B.Sc.(Honours) Degree Programmes
BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Science
BSc (Hons) in Applied and Computational Mathematics
BSc (Hons) in Statistics and Operations Research
- Aims & Objectives
The common aim of the three programmes offered by the Department of Mathematics is to provide students with an education that prepares them for careers as practicing mathematicians and statisticians. It has been designed to
- give students a solid foundation in fundamental mathematics upon which to build their understanding of mathematical applications; and
- integrate computing throughout students' studies.
- Curriculum
Core Courses include:
Mathematical Analysis, Linear Algebra, Statistical Methods and Theory, Differential Equations, Numerical Methods, Operations Research, Categorical Data Analysis, Regression Analysis.Over 20 mathematical or interdisciplinary elective courses. Each student completes an individual project under the supervision of a lecturer in Year 3.
- Characteristics
BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Science
This programme provides students with a broad education in many aspects of Mathematics and Statistics. The emphasis on rigorous and logical training prepares students well for a diverse range of careers in which numeracy and logical thinking are required.BSc (Hons) in Applied and Computational Mathematics
Graduates in the Computational and Applied Mathematics Programme may work in one of the many fields requiring computing and/or mathematical modelling skills.BSc (Hons) in Statistics and Operations Research
Graduates in the Statistics and Operations Research Programme may work as statisticians, actuaries and operations research consultants, which are in demand by the Government, industries, banks, marketing research companies and insurance companies.In addition to the above objectives, our curriculum seeks to fulfill the University-wide goal of whole-man education. Communication skills are developed through the English language subjects, oral and written reports required in many mathematics subjects, and the Honours Project. Questions pertaining to values are the meaning of life are addressed in the Religion and Philosophy subjects.
The Honours Degree Project is a distinctive aspect of our program. Every student pursuing an Honours Degree undertakes an independent project in Year 3. Under the supervision of a lecturer the student formulates and attempts to solve a problem on his or her own. The problem is usually applied or interdisciplinary in nature. A student's project work sometimes leads to job offers from prospective employers.
Many Honours Degree Projects are related to the supervisor's research interests. Lecturers in our department are pursuing research in the following areas:
Combinatorics, Computational Mechanics, Graph Theory, Image Processing, Mathematical Physics, Numerical Analysis, Operations Research, Parallel Computing, Probability, Statistics, and Systems & Control.
Some students participate in a lecturer's research by serving as paid Student Research Assistants during their studies and/or as Research Assistants after graduation.
To support our teaching and research, the Department and Faculty have acquired a substantial number of Unix workstations, a large number of personal computers as well as other specialized hardware. We also have a substantial mathematical and statistical software library which is being continuously expanded and updated.
Mathematical Science graduates have entered a number of different professions, mainly teaching, commercial, and computer-related. Every year a number of graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics, statistics, computing, finance, education, and business.