The Student Room Group

Maths at different universities

Does maths vary a lot between different universities? I'm talking about things like content, difficulty, contact hours etc.
Reply 1
It does generally vary quite a lot, although nigh on all unis follow a general baseline that is expected of a Maths degree. Some go into more depth, some go more into mathematical physics. Some also have more flexibility, e.g. a variety of modules. As an example of that, some unis offer modules in Mathematical Biology - other's don't. It's quite common to see CompSci modules, but again some unis may have different modules.
Most of the time you can find out what's offered on uni websites :smile:.

Again, difficulty is dependent wherever. (Also note that everything is dependent on uni for every subject). But also, difficulty you shouldn't be worried about: e.g. Oxbridge will have harder degrees than, say, Hertfordshire: but to get in, you need much higher grades and so while it will still be hard, it wouldn't be as hard than if you got in with say, 2 As and a B: it's all relative.

Contact hours will be generally dependent on lecturer/etc. But again, some unis have more time with students (e.g. a Maths degree at Cambridge has around 2 lectures a day, Monday-Saturday, and 2 supervisions/tutorials a week) which gives more help in that way.

Generally, it balances out. Hopefully this gives you an overview of that :smile:. I would really recommend checking out websites though/student 'alternative' prospectuses, etc., to get an idea of how it is. Best of luck!
Reply 2
Original post by {Moss}
It does generally vary quite a lot, although nigh on all unis follow a general baseline that is expected of a Maths degree. Some go into more depth, some go more into mathematical physics. Some also have more flexibility, e.g. a variety of modules. As an example of that, some unis offer modules in Mathematical Biology - other's don't. It's quite common to see CompSci modules, but again some unis may have different modules.
Most of the time you can find out what's offered on uni websites :smile:.

Again, difficulty is dependent wherever. (Also note that everything is dependent on uni for every subject). But also, difficulty you shouldn't be worried about: e.g. Oxbridge will have harder degrees than, say, Hertfordshire: but to get in, you need much higher grades and so while it will still be hard, it wouldn't be as hard than if you got in with say, 2 As and a B: it's all relative.

Contact hours will be generally dependent on lecturer/etc. But again, some unis have more time with students (e.g. a Maths degree at Cambridge has around 2 lectures a day, Monday-Saturday, and 2 supervisions/tutorials a week) which gives more help in that way.

Generally, it balances out. Hopefully this gives you an overview of that :smile:. I would really recommend checking out websites though/student 'alternative' prospectuses, etc., to get an idea of how it is. Best of luck!

Just to add to this, specific modules (content) are sometimes chosen because they're similar to what one of the lecturers is researching.

Because of this, I think there is a lot more in common between universities in your first year (where modules are fairly non-specific) and in your third year, where you're often doing more specialized work.

It's definitely a good idea to look at the university website but remember that modules change from year to year, so what you see on the website won't be 100% definitely what you'll end up doing.
Hope this helps :smile:
Reply 3
Original post by JJPSWFC
Just to add to this, specific modules (content) are sometimes chosen because they're similar to what one of the lecturers is researching.

Because of this, I think there is a lot more in common between universities in your first year (where modules are fairly non-specific) and in your third year, where you're often doing more specialized work.

It's definitely a good idea to look at the university website but remember that modules change from year to year, so what you see on the website won't be 100% definitely what you'll end up doing.
Hope this helps :smile:

Very good point, thanks!
Reply 4
Original post by JJPSWFC
Just to add to this, specific modules (content) are sometimes chosen because they're similar to what one of the lecturers is researching.

Because of this, I think there is a lot more in common between universities in your first year (where modules are fairly non-specific) and in your third year, where you're often doing more specialized work.

It's definitely a good idea to look at the university website but remember that modules change from year to year, so what you see on the website won't be 100% definitely what you'll end up doing.
Hope this helps :smile:

Thank you both! This was very helpful.

Quick Reply

Latest