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Mathematics with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


32 to 48 UCAS points to include minimum 2 A Levels.

Considered in combination

Pass Access (any subject)

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

Maths and English accepted within

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H5,H5,H5,H5,H5-H5,H5,H5,H6,H6


Maths and English accepted within

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

Considered in combination

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PP

Considered in combination

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

M

Considered in combination

32 to 48 UCAS points to include minimum 2 Advanced Highers.

Considered in combination with Advanced Highers

T Level

P

Pass (D or E on the core) 72 points or above. Any subjects related to Science/Engineering/Health

UCAS Tariff

32-48

To include minimum 2 A Levels.

Considered in combination

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Other options

5 years | Sandwich including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Mathematics

Do you have a passion to study mathematics, but lack the normal entry requirements for one of our honours degrees? Perhaps you've shown evidence of good academic potential, but don’t have sufficient qualifications or have been out of formal education for a while. This four year degree route incorporates a foundation year, which will develop your skills in pure and applied mathematics, statistics and some computer programming.

- Gain a solid background equivalent to A level Mathematics, plus part of Further Mathematics and an introduction to computer programming. We explain how to solve problems, and also prove the mathematical results and rules that we use to give you a deeper understanding.

- You are taught on campus by University lecturers: you are a member of our University’s mathematics community from the start.

- An average mark of at least 50% in your foundation year entitles you to progress to the first year of any of our range of mathematics degrees. Please see above for your progression opportunities.

- You have a great deal of available support including: a study room next to staff offices; our lecturers’ open door policy; a mathematics drop-in centre in the library; and additional peer learning sessions led by second and third year students.

- Enjoy new facilities – state-of-the-art lecture theatres, computer laboratories, study and social spaces – in our £50 million teaching and research building that opened in 2023.

- Leading research experts teach you: 68% of our research papers were classified as ‘World Leading’ or ‘Internationally Excellent’ in the UK 2014 Research Excellence Framework.

Modules

During the one year foundation course, you’ll take five mathematics modules and one on computer programming. As well as fundamental methods, such as trigonometry and calculus, you will study mechanics (which will introduce you to vectors) and statistics (using professional software). The course will improve your understanding of fundamental results, mastery of methods of proof and appreciation of mathematical writing. At the end of the year, you can transfer to any of our mathematics degrees provided you obtain an average mark of 50 per cent or above.

Core modules:

* Investigations in Mathematics
* Mathematics
* Applied Mathematics
* Computer Programming
* Physics

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry and up to date information can be found on our website.

Assessment methods

For up to date details, please refer to our website or contact the institution directly.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Plymouth

Department:

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

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What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

81%
Mathematics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mathematics

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

85%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
98%
Course specific equipment and facilities
75%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
67%
Male students
33%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Mathematics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
low
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education
50%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
14%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Other elementary services occupations

Want to feel needed? This is one of the most flexible degrees of all and with so much of modern work being based on data, there are options everywhere for maths graduates. With all that training in handling figures, it's hardly surprising that a lot of maths graduates go into well-paid jobs in the IT or finance industries, and last year, a maths graduate in London could expect a very respectable average starting salary of £27k. And we're always short of teachers in maths, so that is an excellent option for anyone wanting to help the next generation. And if you want a research job, you'll want a doctorate — and a really good maths doctorate will get you all sorts of interest from academia and finance — and might secure some of the highest salaries going for new leavers from university.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Mathematics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£23k

£23k

£32k

£32k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 112-128
Same University
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Mathematics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 112-128
Nearby University
University of Exeter | Exeter
Mathematics with Management and a Year in Industry
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 136-160

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here