Best university to study Financial mathematics

Hello everyone, I am doing A level and going to do financial mathematics degree at university, but im a bit struggling in choosing the university.
At the moment, im thinking of Lancaster, Surrey, Loughborough, Herriot watt. Having look through the course structure, I like lancaster the most and its the only uni that offers Msci in Financial Maths but i dont think the uni has high reputation in maths.
My aim for future career is becoming a quant or going into similar jobs like that, so i want to do a master degree after undergraduate degree
So if anyone know about it, can you help me and please give me some idea and the universities for the course?

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Reply 1

Interrobang

20

Moved to Mathematics, where you're more likely to get an answer

Reply 2

username738914

21

Original post by Katie Bui

Hello everyone, I am doing A level and going to do financial mathematics degree at university, but im a bit struggling in choosing the university.
At the moment, im thinking of Lancaster, Surrey, Loughborough, Herriot watt. Having look through the course structure, I like lancaster the most and its the only uni that offers Msci in Financial Maths but i dont think the uni has high reputation in maths.
My aim for future career is becoming a quant or going into similar jobs like that, so i want to do a master degree after undergraduate degree
So if anyone know about it, can you help me and please give me some idea and the universities for the course?

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'd do a normal Maths degree at a top uni (Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Imperial, UCL, Bath, Bristol, Durham etc.) over a financial maths degree if you want a better shot at getting into a Quant position.

When I did a small placement at a bank, those (alongside Nottingham) were the most represented amongst the more 'quanty' desks.

Nottingham is another solid uni with a financial mathematics degree - if you choose to stick with the financial maths path. I'd only really recommend Loughborough from your list tbh.

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Reply 3

Katie Bui

OP

3

Thanks for your advice. I know FM is a maths base degree, bur personally, i dont want to do a single maths degree because i think it is too much maths for me, i want to mix with other subject so i dont get bored of doing too much maths, and i think maths degree is harder than FM, even though, I got AABC for maths, further maths, accounting and economics at AS. My predict grades are A*AA for maths, further maths and accounting

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Reply 4

Katie Bui

OP

3

I also plan to do Msc Quantitative Finance at lancaster or Msc financial mathematics at lse or ucl when i finish my degree. But from my research, they are too expensive about £25000, so im thinking of doing 4 years degree Msci financial maths at lancaster as its the only one uni over the uk offer the course, and will cost me much cheaper eventhough the modules of the 4th year is the same with Msc FM in top universities in london

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Reply 5

kkboyk

21

Original post by Katie Bui

Thanks for your advice. I know FM is a maths base degree, bur personally, i dont want to do a single maths degree because i think it is too much maths for me, i want to mix with other subject so i dont get bored of doing too much maths, and i think maths degree is harder than FM, even though, I got AABC for maths, further maths, accounting and economics at AS. My predict grades are A*AA for maths, further maths and accounting

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Thata depends on the university you apply to (e.g. Cardiff, Warwick offer a very flexible course which offers a wide variety of modules). You could also apply for Maths with Economics or even MORSE. I feel the same way as you, but I've decided to go with Maths instead, and choose optional modules from other department (e.g. Economics, Management, Comp Sci)

The universities you've listed do have a good Maths department, and are pretty much the same (in terms of their reputation and career prospect for Maths).

You're better off doing MMath which will be much cheaper, and choose the financial Maths modules in your last two years.

Reply 6

Katie Bui

OP

3

#kkboyk: What is the university you study? And What A levels did u study?
I heard maths at university is very difficult and different from A level Maths. I got A in maths and A in further maths at AS. From your experience of doing maths degree at uni, do you think i can apply for maths degree? And i mean can i cope with it?
Im thinking of edinburgh or kings college if i apply for maths degree

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Reply 7

kkboyk

21

Original post by Katie Bui

#kkboyk: What is the university you study? And What A levels did u study?
I heard maths at university is very difficult and different from A level Maths. I got A in maths and A in further maths at AS. From your experience of doing maths degree at uni, do you think i can apply for maths degree? And i mean can i cope with it?
Im thinking of edinburgh or kings college if i apply for maths degree

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If you want to tag a user use @ instead of # so they would get a notification.

I don't do a Maths degree yet, but asked the same questions to a Maths professor at Leicester and some Maths students here.

As long as you're predicted the grades required for all the unis you're applying you should be fine anyway. If you look at the course structure, the first semester for every uni is pretty much recapping A-level Maths at a fast speed.

In all honesty, if you are really interested in Maths and got As at A-level then there's no reason you wouldn't do well (unless you were lazy and did not practice enough). Some Maths students I've talked (from Nottingham, Leicester and a few from elsewhere which I forgot) to did not even manage to get an A in FM but still manage to get a first during their 1st and 2nd year through sheer hard work. Maths is a course you can only pass by working hard and doing LOTS of practice.

Are you perhaps taking STEP (it's not required for those university you mentioned, except KCL who would lower your offer to AAB-ABB)?

Reply 8

Katie Bui

OP

3

@kkboyk:
Any universities require an extra admission test are out of my list, so im not taking step or any similar test. My predict grades are A* AA. Lancaster and Loughborough will accept AAB for financial mathematics.
Edinburgh and King's offer maths bsc at AAA.
If I got A*AA as predicted, I probably will go to Edinburgh uni, direct entry to second year so I dont have to do 4 years BSc.

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Reply 9

kimR

12

Original post by Katie Bui

I also plan to do Msc Quantitative Finance at lancaster or Msc financial mathematics at lse or ucl when i finish my degree. But from my research, they are too expensive about £25000, so im thinking of doing 4 years degree Msci financial maths at lancaster as its the only one uni over the uk offer the course, and will cost me much cheaper eventhough the modules of the 4th year is the same with Msc FM in top universities in london

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hey im applying to the same course now and was wondering where you ended up and how you're finding the degree