Mathematics with Integrated Foundation Year

Our Integrated Foundation Year will take you through a carefully-designed programme to help you to progress confidently onto your undergraduate degree.

Engineering, Physical, Computational and Mathematical sciences underpin modern technological society and can help us provide answers to fundamental questions. Graduates with these degrees are highly sought after by employers. The Mathematics Foundation Year provides progressive structures in which you are able to gain knowledge and understanding of approaches to scientific study and your chosen degree subject.

All Foundation Year students take ‘Global Perspectives’, then four subject-based courses provide familiarity with Mathematics and computation – the language of modern science and technology, and key for success in science, technology and engineering.

Once you have completed your Foundation year, you progress onto the full degree programme, BSc Mathematics.

Mathematics is in everything: we use it in every aspect of our lives – from managing household finances and investments to working at the cutting edge of digital communications, engineering, aviation, satellite navigation, medical science, weather forecasting, psychology, sociology, insurance, or the financial markets of the global economy. It is one of the oldest academic disciplines and yet it sits at the heart of our 21st century lives.

Our flagship BSc programme brings the beauty and breadth of mathematics to life, inviting you to delve deep into the world of abstract structures and ideas, whilst also equipping you with the practical skills and experience that will set you apart in the world of work. Guided by experts in the field, you will receive a thorough grounding in the key methods and concepts that underpin our subject, with the flexibility to tailor your studies in years 2 and 3, thanks to the programme’s modular structure.

Our broad curriculum is influenced by the department’s world-class research activities. We are renowned for our work in pure mathematics, information security, statistics and theoretical physics, and our BSc programme spans pure and applied mathematics, statistical analysis, financial mathematics, the mathematics of information, and more. We also offer an array of postgraduate opportunities, and provided you make good progress in year 1 you will have the option of transferring onto our four-year masters programme to help take your mathematics to a higher level, particularly if you want to pursue a career in industry or research. It might also be possible to transfer sideways into the second year of one of our other undergraduate mathematics programmes.

Join our friendly and inspiring department and you will benefit from a thoroughly supportive learning environment. We offer small group tutorials, problem-solving sessions, practical workshops and IT classes, as well as generous staff office hours and a dedicated personal adviser to guide you through your studies. We also offer CV writing workshops and a competitive work placement scheme. Our graduates are in great demand for their numeracy, analytical skills, data handling powers, logical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities.

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/mathematics/mathematics-with-integrated-foundation-year/

In your Foundation Year, teaching methods include a mixture of lectures, practical classes and workshops, laboratory classes, individual tutorials, and supervisory sessions. Outside of the classroom you’ll undertake guided and independent practice. You will be assigned a Personal Tutor in the Department of Mathematics and will have regular scheduled sessions. In the Foundation Year, you’ll also be assigned a Personal Tutor in the Centre for the Development of Academic Skills (CeDAS). Assessments are varied; practical exercises, weekly problem sheets, set exercises, written examinations, laboratory reports, scientific poster preparation and presentation. In addition the Foundation Year offers a full range of skills-based training and also the opportunity to take a micro-placement to enhance your employability.

Once you progress onto your full degree course, it has a flexible, modular structure and you will take a total of 12 course units at a rate of four, 30-credit modules per year. In addition to our compulsory core modules, you will be free to choose between a number of optional courses. Some contribute 15 credits to your overall award while others contribute the full 30.

We continue to use a variety of teaching methods and there is a strong focus on small group teaching in the department. You will attend 12 to 15 hours of formal teaching in a typical week, including lectures, tutorials, problem-solving workshops and practical sessions in statistics and computational mathematics. You will also be expected to work on worksheets, revision and project work outside of these times. In year 2, teaching will mainly be delivered through lectures and workshops and in year 3, mostly through relatively small group lectures.

Our courses are mostly examined by written exams taken in the summer term, but some of our statistics and computational courses also have project components and between 10% and 30% of your final mark for each core module in year 1 will come from coursework. Some of the first year modules also include tests that contribute 10% of the final mark. In the first term of year 2 you will work in small groups to prepare a report and an oral presentation on a mathematical topic of your choice, which will contribute to one of your core module grades. CV writing skills are also embedded into that course. In year 3 there are two optional courses which are examined solely by a project and presentation.