Dr Paul Glaister Director of Undergraduate Studies

1. Mathematics at Reading Dr Paul Glaister Director of Undergraduate Studies

2. What will you gain from a degree involving Mathematics? • useful transferable skills • enhanced prospects for a fulfilling career • subject-specific knowledge

3. Skills promoted by a Mathematics degree: • logic and reasoning • problem-solving • communication, both oral and written • IT skills • library and research skills • independent learning • perseverance

4. Skills promoted by a Mathematics degree: • logic and reasoning • problem-solving • communication, both oral and written • IT skills • library and research skills • independent learning • perseverance

5. Employment after graduation • Reading is highly rated for the employability of its graduates • Pro-active careers service • Headstart programme

6. First Destinations of recent Mathematics Graduates

7. Helen began working for “Arup” as a Risk and Safety Analyst soon after leaving University. Helen’s training in the Mathematics department at Reading has given her skills in the solving of analytical problems, written and spoken communication and expertise in IT. Helen is now working towards her Chartered Mathematician Status and has recently become the Environmental Management Systems Representative for Arup Energy. Graduate profile: Helen Jenkins(Mathematics, MMath)

8. Graduate profile: Sarah Parker(Mathematics, BSc) After graduating in July 2000 Sarah remained at The University of Reading to study Secondary Mathematics Teaching for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. She says, “Thanks to the guidance and support given by lecturers and other students, I have been able to go on to teach Mathematics with confidence and understanding” Sarah will soon begin work as a Mathematics teacher at Tiverton High School in Devon.

9. Having left Reading University armed with my Maths and Meteorology degree I have managed to get married and find employment at British Energy (formerly known as Nuclear Electric, or for the older audience CEGB), as Probabilistic Safety Analyst, in Gloucester. I consider both to be major achievements. My work involves providing engineering support to Sizewell B Nuclear power station, justifying the safety of proposed modifications. As odd as it may seem my degree proved very relevant to my current position, and it is not only the Mathematics that is useful when performing some elaborate calculations of probability and uncertainty of systems and component failures, Meteorology has provided me with good knowledge of fluid flow and thermodynamics, which are of particular importance in a water cooled reactor. Ever since joining the company I have moved around on various secondments, spending 3 months at the power station, and 9 months in the consultancy department researching the usefulness and applicability of Kyoto protocol to company’s activities. My taste for education has remained as strong as ever, and recently I have convinced my management that sponsoring me to do a distance learning MSc course in Operational Research will be of mutual benefit. I think that one thing I have realised in the couple of years since leaving the university is that to a certain extent it is not important what subjects are studied, what is important is learning and finding out how to apply the knowledge gained to as many areas as possible. Graduate profile: Darek Romowicz(Mathematics & Meteorology)

10. Shortly after graduation, Mark began work as a trainee accountant for “Kirk Rice Accountants”. He is currently working on client audits and year-end accounts. Recently he sat Papers 1 and 3 of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants. Mark is keen to point out that his present success has much to do with the skills he acquired and developed as an undergraduate in Reading. Graduate profile: Mark Salmon(Mathematics & Psychology)

11. Degree structure With option to change degree after Part 1 exam. Does not contribute to degree result. Parts 2 -4 contribute to degree result. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (for MMath)

12. Student support: • personal tutor system • personal and academic record (PAR) • drop-in Mathematics surgery • University study adviser • Health centre, counselling service • Students’ Union Welfare office • Hall wardens, welfare officer

13. Other support: • Careers Advisory Service • Job Shop

14. Teaching and Learning Policy • support for transition to University: practical classes, instructor groups • more reliance on independent learning in later stages of degree • project work • 20% assessed course work in Part 1 and 2

15. What do we do at Reading? • A broad range of pure and applied Mathematics • research areas in combinatorics, reaction-diffusion problems, numerical mathematics applied to a range of problems, data assimilation for weather forecasting

16. Topics in Applied Mathematics, Topics in Pure Mathematics , Complex Analysis and Calculus of Variations Mathematical Logic ‡ ,Graph Theory †, Galois Theory † Algebraic Number Theory †, History of Mathematics † Combinatorics‡, Dynamical Systems, Numerical Analysis, Reaction-Diffusion Theory †, Lagrangian Mechanics and Viscous Fluid Dynamics †, Hilbert Space, Spectral Theory and Integral Equations, Boundary Value Problems and Asymptotic Methods †, Modern Analysis, Differential Geometry, Numerical Solution of Differential Equations, Algebra, Topology. Fourth Year Mathematics Project.

17. Admissions policy: • compensation between A-Level subjects, if you gain the required Maths grade. • if you miss the grades for the MMath degree but qualify for the BSc you will be offered an alternative place on BSc. • if you miss the grades for the Mathematics degree you will be offered an alternative place on Mathematical Studies if you qualify for that.

18. Good luck!