Undergraduate admissions

The Undergraduate admissions section of the School's website provides information about:

• Undergraduate programmes offered
• Entry requirements
• English language requirements
• International applicants
• How to apply
• Career prospects
• Scholarships
• Overseas scholarships
• Events for prospective students
• Undergraduate Admissions Team
• Useful weblinks
• Prospectus
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why study mathematics at Manchester

Our aim in this School is to provide a wide variety of degree programmes for students of high mathematical ability. Having completed your degree you will have knowledge of such basic ideas as rigorous argument, formal proof and the power of abstract formulation of problems, together with deeper ideas in those areas of mathematics in which you have decided to specialise. You will also have been introduced to applications of mathematics, computing skills, the use of IT resources, you will have developed your ability to work independently, and you will have been able to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of those mathematical topics that any employer would expect of a mathematics graduate.

While the School operates within a dynamic contemporary environment, we remain conscious of the important traditions created by the many celebrated mathematicians including Osborne Reynolds, James Lighthill, Horace Lamb, Louis Mordell, Alan Turing, Kurt Mahler and Paul Erdös who have all worked here.

The small-group teaching, which forms more than 40% of the first-year programme, gives students more tailored guidance on the subjects they are learning as they are getting used to the more independent study patterns of university work. This transition is also aided by the Peer Assisted Study Sessions, where second-year and third-year students help first years to settle into undergraduate life.

The School values its student members, and strives to make every aspect of academic life run as smoothly as possible for them, particularly with regard to the undergraduate course units. There is strong student representation on the School Staff-Student Liaison Committee, and also on the School Board, which is the main forum for School policy discussions.

Our students run the Mathematics Society (known as MathSoc) and the Galois Group, both of which are for the benefit of all our undergraduates. MathSoc arranges a wide variety of social activities throughout the session, and the Galois Group organizes fortnightly talks on a wide variety of fascinating mathematical topics.

This School is also in the unique position of having arranged membership of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications for all its undergraduates.

We strive to provide students with a friendly working environment. As a new student you are assigned to a particular member of the academic staff who acts as your Personal Tutor throughout your degree programme. The Tutor's role includes supervising academic progress, advising on choices of options and assisting with any problems which may arise, be they academic, financial, personal or otherwise. You meet with your Tutor on a regular basis so that you can feel confident that there is a member of staff who takes a direct personal interest in your progress and to whom you can turn for help or advice at any time.

During the summer of 2007 the School of Mathematics moved into its new home – we are very pleased to be in this brand new approximately £60 million building at the heart of the University campus. Students benefit from extensive facilities for computing, study, relaxation and refreshment, in an attractive, light, comfortable environment.

The School has a number of computer clusters, which run the standard software as well as powerful mathematical and statistical software packages (such as Matlab, Minitab and Mathematica). These packages are used in some lecture courses and you can use them for project work and homework assignments. All of our students have free access to email and the internet.

There is also a large computer cluster in the John Rylands University Library and clusters in most of the Halls of Residence; most student rooms also have an ethernet connection. Our students also have access to the extensive stock and state-of-the-art facilities of the University Library, one of the largest academic libraries in the UK.

Our students also have the opportunity to study abroad for one semester, or exceptionally a whole year, at a University in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore or the USA.