Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk/maths | Mathematical Sciences
course also provides you with options in
optimisation, machine learning/data mining
and statistics. Key employment skills you
gain include analytic reasoning, problem
solving, techniques of discrete mathematics
and an understanding of application areas
of these techniques, algorithm design and
implementation, and data analysis.
MSc Financial Decision Making
with Applications•
This course complements our MSc
Mathematics and Finance and was
introduced to fill the gap between
traditional financial analysts and new
traders who are taking on board cognitive
psychology, as well as mathematical
methods, to manage risk attached to
financial decision making. We include
modules in mathematics, accounting,
management and finance, and psychology,
which provide you with the opportunity to
learn about portfolio management, the
application of stochastic calculus to the
pricing of derivative securities, and the
analysis of financial statements and
financial reporting. Further concentration
on a specific application is possible when
you choose your dissertation subject.
Graduates gain many essential employment
skills required by the business and finance
world which include the analysis of financial
statements, financial reporting and analytic
reasoning, as well as other key skills like
presentation, essay writing and computing.
MSc Mathematics and Finance•
One of our most popular courses, MSc
Mathematics and Finance allows those
with a background in mathematics to study
finance. Since finance routinely involves
modelling and evaluating risk, asset pricing
and price forecasting, mathematics has
become an indispensable tool for this study.
In recent years, it has been one of the
areas where high-calibre mathematicians
have been in great demand. With the
advent of powerful, and yet economically
accessible computing, individuals now
have access to financial markets and online
trading has become a common activity but
many have realised that a certain amount of
mathematics is necessary to be successful
in such fields. There is undoubtedly a
shortage of mathematicians in general,
and an even greater one of those with
knowledge of finance.
Our course produces graduates with a
sound background in mathematics and
finance. Key employability skills include
computing, use of algorithms, data analysis,
mathematical modelling and understanding
financial statements.
MSc Operational Research and
Computer Science•
Operational research is the application
of scientific method to problems of
control and optimisation, involving the
control of organised (man-machine)
systems, in order to provide solutions
which best serve the purposes of the
organisation as a whole. It relies heavily
on computing in its deployment. Our
MSc Operational Research and Computer
Science covers many techniques of
operational research and is also available
if you have no experience of Java.
Our graduates have achieved success
in many professions, including banking
and finance, government, and academic
research. This is due to the many
employment and career skills they have
obtained with us, like algorithm design and
implementation, decision making, problem
solving and mathematical modelling.
MSc Statistics and Computer Science•
This course is suitable if you are a
mathematically-trained graduate wishing
to develop expertise in aspects of computer
science. You gain experience in various
aspects of advanced statistics and in
the use of Matlab in mathematical research,
while our optional modules include
up-to-date techniques in machine learning,
evolutionary computation and panel data
methods. (If you have no experience of
programming in Java, you take our double
module Programming with Java).
Key employability skills of data analysis,
mathematical modelling and problem
solving, as well as independent work,
presentation and writing skills, mean our
graduates are sought by employers in the
pharmaceuticals industry, medical research,
banking, investment and forecasting,
gaming, weather science, and other fields.
MSc Statistics and Data Analysis•
Our MSc Statistics and Data Analysis
benefits from Essex’s outstanding
recognition for research in the social
sciences (our Departments of Government
and Sociology were both ranked first in
the UK, in the last Research Assessment
Exercise, and our Department of
Economics third). Fundamental to
quantitative social science is the ability
to analyse data and this is the emphasis
of our course, in which two of your eight
modules are given by specialists from our
Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Our graduates are particularly sought
by employers in local government and
obtain key employability skills like data
analysis, mathematical modelling and
problem solving, plus independent work,
presentation and writing skills. This means
our graduates are also attractive to many
industries where large sets of data are
routinely generated and analysed.
MSc Statistics and Econometrics•
Econometrics can be described as the
application of statistics in an economic
context, so this course will interest you if
your first degree included some training in
both statistics and economics. Specialised
statistical methods are required to deal with
economic data and these are reflected in
our modules, many of which are given by
staff from our Department of Economics
(ranked third in the UK in the last Research
Assessment Exercise). For instance, Time
Series Econometrics provides methods for
analysing the dynamic processes in
macroeconomics, while Empirical Methods
of Economics and Finance introduces
techniques for analysing stock market and
other financial data.
Graduates are sought after by employers
in banking, investment and forecasting,
local government and other fields.
MSc Statistics and Operational Research•
This course will appeal if your first degree
included mathematics as its major subject
and we expect you to have prior knowledge
Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 | 167