PhD Mathematics

An Integrated PhD provides a route into research study if you do not have a Masters degree, or have very little research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing a Masters-level qualification, followed by a full-time PhD studied over three to four years. We also offer a ‘standard' PhD in this subject which can be studied either full-time (three to four years) or part-time (six to seven years).

Game theory, with roots in mathematics, statistics and economics, is routinely applied to understanding and predicting human behaviour. Problems of protection of digital information against piracy are closely related to aspects of set systems. And the RSA cryptosystem, used on computers all over the world, depends on classical results of number theory.

In your first year of our Integrated PhD Mathematics, you study many aspects of discrete mathematics and their potential use in practice, and provides you with options in optimisation, machine learning, data mining, and statistics.

Our interdisciplinary research recognises that mathematics, including what can be very abstract mathematics, is an essential part of research in many other disciplines.

Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science has an international reputation in many areas including semi-group theory, optimisation, probability, applied statistics, bioinformatics and mathematical biology.

In your second year you move onto the PhD element of the course. We offer supervision in a wide range of mathematical areas, including both pure and applied subjects. Possible areas of research include:

• algebra
• combinatorics
• computational mathematics
• chaos theory
• dynamical systems
• differential equations
• numerical analysis

You are also invited to contact our School to discuss other potential research areas.

All Essex research students have access to our innovative and unique scheme, Proficio. Postgraduate research students are automatically enrolled on Proficio, which provides a variety of training courses and a fund of up to £2,500 per student for conference attendance and relevant external training courses.

Our expert staff

Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science is a small but influential department, so our students and staff know each other personally. You never need an appointment to see your tutors and supervisors, just knock on our office doors – we are one of the few places to have an open-door policy, and no issue is too big or small.

The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science has an international reputation in all areas of Mathematical Sciences, including:

• statistics
• operational research
• applied mathematics
• pure mathematics
• actuarial science

We encourage PhD students to meet with their supervisor regularly. While undertaking your research within Mathematical Sciences, joint supervision across other Essex departments and schools is possible. Joint supervision allows you to have a supervisor based in our School and another in a relevant Department or School (such as Life Sciences, or Computer Science and Electronic Engineering).

Specialist facilities

• Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science is based in the University's state-of-the-art STEM Centre.
• Unique to Essex is our renowned Maths Support Centre, which offers help to students, staff and local businesses on a range of mathematical problems. Throughout term-time, we can chat through mathematical problems either on a one-to-one or small group basis.
• Research students have a dedicated work space and PCs, with access to software such as MATLAB, Gap, SageMath, Python, and R.
• We host events and seminars throughout the year.
• Our students run a lively Mathematics Society, an active and social group where you can explore your interest in your subject with other students.

Your future

Key employability skills you gain from this course include:

• analytic reasoning
• problem solving
• techniques of discrete mathematics and an understanding of application areas of these techniques
• algorithm design and implementation
• data analysis

Our graduates are highly sought after by a range of employers and find employment in financial services, scientific computation, decision-making support and government, risk assessment, statistics, education, and other sectors.

Many of our former PhD students have gone on to work as academics in prominent institutions across the world, such as the University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham, and many other international universities. Some have also remained at the University of Essex, working as postdoctoral research fellows, research impact officers, or lecturers.

Other graduates have joined organisations like the Met Office, the Ministry of Defence, and companies based in the City of London. There is a high demand for those with a numerate background in all sectors of the economy, so our graduates are sought after in the UK and abroad.

We also work with our Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

UK entry requirements

A good honours degree in one of the following subjects: Mathematics, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Operational Research, Computer Science, Finance, Economics, Business Engineering.

Our four year integrated PhD, allows you to spend your first year studying at Masters level in order to develop the necessary knowledge and skills and to start your independent research in year two.

English language requirements

Course structure

Most of our taught courses combine compulsory and optional modules, giving you freedom to pursue your own interests. All of the modules listed below provide an example of what is on offer from the current academic year. Our Programme Specification provides further details of the course structure for the current academic year.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.

The research element of your degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• Core components can be combined with optional modules, to enable you to gain either in-depth specialisation or broad understanding.
• Learn to use LATEX to produce a document as close as possible to what professional mathematicians produce in terms of organisation, layout and type-setting.
• Our postgraduates are encouraged to attend conferences and seminars.

Assessment

• Our taught modules are assessed on the results of your written examinations, together with continual assessments of your practical work and coursework.

Dissertation

A PhD (taking at least three years) typically involves wide reading around the subject area in your first year, then gradually developing original results over your second and third years, before writing them up in a coherent fashion. The resulting thesis is expected to make a significant contribution to knowledge.

Your PhD is awarded after your successful defence of your thesis in an oral examination (viva), in which you are interviewed about your research by two examiners, at least one of whom is from outside Essex.