway between BSc and MSc) • There is also the option of a year in industry (Industrial Placement) at the end of the 2 nd year of the BSc. • If you want more information about the exact modules that you can take in each course/year I can provide this later
Job prospects • All Maths degrees have a good employability record (nearly 95% of our 2007 graduates had an occupation within 6 months of graduation). • Our latest figures for students graduating in 2008/09 show that nearly 75% of graduates had an occupation within 6 months of graduation. • A higher proportion of students is choosing to carry out studying (MSc or PhD) before looking for/finding employment.
Job prospects Many students went on to carry out further study at: PGCE: Primary School Teaching Qualification CF30 : "Controlled Function 30“, it is a certification exam regime required of investment advisors in the UK in order to advise clients and manage portfolios.
What can you do with a Maths degree? • Finance & Banking • Insurance & Risk • IT & Computing • Engineering • Medicine & Health • Natural & Life Science • Advertising & Marketing • Business & Operations • Education • Civil Service
What do employers want? • Communication skills • Leadership potential • Team working ability • Problem solving skills • Planning skills • Motivation and enthusiasm • Adaptability and flexibility • Ability to build relationships • Commercial awareness
What can you do now to start making yourself employable? • Start developing some transferable skills • Do some voluntary work • Get a part time summer job • Read the business pages in the quality newspapers • Explore the options open to you with a maths degree • Institute of Mathematics and its Applications www.ima.org.uk • Maths Careers www.mathscareers.org.uk
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