The MA (Hons) in Mathematics is a four-year course run by the School of Mathematics and Statistics. The School also offers a BSc in Mathematics; the mathematics element within both the MA and BSc degree programmes is exactly the same.
In the first two years, students will develop and reinforce their basic mathematical skills and refresh familiar material (e.g. complex numbers, matrices, vectors, differential equations) in preparation for more specialist study at Honours level.
Alongside Mathematics, in the first year of their studies, they will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year they will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.
At Honours level, students may select modules from a range of options on advanced and specialist specific topics. Specialist subject areas may include:
- abstract analysis
- fluid dynamics
- group theory
- history of mathematics
- mathematical biology
- statistical ecology
- statistical inference.
Final-year students must also complete a project on a topic chosen in consultation with teaching staff at the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits.
