Undergraduate brochure - Royal Holloway, University of London

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Teaching and assessmentMathematics is intrinsically beautiful and can be studied forStudying Mathematics at Royal Holloway is not just aboutcollecting skills and information for a future career (though ofcourse that is important). It is about developing a feel for thesubject in many different, often small, ways, and becoming partof a community of people who care about the subject.We aim to provide an environment in which it is a pleasurefor you to study and which will encourage you to follow yourstrengths and interests in order to achieve the best possibledegree. Our compact size helps to promote a friendly andinspiring atmosphere where students are known as individuals.Staff are always ready to give help and advice, and a member ofstaff is also assigned to you as a Personal Adviser. Your PersonalAdviser will help you with any queries or difficulties (academicor otherwise) and guide you in your choice of courses. Typically,your Adviser will be the person who writes your job references inthe final year.Our teaching was rated ‘excellent’ during our most recent qualityassessment, reflecting the care we take in the design and deliveryof our courses. Our research interests, such as number theory,cryptography, quantum dynamics and information theory,influence our curriculum, particularly in the final year. Thesesubject areas are extremely useful – they give students the toolsto apply their Mathematics in real-life situations.A variety of teaching methods are used. Our approach is to startin the first year with plenty of academic support, and graduallyreduce the level as students gain in confidence. Generallythe first year courses are taught by a combination of lectures,problem-solving workshops and tutorials in groups of four or five;in the second year we use lectures and workshops; and in thethird and fourth years mostly lectures.As Mathematics is only learnt by practice, we support everycourse with weekly worksheets: the students’ work is collected,corrected where necessary, and returned with comments. Thisfeedback is a vital part of the teaching and learning process.Computers are used as an aid in many courses, especially instatistics. Simple use of a powerful mathematical computingpackage is taught to all students; it can be used in a variety ofways, for instance to check any routine calculation (numericalor algebraic).Learning to prepare and present the results of your work issomething we (and employers) see as important. Therefore weprovide several opportunities to do so. In the second year, allstudents work in small groups to prepare a report and an oralpresentation on a mathematical topic of their choice. Most ofthe statistics courses include a project component, and in thethird year, two courses (Mathematics in the Classroom and oneMathematics Project course) are assessed entirely by projectwork. A supervised project forms a quarter of the work in thefinal year of the MSci. In a typical week, students will attend12–15 hours of formal teaching: lectures, tutorials, workshops andcomputer classes.Outside of these times, they are expected to work onworksheets, revision, and preparation of projects.Apart from projects (mentioned above) all courses are examinedby written papers in the Summer Term.There is more to learn in a Mathematics course than the materialpresented in lectures. You must be able to convince yourself ofthe validity of a piece of Mathematics and to present results toothers in an intelligible fashion – to explain something you havejust learnt (or, even better, just discovered) can be a pleasure.“As a joint honours student (Mathematics and Physics),flexibility within the degree is paramount to ensureall core modules are covered whilst allowing enoughchoice to tailor the degree to your interests; the Mathsdepartment certainly delivers that flexibility and offersexcellent individual support to make sure you achieveyour degree and career goals – all you have to do is ask.”Sam Wenham, MSci Mathematics and Physics10 Department of Mathematics
Other informationFacilitiesThe Department of Mathematics is housed in the McCreaBuilding, named after the remarkable Professor WilliamMcCrea, FRS, former Head of Mathematics and one of theleading cosmologists and relativists of his generation. There isa dedicated computer laboratory for students, and a range ofspecialist Mathematics software available. Further computerfacilities (some with 24-hour access) are conveniently locatedaround the campus. Data Cabling and wireless networks havealso been installed in many of the residences to provide you withintranet access and enable you to use your computer laptop foryour studies. The Bedford Library holds an extensive stock ofMathematics textbooks, monographs and journals, and is next tothe McCrea Building.For further information on careers and employability, visitroyalholloway.ac.uk/mathematics/yourfuturecareerPostgraduate OpportunitiesMany students see a Mathematics first degree as a usefulplatform from which to move to further study, and thedepartment offers exciting opportunities for postgraduate study.Over the years we have earned an international reputation forour research, reflected in our strong performance in recruitingPhD students and post-doctoral researchers and in attractingresearch grants in a diverse range of areas, including NumberTheory, Cryptography, Quantum Dynamics and InformationSecurity. The Department of Mathematics forms one half of theSchool of Mathematics and Information Security; the other half isthe internationally renowned Information Security Group (ISG).Through all of our research, we aim to extend the boundaries ofthe subject and make a difference in the real world.Quite a few graduates proceed to MSc degrees, which dealwith applications of Mathematics, to equip them for morespecialised types of employment. ISG offers MSc courses inMathematics for Applications, Mathematics of Cryptographyand Communications, and Information Security. Students havealso gone on to study at other prestigious universities for higherdegrees in all branches of Mathematics, and in related fields suchas business administration and specialised areas of engineering.Mathematics in the Classroom(The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme)Endorsed by the DTI and DfES, the UndergraduateAmbassadors Scheme provides an opportunity for thirdyear undergraduates to gain valuable transferable skills andexperience of science education.Each student spends half a day each week, for one term, in a localschool. You will work under the supervision of a specific teacher,who will act as a trainer and mentor, and determine your tasksand responsibilities. This course counts towards the final degreeresult in the same way as other third year Mathematics courses.For more information, visit: www.uas.ac.ukStudy AbroadThe department has strong international links, and it is possibleto spend one year abroad at another university. The Collegealso has a series of exchange links set up with universitiesacross the world, including in Australia, Hong Kong, Russia andthe USA. For more information, please see the College’s StudyAbroad brochure.College Open DaysAn Open Day at Royal Holloway offers a unique opportunity tocome and see the College for yourself. You will have the chanceto meet our students and teaching staff, and get a taste of whatuniversity life is really like. Parents and friends are very welcometo come with you.Dates of Open Days can be obtained from the department orfrom the College website: royalholloway.ac.uk/opendaysFor further information please contact: liaison-office@rhul.ac.ukDepartment of Mathematics11
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Undergraduate brochure - Royal Holloway, University of London

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