Mathematics What would I study and how do courses differ? Mathematics at degree level covers Pure and Applied Maths, Statistics, Computing, Analysis and Applications. All students follow broadly the same programme for the first year and then in subsequent years tailor their degree according to their own interests. Most courses will cover analysis, algebra and geometry in their first year; however, this will be very different from algebra and geometry at A Level. You are greatly urged to research some first year material before committing to a Mathematics Degree. There are many related degrees that can be studied, such as Actuarial Maths, Philosophy of Maths, Statistics, Applied Maths, Computing Maths, Environmental Maths and many more. There are also many Joint Honours Degrees, even Maths with a foreign language. You must do your own research by looking at the individual university websites for details as well as www.ucas.ac.uk where there is a very useful tool called Course Search which gives a great deal of information on courses. What are the typical entry requirements? IGCSE Maths and English are obviously required. Highly competitive universities will often demand A*A*A with the two A*s in Maths and Further Maths. However, there are four extra Maths exams that universities can also ask for. These are: -
STEP (Cambridge) MAT (Oxford) TMUA (Durham) AEA;.
These exams are required by Cambridge, Oxford and Durham respectively. However, other universities (such as Warwick, Imperial, Bristol and Bath) have also asked applicants to take these exams. There are plenty of good universities which offer Maths. There are some which will not ask for Further Maths (FM) and the offer could be as low as BBC. Do your research. Are there any essential or recommended A Levels? At highly competitive universities, it is expected that a student from Haberdashers’ will be able to offer Maths and Further Maths as two separate A Levels. It is important to realise that if a university says ‘FM is recommended’ then it really means, “if your school offers FM, then you must take it”. You must speak to your Maths teacher/ Head of Maths to ask about your suitability to study FM. There are some universities which do not require FM. Go to www.ucas.ac.uk for precise entry requirements.
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