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Overview
- Degree awarded
- MSc
- Duration
- 12 months full time
- Entry requirements
-
Expected Background
You are expected to have a first degree with a substantial amount of mathematics including Probability and Statistics. As a minimum you should have done Calculus or Mathematical Analysis, Linear Algebra, two courses in Probability and two courses in Statistics. A Mathematical Statistics course may count as one Probability and one Statistics course depending on the syllabus. If your course is called Advanced Mathematics, then we need to know how much calculus/linear algebra it contains. You can have a look at what Manchester students do in the first two years, or refer to the following list for a quick summary.
- Calculus or Mathematical Analysis (functions of a single and several variables, continuity, derivatives, integrals, Mean Value Theorem, Taylor series expansion, minimisation and maximisation, Lagrange multipliers)
- Linear Algebra (linear independence, determinant, inverse, eigenvalues and eigenvectors)
- Probability I (probabilities and conditional probabilities, Bayes Theorem, moments)
- Probability II (multivariate and conditional distributions, generating functions, Law of Large Numbers and Central Limit Theorem)
- Statistics I (descriptive statistics, normal, t, chi-square and F distributions, significance tests)
- Statistics II (Maximum likelihood estimation, Likelihood ratio tests, simple regression and analysis of variance).
You are expected to have done well in the above courses and your university should have a high national standing.
- How to apply
Apply online . Please indicate whether you wish to pursue MSc Statistics or MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) when making your online application.
As there is high demand for this course we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places, we give preference to students with grades above our minimum entry requirements. If we make you an offer, you will have 6 weeks in which to accept. Any offers not accepted within 6 weeks will be withdrawn so that an offer can be made to another candidate.
Stage 1: Application received by 13 November 2020; Decision by 12 January.
Stage 2: Application received by 8 January 2021; Decision by 12 March.
Stage 3: Application received by 5 March 2021; Decision by 23 April.
Stage 4: Application received by 28 May 2021; Decision by 25 June 2021. You need to ensure that you submit your supporting documents with your application as it may delay us processing your application before the decision deadline.
Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case we will let you know after the deadline date.
Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.
Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be closed. We therefore recommend that you apply early in the cycle to secure your place with us.
Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must demonstrate that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31st July 2021.
Course options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | Y | Y | N | N |
Course description
The Probability and Statistics group in the Department of Mathematics have a long-standing reputation and experience of offering one year, high quality taught courses in areas of Statistics leading to the degree of MSc.These courses have aimed to offer a thorough professional training which prepare students to embark on statistical careers in a variety of areas. (There is a shortage of statisticians trained to postgraduate level in the UK and the employment prospects for such people remain good.) They have also provided a very good foundation for further study at PhD level.
Our current MSc programme in Statistics allows students to take either the main programme or the associated pathway in Financial Statistics, depending on their interests and career aspirations. Each is built around a common core of five modules and then students study an additional set of three specialist modules to make a total of eight in all.
Open days
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2021, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £14,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £24,500 -
MSc (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £7,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £12,250
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.
If you're a current or recent student at The University of Manchester and plan to start a master's course in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, you may be eligible for our Manchester Alumni Scholarship Schemes .
The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Master¿s Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.
For more information, see the Department of Mathematics Fees and funding page or visit the University of Manchester funding for master¿s courses website for more information.
Contact details
- Department
- Department of Mathematics
- Contact name
- Postgraduate Admissions Team
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 275 0174
- pgt-maths@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.manchester.ac.uk/maths
- School/Faculty
-
Our internationally-renowned expertise across the School of Natural Sciences informs research led teaching with strong collaboration across disciplines, unlocking new and exciting fields and translating science into reality. Our multidisciplinary learning and research activities advance the boundaries of science for the wider benefit of society, inspiring students to promote positive change through educating future leaders in the true fundamentals of science. Find out more about Science and Engineering at Manchester .
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
Expected Background
You are expected to have a first degree with a substantial amount of mathematics including Probability and Statistics. As a minimum you should have done Calculus or Mathematical Analysis, Linear Algebra, two courses in Probability and two courses in Statistics. A Mathematical Statistics course may count as one Probability and one Statistics course depending on the syllabus. If your course is called Advanced Mathematics, then we need to know how much calculus/linear algebra it contains. You can have a look at what Manchester students do in the first two years, or refer to the following list for a quick summary.
- Calculus or Mathematical Analysis (functions of a single and several variables, continuity, derivatives, integrals, Mean Value Theorem, Taylor series expansion, minimisation and maximisation, Lagrange multipliers)
- Linear Algebra (linear independence, determinant, inverse, eigenvalues and eigenvectors)
- Probability I (probabilities and conditional probabilities, Bayes Theorem, moments)
- Probability II (multivariate and conditional distributions, generating functions, Law of Large Numbers and Central Limit Theorem)
- Statistics I (descriptive statistics, normal, t, chi-square and F distributions, significance tests)
- Statistics II (Maximum likelihood estimation, Likelihood ratio tests, simple regression and analysis of variance).
You are expected to have done well in the above courses and your university should have a high national standing.
English language
All applicants will need to demonstrate competency in English language. Applicants who do not already possess an acceptable English Language qualification will need to take a recognised test and attain the required English Language score:
- IELTS: at least 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no other sub-test less than 6.0.
- TOFEL iBT: at least 90 overall with 22 or above in writing and no other sub-test less than 20. We do not accept 'MyBestScore'.
- Pearson PTE: at least 58 overall with 58 in writing and no other sub-test less than 50.
Further information on language requirements can be found on our website .
Pre-sessional English
We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you may be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.
To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:
- 6 Week Pre-Sessional Course: Minimum 6.0 overall with 6.0 in three sub-tests including writing and at least 5.5 in the remaining sub-test.
- 10 Week Pre-sessional Course: Minimum 5.5 overall with no sub-test below 5.5.
If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Apply online . Please indicate whether you wish to pursue MSc Statistics or MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) when making your online application.
As there is high demand for this course we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places, we give preference to students with grades above our minimum entry requirements. If we make you an offer, you will have 6 weeks in which to accept. Any offers not accepted within 6 weeks will be withdrawn so that an offer can be made to another candidate.
Stage 1: Application received by 13 November 2020; Decision by 12 January.
Stage 2: Application received by 8 January 2021; Decision by 12 March.
Stage 3: Application received by 5 March 2021; Decision by 23 April.
Stage 4: Application received by 28 May 2021; Decision by 25 June 2021. You need to ensure that you submit your supporting documents with your application as it may delay us processing your application before the decision deadline.
Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case we will let you know after the deadline date.
Applications received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.
Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be closed. We therefore recommend that you apply early in the cycle to secure your place with us.
Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must demonstrate that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31st July 2021.
Advice to applicants
- academic transcript including final year modules (and English translation if applicable)
- academic degree certificate (if obtained, and English translation if applicable)
- a minimum of one academic reference (referee report form not required)
- a CV if you graduated more than three years ago
Referees can send their references directly to us at pgt-maths@manchester.ac.uk . We do not request references on an applicant's behalf and it is your responsibility to ensure your referees know how to provide your reference to us.
Scanned copies will be accepted at the time of application.
If English is not your first language, we also require proof of your English language ability. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application. We may be willing to consider your application without this document, but if we choose to make you an offer, the conditions will include IELTS (or equivalent qualification).
How your application is considered
We consider your full academic history including which course units you have taken and the marks obtained. Even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant course units in our final decision making.
If you graduated more than three years ago, we will also consider the information contained on your CV and any relevant work experience you have to assess if you are still able to fulfil the entry criteria.
Interview requirements
Overseas (non-UK) applicants
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Please upload a copy of your current valid passport with your application showing the photograph page with your application. For CAS purposes, this must show your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the date the passport is valid until, which must be later than the date of your planned arrival in the UK, and the start date of your course.
If you have previously studied in the UK on a Tier 4 visa as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, please send a copy of your previous CAS statement to us as it will assist with the issue of your new CAS statement. This includes study in the UK on study abroad programmes and any study that you did not complete.
You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. The Admissions Team will contact you at the appropriate time.
Your CAS number is only valid for one Tier 4 application.
Deferrals
Applications for deferred entry are not accepted for this course. If you receive an offer for 2021 entry and decide not to accept it, should you subsequently wish to be considered for 2022 entry you would be required to reapply.
Re-applications
Course details
Course description
The Probability and Statistics group in the Department of Mathematics have a long-standing reputation and experience of offering one year, high quality taught courses in areas of Statistics leading to the degree of MSc.These courses have aimed to offer a thorough professional training which prepare students to embark on statistical careers in a variety of areas. (There is a shortage of statisticians trained to postgraduate level in the UK and the employment prospects for such people remain good.) They have also provided a very good foundation for further study at PhD level.
Our current MSc programme in Statistics allows students to take either the main programme or the associated pathway in Financial Statistics, depending on their interests and career aspirations. Each is built around a common core of five modules and then students study an additional set of three specialist modules to make a total of eight in all.
Coursework and assessment
Course unit details
The taught part of the programme is divided into two 12-week semesters, each followed by a two-week period of examinations. This in turn is followed by a period of approximately 12 weeks of research work over the summer which is supervised by a member of the academic staff and ends with submission of the MSc dissertation in September. In the taught part of the course, full-time students attend weekly lectures and support classes for four modules (4 x 15 credits) in each semester. Students are also able to enrol on a part-time basis if they wish. In this case they study over a two year period and only take two modules per semester, with the dissertation being completed at the end of the second year. Details of the programme structure are given below.
Semester One:
- Linear Models & Nonparametric Regression
- Statistical Computing
- Statistical Inference
- Multivariate Statistics
Semester Two:
- Generalized Linear Models & Survival Analysis
- Longitudinal Data Analysis
- Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)
- Design and Analysis of Experiments
Financial Statistics Pathway
This comprises a core of five modules which are common to the main programme, plus three specialist modules in financial statistics.
Semester One:
- Linear Models & Nonparametric Regression
- Statistical Computing
- Statistical Modelling in Finance
- Extreme Values and Financial Risk
Semester Two:
- Generalized Linear Models & Survival Analysis
- Longitudinal Data Analysis
- Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)
- Time Series Analysis and Financial Forecasting
This degree programme (including the pathway) is accredited by the Royal Statistical Society.
Accreditation by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) provides reassurance that our MSc programme produces graduates with the technical skills and subject knowledge required of a statistician. This provides our graduates with a competitive edge in the job market and provides employers with an assurance of quality of our degree.
Dissertation Following the successful completion of the taught part of the programme (worth a total of 120 credits) students are then expected to work on a dissertation from June to September which is worth a further 60 credits, making 180 credits in total. Information on the various topics and projects which will be available for dissertation are provided to the students in May from which they are invited to state their preferences.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Statistical Inference | MATH68001 | 15 | Mandatory |
Linear Models with Nonparametric Regression | MATH68011 | 15 | Mandatory |
Generalised Linear Models and Survival Analysis | MATH68052 | 15 | Mandatory |
Multivariate Statistics | MATH68061 | 15 | Mandatory |
Design and Analysis of Experiments | MATH68082 | 15 | Mandatory |
Statistical Computing | MATH68091 | 15 | Mandatory |
Markov Chain Monte Carlo | MATH68122 | 15 | Mandatory |
Longitudinal Data Analysis | MATH68132 | 15 | Mandatory |
Facilities
The Department of Mathematics is the largest in the UK with an outstanding research reputation and facilities .
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
These programmes will prepare students for a broad range of statistical careers, particularly in the financial, medical, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors of the economy, but also with local and national government agencies, as well as in other areas. They will also provide an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue advanced postgraduate research in statistics.