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Photograph: Image Source / Alamy/Alamy
Photograph: Image Source / Alamy/Alamy

University subject profile: mathematics

This article is more than 4 years old

The study of quantities through analysis, deduction and calculation – including mathematics, operational research and statistics

What you’ll learn

Familiar with fractals? Study a degree in maths and you soon will be. Broadly speaking, maths degrees should give you the basic ideas of pure mathematics (linear algebra, geometry, etc), applied mathematics (calculus, mathematical methods, modelling and numerical analysis), and statistics (including probability and operational research).

Your first year will probably give you an overview of the subject, introducing you to all the main areas. This should build on what you studied at A-level and introduce you to a few new things. The next two or three years will give you the chance to specialise a bit more, perhaps in cryptology, group theory, fluid dynamics, mathematical biology or Bayesian statistics.

Mathematics can be studied as a single honours degree, or paired with other subjects such as economics, accounting, languages, sciences or education. If you decide to study mathematics with a language, some universities offer placements abroad, so you’ll get a bit of overseas experience.

Maths graph

How you’ll learn

You’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars and computer workshops. You will gain knowledge of key concepts and topics, know how to use maths to solve problems, and learn how to present your findings clearly.

What are the entry requirements?

Entry requirements vary. Highly selective universities will require maths, and sometimes further maths. Physics and computing or computer science are likely to prove useful.

What job can I get?

Mathematics graduates will often gravitate towards a career in industry, business and commerce, where employers will value their reasoning along with their problem-solving skills. Think about becoming a financial analyst, for example, or a medical statistician. Alternatively, how about a career forecasting the weather?

Of course, problem-solving, numeracy and ICT (information communication technology) skills will serve you well in most other fields too.

This article was amended on 17 June 2019 to replace the image of chemical formulae with one more relevant to mathematics.

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