The Interdisciplinary Mathematics degree at the University of Warwick offers a pioneering educational experience designed to equip students with a broad and versatile skill set in mathematical sciences. This program emphasizes the integration of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, computer science, and related disciplines, preparing graduates to address complex problems across various industries and research fields. Throughout the course, students will engage with both theoretical and practical aspects of mathematics, fostering critical thinking, analytical skills, and computational proficiency. The curriculum features a diverse range of modules that cover core mathematical principles, advanced numerical methods, data analysis, and mathematical modelling. Additionally, students have the opportunity to specialize in areas such as computational mathematics, mathematical physics, financial mathematics, and data science, among others. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing students to tailor their studies to their interests and career aspirations through elective modules and project work. Collaborative projects with industry partners and research institutions are a key feature, providing real-world experience and enhancing employability. Students will also develop strong programming skills and learn to apply mathematical techniques using modern software tools. The interdisciplinary nature of the degree encourages innovative thinking and problem-solving, making graduates highly sought after in sectors such as finance, technology, engineering, consultancy, and academia. The University of Warwick’s vibrant academic environment, combined with state-of-the-art facilities and a supportive learning community, ensures that students receive a comprehensive education that prepares them for successful careers and further study. With a strong emphasis on research-led teaching and practical application, the Interdisciplinary Mathematics program aims to develop not only proficient mathematicians but also creative problem solvers equipped to tackle the challenges of the modern world.

PhD Year 1

The first year of your studies will provide an essential foundation of necessary mathematical and generic tools to enable you to complete a successful and rewarding PhD, as well as preparing you for your future career. During Year 1 you will be required to undergo training ranging from gaining a broader knowledge of mathematics through taught modules, seminars and workshops, to enhancing professional skills. All PhD students are initially registered on the MPhil degree. Subject to satisfactory progress, students will be upgraded to the PhD after approximately 9 months of full time enrolment.

Initial Project Outline

In some cases, it may be possible to clearly define your project at the outset of your studies. In many other cases, a more precise project definition may not emerge until later in your studies. In both cases, the very nature of research means that initial project outlines will necessarily evolve as you gain a deeper understanding of your subject area and as the research proceeds. It is not unusual in mathematics to change the direction of the research if difficulties arise that appear intractable. Nevertheless, it is important that students document an initial project outline/plan in collaboration with the supervisor within the first few weeks of the programme. The outline/plan should identify goals and key tasks for the first year of the PhD studies and should include:

• A brief outline of the project. For some projects this will be initially quite general. For others, it may be possible to define the project in more detail from the outset. As noted above, deviations from the project outline are possible. Nevertheless, documenting the project outline at this stage will enable you to give some initial consideration to your project and concurrently provide focus for the first year of study.
• Taught courses that you will attend (see below). All first year PhD students are required to take 100 hours of training, which typically consists of 3 courses with structured examinations or other assessment. These courses should not be directly related to your specific PhD topic. In some cases, your supervisor may require you to take additional courses due to the specific needs of the project, your individual circumstances or for your general broader training. In all cases, you should discuss the choice of courses with your supervisor before registering for them. Note that Term 1 courses start in week 1 and registration is required by the end of week 3 in the Autumn Term. Satisfactory marks on assessed courses will be required for progression.
• Introductory reading list. These are texts (e.g. journal papers, book chapters, articles) recommended by your supervisor that will help to increase your understanding of the project area and related fields.
• A list of seminars/workshops/conferences etc that you are likely to attend. Again this should be the outcome of the discussions with your supervisor. Attendance at the Postgraduate Seminar and at relevant Friday Colloquia is expected; the Colloquia being aimed at both staff and postgraduate students. In addition, many research groups also hold their own seminar series which you will usually be expected to attend as part of your training.
• Other tasks and milestones. This should briefly document what you plan to do in the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms and could include developing your knowledge about a mathematical technique, or working on a specific problem or set of smaller problems. Transferable skills training could be listed under such a heading.

A standard form to capture the above information can be downloaded here. The form should be signed by both the student and the supervisor and returned to the Postgraduate Coordinator by the end of Week 4.

Taught Courses

All first year PhD students are required to take 3 courses (or modules) with structured examinations or other assessment. These courses can be taken from the following:

• Higher level taught Maths modules (e.g. MA4xx, MA5yy or MA6zz).
• Masters level modules offered by Doctoral Training Centres (MASDOC, Complexity, MOAC, Systems Biology).
• PhD level courses given through the EPSRC sponsored Taught Course Centre (TCC). This is a collaborative project between Bath, Bristol, Imperial, Oxford and Warwick that aims to share postgraduate lectures in all areas of mathematics via Access Grid Technology - an advanced interactive video conferencing facility that enables students from remote sites to participate in a lecture in a specially equipped room (B0.06). Up-to-date timetable and links to module information are available from the web-page.

PhD students may additionally be required to take a small number of undergraduate modules from earlier years (e.g. MA3xx) to complete a gap in the student's knowledge. Whilst these may be formally assessed and a satisfactory mark required for progression, these would not count towards the minimum of 100 hours taught course requirement described above.

Professional and Transferable Skills

In your first year, and to a lesser extent in subsequent years, you will be required to undertake professional and transferable skills training detailed here. The focus in the first year is on communication skills, i.e. how to give an engaging seminar, writing skills, time management, networking and team building. New postgraduate research students are additionally required to maintain a personal web-page.

Progress Report

First year PhD students are required to submit a progress report to the supervisor and the Postgraduate Coordinator by the end of week 2 of the Summer Term. Timings will be adjusted for students who do not begin their studies by October. At this stage it is not expected that students will have completed original research, but they should be able to demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the relevant literature.The full report consists of 2 main components:

[A] A report that demonstrates your understanding of your specific research field and of the progress you have made in the initial period of study. It is not expected that you will have undertaken any original research at this stage, but the report should show an awareness of a research field. Where possible, the report should additionally describe where research might lead in the next one or two years. The report is not expected to exceed 20 pages, it may be shorter if you have taken a large number of taught modules. The precise format of this report can vary from student to student and could include one or more of the items from the non-exhaustive list below:

• review of a book or mathematical papers,
• notes on a proof of a difficult theorem,
• description of conducted experiments or simulations,
• computed examples,
• draft of a proof of a new theorem.

The report is an important element of your PhD training programme, contributing to for example, the enhancement of both report writing (an essential research skill) and more generic skills (e.g. time management). It is therefore important that the report is well presented and written in LaTeX.

[B] A description of your academic activities including books and papers read, courses and conferences attended (including generic skills training), participation in seminars and study groups, etc. This description should reflect the activities documented in your initial project outline (above).

Progression

The purpose of the progress report ([A] and [B] above) is to provide evidence to third parties about your initial period of study. The report is considered by the supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies and the PhD Progress Board. The Board meets at the end of Term 3 when it will consider your report together with examination results and other assessments from the courses that you have taken. The primary objective of the exercise is to provide feedback on progress and it is part of the supervisor's role to do this on behalf of the Progress Board. Subject to satisfactory progress, the Board will recommend that students will be upgraded to the PhD.

In some cases, the Board may not feel there is sufficient evidence to take a view on the progress of a student. In these circumstances, a student may be required to undergo an oral examination normally conducted by the supervisor and the Director for Graduate Studies and/or another member of staff, usually by the middle of September. The September PhD Progress Board will consider the results of the oral examination in deciding whether a student should then be upgraded to the PhD or remain on the MPhil. Students who remain on the MPhil will after the September Board have 1 further year to complete their MPhil thesis.

Continued registration is subject to satisfactory progress. In exceptional circumstances, the Board may require that a student withdraw from the programme.

PhD Year 2

The second year can often be the most difficult. Whereas the first year provides you with a more structured training with background reading required, broader and research-specific courses available, initial problems to work on and/or mathematical tools to learn or enhance, the second year should be when you use your acquired skills in earnest and make progress on your PhD topic. Mathematical research is not however always that straightforward and despite the best of your efforts and your supervisor's guidance, you may need to take a step back before making further progress. It is therefore essential that you meet regularly with your supervisor to discuss your progress.

As for your first year, you are strongly encouraged to continue enhancing your research and more generic skills. Opportunities will arise (e.g. presenting you work at a seminar group or workshop or externally at conferences) and these should be discussed with your supervisor. Opportunities for generic skills training are available from various sources and taking advantage of these should help you in your future career (see Transferable Skills).

Taught Courses

PhD level courses are still available through the Taught Course Centre (TCC). A range of other taught modules can also be taken on the advice of your supervisor.

Progress Report

Second year PhD students are required to submit a report to their supervisor an 2 copies to the Postgraduate Co-ordinator by the end of week 2 of Term 2. The full report consists of four main components:

[A] A report, approximately 20 pages, that demonstrates your understanding of your research topic and of the progress you have made to date. The precise format of this report can vary and could include one or more of the items from the non-exhaustive list below:

• review of a book or mathematical papers,
• notes on a proof of a difficult theorem,
• description of conducted experiments or simulations,
• computed examples,
• draft of a proof of a new theorem,
• a research paper.

The report is an important element of your PhD training programme and should be well presented and written in LaTeX.

[B] A description of your academic activities including texts read, courses and conferences attended (including generic skills training), participation in seminars and study groups, etc. (approximately 5 pages).

[C] A proposed title of the future thesis

[D] A brief description of the anticipated content of the thesis, for instance titles of chapters, abstract, etc.

The precise format of the report will be defined by the supervisor in consultation with the student. 

Progression

The purpose of the report ([A] to [D] above) is to provide evidence to a third party about:

• progress towards more precisely defining and embarking upon a subject suitable for a PhD thesis
• to facilitate communication between the student and another member of staff different to the supervisor(s)
• suitability for the PhD programme.

All students will meet a member of staff to discuss the report by week 5 of Term 2. The staff member will be chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the supervisor. Feedback will follow within a short period.

In some cases, the report may not provide sufficient evidence to come to a clear positive conclusion about a student's progress. In these circumstances, the student will be required to undergo an oral examination normally conducted by the supervisor and the Director for Graduate Studies. The outcome of the oral examination will be reported to the PhD Progress Board. As in the first year, continued registration on the PhD is subject to satisfactory progress. In exceptional circumstances, the Board may recommend that a student should transfer to the MPhil degree, or withdraw from the programme.

YEAR 3

By the beginning of the third year, many PhD students will have a clear idea about the direction of their thesis. Some may have already made significant in-roads into the thesis, for example, by drafting a few chapters. Whatever the situation, students should be thinking about their progress and what they have left to do to complete their thesis. Setting clear achieveable milestones with your supervsior to help you monitor your progress will help you to produce your thesis in a timely fashion.

As for earlier years, you are encouraged to further develop your skills as part of your training. If you have not already presented your work at a formal or informal gathering, then you should do so as this is helpful preparation for your viva and any future career.

Draft Thesis

The normal expectation is that a PhD will be completed within 3.5 years. Given the nature of mathematical research, some students will take a shorter time period, others longer. The University will extend a student's registration beyond 4 years only under exceptional circumstances. If you do not expect to submit before the end of your funded period or you are self-reliant for funding you will also need to have considered how you will support yourself for the duration of your studies.

To help you to complete the thesis in a timely fashion, third year PhD students must submit a draft of their thesis to the supervisor and 2 copies to the Postgraduate Co-ordinator at the end of week 8 of Term 1. It is noted that not many students will be in a position to submit a near to complete draft thesis by this stage. What you do submit should be a matter of discussion between you and your supervisor. However at a minimium one would expect a detailed thesis plan and significant progress in the writing of one or two chapters. The plan should demonstrate that you have carefully considered the contents and structure of the thesis and already have (close to) sufficient material (including original research) for the thesis. Such a plan should contain:

• a list of the chapter (and lower-level) headings, with a description of the content of the chapters where not included
• a rough indication of the number of pages for each section/chapter
• progress made towards each chapter/section e.g. 60% of chapter complete (and included in draft), published in conference proceedings, analysis/results complete, more analysis required
• indication of how long each section/chapter will take i.e. a schedule of work with milestones
• expected submission date

As for previous years, it may also be appropriate to add information about any courses taken, texts read, reading groups, seminars and conferences attended.

Progression

All PhD students will meet a member of staff to discuss the draft/detailed thesis plan as appropriate. The member of staff will be chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the supervisor. The meeting will normally take place by week 5 of Term 2 and feedback will follow within a short period. The meeting will additionally help to develop links between the student and a member of staff other than the supervisor.

In some cases, where further information is required to establish the level of progress of a student, s/he may be required to undergo an oral examination, normally conducted by the supervisor and the Director for Graduate Studies. The outcome of the oral examination will be reported to the PhD Progress Board. As in the earlier years continued registration on the PhD is subject to satisfactory progress.

YEAR 4

Students are expected to submit their thesis in around 3.5 years which reflects the length of funding available for many of the funded students. The department makes every effort to ensure that students submit within this time-frame. In particular, the procedures described for year 3 PhD students will also apply to year 4 students who have not yet submitted a PhD thesis. Extensions beyond four years of registration will only be given by the University in exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical).

• Normally at least a first class undergraduate degree (or the equivalent from overseas) in one of the contributing subjects, and a firm background in Mathematics. Clear evidence that the applicant is sufficiently prepared to undertake graduate-level research without further coursework.* At least one member of the department must express a willingness to supervise the applicant's thesis.
• Transcripts from your university-level study
• Research proposal (if you are a MPhil or PhD student)
• Personal statement
• IELTS 6.5

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Enroll in the course

The Interdisciplinary Mathematics program at the University of Warwick offers a range of financing options to support students throughout their studies. Tuition fees are aligned with those of other undergraduate programs at the university, with variations depending on the student's domicile. Home (UK) students benefit from undergraduate fee rates set by the UK government, which are subject to annual increases. International students are charged higher tuition fees, which are also reviewed annually and are detailed on the university's official website.

In addition to tuition fees, students can explore various financial aid options, including government scholarships, bursaries, and grants. The UK government provides student loans for eligible domestic students, covering both tuition fees and living costs, which are repayable after graduation when the student's income exceeds a certain threshold. International students may have limited access to UK loan schemes but can benefit from scholarships specifically designed for international applicants, awarded based on academic merit or financial need.

The University of Warwick also offers institutional scholarships and bursaries to mitigate the cost of studies. These include merit-based scholarships for high-achieving students, need-based bursaries, and specific awards for students from certain regions or backgrounds. Students are encouraged to apply early to maximize their chances of receiving financial support.

Part-time work opportunities are available on campus, allowing students to supplement their income during the course of their studies. The university's Careers Service provides guidance and assistance in finding suitable employment. Additionally, students may consider external funding sources, such as private grants and sponsorships, especially for international students.

The university maintains transparent and comprehensive information about all financial support options on its official website. Prospective students are advised to regularly check for updates on tuition fees, scholarship deadlines, and application procedures to ensure they access all available funding opportunities. Financial planning is a crucial part of preparing for university, and the university encourages students to seek personalized advice from the Student Finance Team to understand the full scope of available support, including eligibility, application processes, and repayment obligations.

Interdisciplinary Mathematics at the University of Warwick is a highly flexible and comprehensive program designed to equip students with a broad range of mathematical skills and interdisciplinary knowledge. The course structure allows students to explore various areas of mathematics, including pure, applied, and computational disciplines, fostering an environment for innovative problem-solving and analytical thinking. The program emphasizes the integration of mathematical theories with real-world applications across diverse fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, finance, and biological sciences.

Students enrolling in the Interdisciplinary Mathematics degree benefit from a strong foundational curriculum in mathematics fundamentals during the initial years, including courses in calculus, algebra, statistics, and programming. As they progress, students can tailor their studies by selecting optional modules that align with their interests and career goals, such as mathematical modelling, data analysis, operations research, or financial mathematics. The program encourages collaborative projects and research, promoting teamwork and communication skills essential for professional success.

The department maintains close links with industry and research institutions, offering opportunities for internships, placements, and interaction with experts in various mathematical and scientific domains. The University of Warwick also provides state-of-the-art facilities and resources, including advanced computer labs and dedicated study spaces, fostering an ideal environment for learning and research.

Graduates of the Interdisciplinary Mathematics program at Warwick are well-prepared for diverse careers in academia, finance, technology, data science, and consultancy. They possess a versatile skill set that combines rigorous mathematical understanding with practical problem-solving capabilities. The program also provides a solid foundation for those wishing to pursue postgraduate studies in mathematics, computational sciences, or related fields. Overall, this program aims to produce versatile, adaptable, and innovative mathematicians capable of addressing complex challenges across multiple disciplines.