Mathematics

(including Mathematics with Physics)

Cambridge is renowned for the excellence of its Mathematics course. Equally challenging and rewarding, it offers the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects: everything from abstract logic problems to black holes.

Mathematics at Cambridge

The Cambridge Mathematics course is often considered to be the most demanding undergraduate Mathematics course available in Britain and, correspondingly, one of the most rewarding.

Two other aspects of the course that our students greatly appreciate are its flexibility and the breadth of subjects offered. The amount of choice increases each year and after Year 1 the workload isn’t fixed so you can choose the number of options you study to suit your own work pattern. Some students take as many options as they can; others take fewer and study them very thoroughly.

Our Faculty

Since Sir Isaac Newton was Lucasian Professor (1669-96), mathematics teaching and research here have been enhanced by a string of brilliant mathematicians, including six Fields Medallists and even Nobel Prize winners. Most current Faculty members are leading international authorities on their subject.

Our Faculty is also closely linked with the Isaac Newton Institute, which attracts specialists from all over the world to tackle outstanding problems in the mathematical sciences.

Careers

A Cambridge Mathematics degree is versatile and very marketable. The demand for our mathematicians is high in business, commerce and industry, as well as the academic world.

Around 45% of our students go on to further study, while others follow a wide variety of careers. Recent graduates include a metrologist, sports statistician, journalist, and an avionics, radar and communications engineer, as well as teachers, actuaries, accountants, IT specialists, financiers and consultants.

In Year 1, you typically have 12 lectures and two supervisions each week. In the following years, the greater choice and flexibility means that the pattern of lectures and supervisions is more irregular, but the average load is roughly the same.

You sit four written examination papers each year. In addition, there are optional computer projects in Years 2 and 3. In the fourth year, each course is examined individually.

Year 1 (Part IA)

In the first year, there are two options to choose from:

• option (a) Pure and Applied Mathematics, for students intending to continue with Mathematics
• option (b) Mathematics with Physics, for students who may want to study Physics after the first year

You should state in your Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) which option you wish to take, though it’s possible to change when you start the course. You can still continue with Mathematics in the second year if you take option (b).

Part IA introduces you to the fundamentals of higher mathematics, including:

• the study of algebraic systems (such as groups)
• analysis of calculus
• probability
• mathematical methods (such as vector calculus)
• Newtonian dynamics and special relativity

You take eight subjects. Those taking Mathematics with Physics replace two Mathematics subjects with Part IA Physics from Natural Sciences, covering, for example, kinetic theory, Fourier analysis, and electromagnetism.

Year 2 (Part IB)

In Part IB, you choose from around 16 options available. In most,  the topics of the first year are studied in much greater depth,  but some new topics are offered, for example:

• geometry
• electromagnetism, quantum mechanics and fluid dynamics
• applicable mathematics, which includes statistics and optimisation (a rigorous treatment of topics from decision mathematics)
• numerical analysis

There are also optional computational projects (assessed by means of reports and programs submitted before the summer examinations), using numerical or algebraic techniques to investigate mathematical problems.

Year 3 (Part II)

Year 3 gives you the opportunity to explore your mathematical interests in detail. There is a very wide choice, including papers on, for example:

• cryptography
• algebraic topology
• number theory
• cosmology
• general relativity
• stochastic financial models
• waves
• automata and formal languages
• mathematical biology

There are also optional computational projects.

Year 4 (Part III, optional integrated Masters)

Part III has a world-wide reputation for training the very best research mathematicians. Progression to Part III, in which more than 80 options are offered, normally requires a first in Part II or a very good performance in Parts IB and II, and successful completion leads to a BA with MMath. 

• All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
• The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
• IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
• Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
• Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.

Assessment format

• There is no common format written assessment for Mathematics (applicants will continue to sit STEP alongside A Levels) – Colleges will assess aptitude, knowledge base and potential through short tasks at the time of interview.

You do not need to register or be registered in advance for the assessment at interview – the Colleges provide details of arrangements in the letters inviting applicants to interview.

Please note that your performance in the assessment at interview will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

For Mathematics candidates interviewed overseas, a written Maths assessment will be administered by the overseas interviewing team which will then be made available to the Cambridge College along with the overseas interview report.

• Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).