BSc Mathematics with Placement Year / Course details

Lay the foundations of a rewarding career with mathematics at its base by undertaking an undergraduate degree at Manchester and having a placement year in industry. We offer a highly flexible degree programme, ensuring you obtain a strong all-round mathematical knowledge while at the same time encouraging you to focus on the areas that appeal most. 

You will cover core topics in the first year, developing your capacity to learn and apply mathematical ideas.  In the second year you then choose two from three themes: Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Probability and Statistics, along with other optional units such as Programming with Python.  You will understand the significance and power of mathematics, and will acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of the mathematical topics that any employer would expect of a maths graduate.

After your first two years, you can choose the areas that interest you most and, from second year onwards, you can even select options from other subject areas. In your final taught year, you can opt to take on a staff-supervised mathematical project.

Between your second and third years is the time to do your year placement. Securing a year placement will involve applying for opportunities that interest you. You will be supported in doing this through guidance on what to consider, how to make effective applications, regular updates on live placement offers, presentations from employers looking for placement students and support from students who have returned from placement to the Department . This is your opportunity to gain invaluable work experience, learn more about the workplace and, ultimately, make informed career choices after graduation.

Mathematics has a rich history at Manchester - our £40 million purpose-built Alan Turing Building, the home of mathematics at Manchester, is named after just one of our famous names - and you could be part of its bright future.

• You will develop a firm all-round mathematical knowledge, and have the opportunity to experience more specialised results, methods and ideas. You may be able to apply some of these skills in the workplace whilst on year placement.

• We offer a choice of courses from other disciplines and from a wide variety of mathematics options, allowing you to graduate with finely-honed skills in your chosen areas.

• You can pursue whichever areas of mathematics interest you most; after your first two years you can choose your lecture courses from a widening range of options.

Options and flexibility

Our highly flexible single-honours degree programme offers you the widest choice of options - ideal if you are mathematically gifted and wish to keep your options open. You can choose courses from other disciplines and from a range of maths options. The year placement element is not compulsory, and you can decide not to do this if you wish, or if you are unable to secure a placement.

Close community and small-group teaching

Working in the Alan Turing Building fosters a real sense of community, as does our focus on small-group teaching - especially in first year. The Department of Mathematics is also home to a number of student societies,  MathSoc , MUDSS (The Data Science Society) and the Actuarial Society where you can meet like-minded students.

Strong links with employers

You can benefit from our excellent links with a range of employers, forged through various careers events and opportunities to meet alumni, in particular with your employer during the year placement.

Most teaching is in lectures, with various support classes (example classes, small-group tutorials or sessions in one of the computer clusters) to help you get to grips with the material, exploring topics and working on examples set by the lecturers .

Most course units have some continual assessment (which may be, for instance, a combination of homework and in-class tests), which is put together with the result of an end-of-semester examination to provide the final mark. Some course units (such as a project) are assessed entirely by your submitted work during the semester. The class of your degree is normally based on only your last two years' work.