The beautiful City of Durham occupies a
magnificent site in a meander of the river Wear. The cathedral (the finest example of Romanesque
architecture in Britain) and castle (which
became the first college of the university) are recognised as a
supremely important part of our national heritage. You can follow the
virtual tours
provided by the University's Law
Department. Durham lies on the main North-South
rail network (less than three hours by train from London), is just two
miles from the A1(M) motorway and thirty minutes drive from Newcastle
International Airport.
Here is map of Durham showing the location
of the department.
Founded in 1832 as the third university in England, the University of Durham is
a collegiate university. Its twelve colleges and two societies offer
first class accommodation close to the academic departments,
facilities for sport, music and drama, and provide the opportunity to
quickly develop a wide circle of friends. Excellent teaching,
internationally recognized research and the collegiate structure
combine to make Durham a very special place in which to study.
Employment prospects on graduation are very good indeed; national
league tables invariably list Durham as one of the most successful
institutions.
You might like to consult the online
Durham University
Undergraduate Prospectus
MATHEMATICS AT DURHAM
The Department of Mathematical Sciences
is a thriving, friendly department of around 40 permanent
staff with an annual intake of about 115 undergraduates. Situated on the science
site to the south of the city centre, within easy reach of all the colleges,
it is close to the University Library and shares its building with the
Computer Centre.
We offer a balanced honours degree programme which allows choice
from a wide spectrum of pure mathematics, applied mathematics
(including mathematical physics) and statistics. As a Durham graduate
you will leave the university having acquired much more than a simple
technical proficiency in your subject. You will have been exposed to
the elegance of mathematics as an intellectual discipline and to its
enormous power as a tool for solving scientific problems, and
encouraged from a very early stage to take pride in the presentation
of your work. Your course will help you to produce logical arguments
and express yourself precisely, and to actively enjoy solving
problems. These are qualities which we believe will make you
attractive to potential employers.
Research
Research is a vital part of our department's life. We think you
will enjoy studying in a climate where everyone, staff and students
alike, is involved in doing mathematics. Our research record is very
strong indeed. In the recent national research
assessment our department gained a grade 5* for Applied
Maths, a grade 5 for Pure Maths anf a grade 4 for Statistics. We have active research groups in Geometry and Number Theory, Mathematical Physics, Numerical Analysis, Probability and Statistics. For a brief
view you could look up the list of
permanent staff with their research interests.
OUR DEGREE PROGRAMMES
BSc Honours Mathematics (3 years,
G100)
and
Master of Mathematics (4 years, G103)
The
Master of Mathematics (MMath) qualification is a four year first
degree, eligible for local authority funding in the normal manner. It
will suit you if you may wish to enter a career as a professional
mathematician or statistician in industry or if you wish to go on to
do research in the higher education sector. You will spend one third
of your final year on project work, and consequently be able to study
in depth a topic in which you are particularly interested.
Alongside the MMath, the BSc offers a more general
mathematical experience. It will prepare you for a wide range of
employment and also for further study in programmes such as the
PGCE or specialized MSc courses which make use of mathematics
in other areas (Operational Research, Applied Statistics, Computation,
etc.).
The first two years of the MMath and the BSc coincide, so you
need not make a firm choice until the end of your second year. The two
programmes diverge in year three and it is not possible to convert a BSc
to an MMath by adding an extra year.
More details about
these courses
and a formal description
of their structure can be found on separate pages.
BSc Honours Mathematics (European Studies)
(4 years, G104)
The European Studies degree is identical with the
BSc Mathematics degree for the first two years. You will spend
your third year at a European university (Berlin, Chambery, Dublin,
Duisburg, Granada, Mons-Hainaut or Strasbourg) via the SOCRATES/ERASMUS
programme. Your fourth year will be identical with year three of
the BSc course. Students taking this degree (except those going
to Dublin) will normally require grade B at A-level in an appropriate
language.
Joint Honours Computer Science/Mathematics (3 years, GG51)
This programme helps you develop expertise in both subjects, with particular
emphasis on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Numerical Analysis,
Statistics and Optimisation. You do not need to have studied Computer Science
before.
You may choose the first year course that suits you, either
four modules in Mathematics and two in Computer Science**, or
three modules in Mathematics and three in Computer Science. Your choice will
lead to different possibilities in the second and third years. In
particular, if you take the four modules in Mathematics in your first
year you will be able to transfer to single honours Mathematics at the
end of the year if you wish.
Joint Honours Mathematics/Physics
In
Durham we have very strong research links between Mathematics and
Physics. We offer two joint Mathematics/Physics programmes: a three
year BSc (FG31) and a four year MSci (Master in Science, FG3C). If
your main interest is Theoretical Physics and you would like to study
topics such as Relativity and Quantum Mechanics or if you simply wish
to combine Mathematics and Physics at honours level then one of these is
these programmes will suit you.
The first two years of the MSci and the BSc coincide, so you need
not make a firm choice until the end of your second year (though you
should register for the MSci to be sure of having the choice). The two
programmes diverge in year three and it is not possible to convert a
BSc to an MSci by adding an extra year.
You may choose the first year course that suits you, either
four modules in Mathematics and two in
Physics**, or
three modules in Mathematics and three in
Physics.
Joint Honours Mathematics/Economics (3 years, GL11)
This degree route reflects the increasingly mathematical nature
of economic analysis. For your first year you will combine the honours
programme in Mathematics with an introduction to Economics. The second
and third years involve modules in Statistics, Numerical Analysis and Optimisation
together with the more detailed economics components of the course.
This is the first MSci degree to be set up as part of the very popular
Durham Natural Sciences programme. It is a "named route" degree and
like a Joint honours degree (you spend half you time studying Maths
and half studying Chemistry). You can view the course structure here and read
further details about the Natural Sciences degree here .
BSc Honours in Natural Sciences (3 years, Y160)
The
Natural Sciences BSc offers you the possibility of either a named
degree in two subjects (Mathematics with one of Anthropology, Applied
Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Philosophy, Physics,
Psychology), or a broad-based science degree with a mathematics
component. For more details see the Natural Sciences page.
BA Honours Combined Studies in Arts (3 or 4
years, Y300)
The Combined Studies BA
will allow you to study mathematics for three years alongside other
subjects from the Faculty of Arts, perhaps linking subjects you have
already met with some that are new to you. If one of the other
subjects is a language you may also be able to spend a year abroad as
part of a four year degree programme. Details of the choices available
can be found in the main undergraduate prospectus.
OUR APPROACH
Lectures and Tutorials
Most
of the teaching in mathematics consists of fifty-minute lectures (12
per week on average), supplemented by tutorials. The tutorial groups
are informal and provide an opportunity to raise any questions you may
have. As a single honours student you will have at least two
tutorials per week during each of the first two years. We will monitor
your progress carefully. Problems are set in lectures, mostly on a
weekly basis, and solutions are marked or may form the topic for
discussion in a tutorial or problems class. You will be encouraged to
work with other students. (We do not operate a system of continuous
assessment, other than for project modules and Mathematics Teaching).
Assessment
Successful completion of your
first year examinations qualifies you for admission to year two. Your
BSc classification will be based on Part 1 examinations (six
two-hour papers at the end of your second year) and Part 2 (six
three-hour papers at the end of your third year). The
MMath qualification has Parts 1 and 2 as above and Part 3 at the end
of the course (four three-hour papers and a project equivalent to two
further papers). Admission to the third year of MMath normally
requires at least a second class performance at the end of year two.
Staff-student relations
We work very hard to ensure good communication between all members of our
department. Our staff-student committees meet each term and we issue a
detailed questionnaire for every course. Four undergraduates are observers
on our Board of Studies (the decision-making body of the department).
ACCOMMODATION
Our university offers at least two years accommodation (usually the first
and third) in one of the Durham colleges, within a short walk of departments,
lecture theatres and the library.
HOW TO APPLY
You should apply for full-time
first degree courses (BSc or MMath) through the Universities
and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). We welcome applications from
sixthformers from every type of school.
If you are studying Mathematics at A-level or equivalent and will
most likely obtain an A grade, then we would very much like to hear
from you. We recognize that not everyone has the opportunity to
take Further Mathematics and we have designed our first year
accordingly. However, if your school does offer double mathematics then
our advice is to follow this route
Our offer is normally ABB or AAB with A in mathematics (in some
circumstances the third A-level may be replaced by two AS-levels). The
offer is made on the basis of your GCSE results, AS results (when
available) and school recommendation, and is the same for the BSc,
MMath and Joint Honours programmes. We encourage candidates to enter
for the Advanced Extension Award in mathematics.
Our admissions policy is extremely flexible. Interchange
between the BSc and the MMath is possible during the first two years,
and a successful application for a Joint Honours course involving
Mathematics normally qualifies you in addition to study just
Mathematics, or the companion subject. If at present you find it
difficult to decide between the three year BSc and the four year
MMath, our advice is to apply for the MMath. The entry requirements
are precisely the same and your Local Education Authority will be
aware that you may need funding for a total of four years.
Our prospective students are always invited to visit Durham,
usually to stay overnight in one of the colleges, to attend a short
presentation and to talk to a member of staff in the
department. Details of the Durham colleges may be found in the main
university prospectus. If you do not specify a college on your
application form we will nominate one for you. If you do choose a
college and if, through pressure of applications, it is unable to make
you an offer, then your form will be passed to another college. So
you may be sure that your application receives the same careful
consideration whichever college you apply to.
If you have questions which are not answered here or if you would
like to arrange a visit to the department (we are happy to see
prospective applicants most Wednesday afternoons), please contact:
The Admissions Secretary,
Department of Mathematical Sciences,
University of Durham,
South Road, Durham DH1 3LE.
(Tel: 0191 374 2363. Fax: 0191 374 7388.
email:maths.office@durham.ac.uk ).
-
Author:
-
Dr M. A. Armstrong,
Admissions Tutor,
Department of Mathematical Sciences,
University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE.
Tel: 0191 374 2363. Fax: 0191 374 7388.
email: m.a.armstrong@durham.ac.uk.
-
(Adapted for the Web by:
-
Steve Wilson. )
