Why choose this course?
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Staff are available to answer academic questions with weekly dedicated hours throughout term.
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London is the ideal place to take your first steps towards an exciting future.
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Progress to one of our undergraduate Mathematics courses on successful completion of this course.
Mathematics Foundation degree Course overview
This course is for students who are passionate about the scope of modern mathematics and excited by its applications in today’s world.
The Foundation route enables those students to spend a year at University consolidating their school-level Mathematics knowledge whilst acclimatising to University-style assessments and exams.
Although the foundation course does not confer an official award, successful completion will enable entry onto one of City's Mathematics courses, including:
- BSc Mathematics
- BSc Mathematics and Finance
- BSc Mathematics with Finance and Economics
- BSc Mathematics with Data Science.
Whatever your future ambitions, a Mathematics degree will open up diverse career possibilities, such as the civil service, government agencies, research establishments, public utilities, financial companies and large corporations in every sector.
- Understand the universal nature of mathematics as a discipline that knows no borders or language barriers
- Master a wide range of mathematical topics and techniques, such as calculus, probability, linear algebra and mathematical physics
- Learn to apply abstract and logical mathematical methods to real-world problems
- Boost your employability with an optional paid one-year work placement – past students have secured placements at organisations such as Axa, Barclays, Bloomberg, Disney, Microsoft, Toyota and Warner Music
- Take special career development modules to understand mathematics’ essential role across all industries and the opportunities available to you
- Explore your interests through a research project chosen from a wide variety of mathematical topics – past projects have included everything from life-saving mathematics in medical imaging, to wallpaper patterns.
Structure
Course content
In your foundation year you will develop your understanding for the fundamentals of Mathematics with six core modules introducing you to the basics.
Foundation Mathematics
The aim of this module is to consolidate your knowledge of mathematics and to introduce more advanced topics in the areas of calculus and algebra. The mathematical techniques taught in this module will be necessary for the understanding of modules throughout the degree.
Discrete Mathematics
The aim of this module is to consolidate your knowledge of a variety of mathematics topics that go under the general name of discrete mathematics.
Discrete mathematics can be defined as the branch of mathematics dealing with countable sets, or in simpler terms, the mathematics of objects that are not continuous but can be usually labeled by an integer. This includes the integer numbers themselves, set theory, graph theory and the study and proof of logical statements, among others.
Mathematics with Applications to Economics
This module is designed to enable you to discover and understand the Mathematics underpinning some basic Economics-related problems. The module is organized around five standard topics in Economics and the corresponding Mathematical techniques that can be used to tackle them.
Introduction to Programming with Python
The aim of this module is to provide you with familiarity of fundamental statistical techniques and an understanding of their application in practice, along with the theory of probability which underlies them.
Introduction to Probability and Statistics
This module will provide you with the fundamental tools in probability and statistics which are part of the basic knowledge required for mathematicians, and necessary for the understanding of modules on the BSc.
Employability and Transferable Skills
This module will teach you how to enhance your employability and transferable skills that will be useful in your career development.
Download course specification:
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning
The Foundation Year employs continuous assessment based around frequent class tests and group work. Students can also expect a higher number of contact hours per week (around 14 hours) in the form of teaching and tutorials, than in the subsequent years of the BSc where self-study plays a larger part.
Assessment methods
You will be assessed using a variety of methods including examinations, coursework and practical skills.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2018/19 entry is as follows:
Foundation year
50% written, 50% coursework.
Fees and funding
Fees for year 2023/24
UK
£9,250
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2023/24 academic year only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase in the region of 5%.
Funding options
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2022/23 academic year only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase which is normally 2%.
- Fee waivers are available for this course.
- Means tested support is available for 2022/23 entry.
Additional expenses
Future Finance offers students loans of between £2,500 and £40,000 to help cover tuition fees and living expenses. All students and courses are considered. All loans are subject to credit checks and approval for further details please visit our finance pages.
Additional expenses
Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses.
Career
Mathematical skills are highly sought after in virtually every industry, as are logical and abstract thinking, problem solving, and the ability to model real-world phenomena.
This means our graduates are highly sought after. Some of our recent alumni have gone on to graduate roles at high-profile organisations, such as:
- PWC
- IBM
- JLT Group
- McKinsey
- SDM
- O2
- Ernst and Young.
Given City’s location and links to business, it is unsurprising that many graduates have been employed by large firms in the financial, industrial or retail sector. Others have gone into education, civil service, research and further study.
How to apply
Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
Please note, this course is only available to those who we would classify as Home students. Please contact us if you are unclear about your fee status. For overseas students who do not meet the entry requirements for year 1 entry, we recommend our affiliated foundation course providers - INTO City, University of London.
You can apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the UCAS website.
You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60.
Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.
UCAS has implemented an 'invisibility of choices' policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.
You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £26.50 application fee. If you want to apply to City, University of London only, you can make a single choice application at a reduced rate of £22.
Admission enquiries
For general enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office:
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7040 8716.
Telephone lines are currently open between 10am - 3pm.
If your enquiry is about admission to a particular course, please use the contact details provided on the course page.
When to apply
Your application for entry in September 2023 should arrive at UCAS between September 2022 and 25th January 2023. Applications that arrive after 25th January 2023 will be considered only at City's discretion.
Contacting UCAS
Address: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ
Telephone:
- from inside the UK 0871 468 0468
- from outside the UK +44 (0)871 468 0468
For callers with hearing difficulties:
- from inside the UK use the Text Relay service on 18001 0871 468 0468
- from outside the UK dial +44 151 494 1260 (text phone) and then ask the operator to dial 0871 468 0468.
Facilities
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Our students
Evita Parperi, BSc Mathematics alumna
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Academics
Your studies are supported by a team of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field. On occasion we also work with external professionals to enhance your learning and appreciation of the wider subject.
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