Mathematics MA (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: Mathematics

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

G102

Award

MA (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

Multiple campuses

Start date

September 2026

School

School of Mathematics

College

College of Science and Engineering

Study abroad

Available

Placement

No

Open days and events

About the degree programme

Studying mathematics at university encourages you to think in an entirely different way. Through the introduction to new mathematical concepts not explored at school level, you will develop a rigorous mindset, and by the end of your degree programme, you will specialise in an area of your particular mathematical interest. 

This new way of approaching and analysing complex problems is a particularly valuable skill, and will serve you well throughout your degree programme and beyond.

The MA Mathematics programme combines the study of mathematics with an art or humanities subject of your choice from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Why study MA Mathematics

Whilst very similar to our BSc Mathematics programme, there are some subtle differences:

  • your outside subject must be selected from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
  • your outside subject should be the same in Years 1 and 2

If you would prefer more flexibility and variety with your outside subjects, you may prefer the BSc Mathematics programme.

Flexibility between BSc and MA

Provided you take the appropriate outside subjects, it is easy to switch between the BSc and the MA programmes once you are enrolled at the University.

From Year 3 onwards, our BSc and MA programmes are the same.

Please note that this degree is an undergraduate degree and not a masters qualification. 

If you would like to study for a masters degree, please see our MMath integrated Masters programme. Alternatively, you may want to complete an MSc degree after your undergraduate degree.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years.

A key benefit to studying a 4-year degree programme is that you have the flexibility to study a range of subjects, outside your chosen degree programme, in Year 1 and Year 2.

This allows you the opportunity to study other courses that interest you or enhance your degree. By the end of Year 2, you can decide which of these subject areas you want to focus on in the honours years of your programme.

How long it takes to complete our degree programmes

Programme rankings

  • 5th in the UK for mathematics and statistics (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 by Subject)
  • 5th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

Programme benefits

  • Develop your skills as a well-rounded mathematician by studying an arts or humanities subject alongside mathematics in Years 1 and 2.
  • Our teaching fosters interactive engagement that promotes long-term understanding. Teaching is enhanced by technology, including voting systems and online quizzes, and we actively encourage collaborative learning.
  • Employability skills are embedded in the curriculum. Our Student Development team and the University's Careers Service also give students careers support. This includes presentations from industry employers and alumni career showcases, which demonstrate the range of careers open to mathematics graduates.
  • We host regular workshops to help you prepare for applying to internships, jobs and further study.
  • The School of Mathematics has expertise in a variety of research areas, allowing you to tailor your degree programme to your area of mathematical interest.

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for MA (Hons) Mathematics

View the tuition fees for one academic year of MA (Hons) Mathematics.

Tuition fees for this programme

Additional costs

You should expect to buy the necessary textbooks for some components of your programme.

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend a maximum of £920 to £2,257 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

See a breakdown of living costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

Funding

Featured funding

School of Mathematics scholarships

Scholarships are available for full-time undergraduates studying in the School of Mathematics. These are offered to students of outstanding ability and cover the duration of their studies, subject to satisfactory academic progress each year.

What you will study

In Years 1 and 2, you will study mathematics alongside your chosen arts, humanities or social sciences subject. At this stage, the mathematics courses are compulsory. This allows you to develop as a well-rounded mathematician and widens your options for specialisation later on. 

In the final two years of your programme, you will only study mathematics. 

Year 3 is where you can begin to specialise in an area of mathematics, while still taking some core compulsory courses. This gives you free choice of courses in Year 4 when you can specialise in your particular area of interest.

The courses listed for the individual years of study may be subject to change.

Compulsory courses

You will take 60 credits of compulsory mathematics courses:

  • Introduction to Mathematics at University
  • Introduction to Mathematical Analysis
  • Linear Algebra 1

These courses are designed to build on your knowledge of mathematics from school, introducing you to more rigorous ways of mathematical thinking required at university level. They cover a wide range of mathematics, including some applications of mathematics, so you can make informed choices at honours level.

Option courses

You will take at least 40 credits of courses of your choice from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

For the remaining 20 credits, you can choose any course, subject to availability and timetabling.

Option mathematics courses include:

  • Introduction to Data Science: you will learn to collect and explore data, before using models and predictions to make rigorous conclusions
  • Fundamentals of Algebra and Calculus: an online, introductory course that provides extra preparation in key topics from advanced high school level mathematics and supports your transition to university
Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

In Year 2, you will take 80 credits of compulsory mathematics courses that will extend your knowledge of analysis and calculus and generalise what you have seen in linear algebra. They also introduce you to probability and statistics, as well as to computational mathematics, motivated by examples from applied mathematics and optimization.

  • Linear Algebra 2
  • Elementary Probability and Statistics
  • Further Analysis and Several Variable Calculus
  • Modelling and Computing
Option outside courses

You will spend the rest of your time studying courses from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

From Year 3 onwards, you will focus on the main subject of your programme. 

You will study a number of compulsory mathematics courses. These have previously included:

  • Honours Algebra
  • Honours Analysis
  • Honours Complex Variables
  • Honours Differential Equations

These courses provide an excellent grounding in advanced mathematics and prepare you for the options available later on. 

Each honours course contains a skills component. This enables you to develop valuable employability skills such as:

  • programming
  • group work
  • presentation skills
Option courses

The rest of your time will be spent studying other courses from the School of Mathematics. You can begin to specialise and narrow your mathematical focus, or continue to study a wide range of mathematical topics.

Previous option courses have included:

  • Financial Mathematics
  • Introduction to Number Theory
  • Statistical Computing
Find Year 3 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

In Year 4, you will complete at least one piece of project-based work, allowing you to demonstrate the research and analytical skills you have developed in previous years.

This could include courses such as:

  • a research project
  • mathematical education course
  • statistical case studies course
Research project

Completing the project allows you to research a topic in-depth. You can do this as a group or individually.

Mathematical education course

You will learn about the theories of learning and teaching mathematics. Then you will put your knowledge into practice, taking short placements at local primary schools or organising revision sessions for local Advanced Higher students.

Statistical case studies course

This course allows you to undertake consultancy-style projects as part of a team. Projects will focus on data analysis problems that use complex, real-world data.

Option courses

You will also choose from a wide range of mathematics courses to create a programme that suits your particular interests and career aspirations. 

Our course offering is influenced by our school's varied research interests. We offer a large selection of courses in:

  • pure mathematics
  • applied mathematics
  • statistics
  • operational research
  • financial mathematics
  • mathematical physics
  • mathematical education

Previous course options have included:

  • General Topology
  • Numerical Ordinary Differential Equations and Applications
  • Stochastic Modelling
  • Entrepreneurship in the Mathematical Sciences
Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

You will have opportunities to study abroad through exchange programmes. Our students have recently completed placements in:

  • California
  • Sydney
  • British Columbia

Exchanges are typically taken in Year 3, before returning to Edinburgh to complete Year 4. 

What are my options for going abroad?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Mathematics is taught through a mixture of lectures and workshops. 

You will have about 15 hours of teaching each week. However, this varies depending on your year of study and your chosen outside subjects.

Lectures

In Year 1, lectures are usually interactive, and lecturers use online voting systems and encourage small-group discussions to improve your understanding of core material. 

These lectures are linked to your subject reading, so you will be familiar with the content before you attend. Lectures in later years follow a more 'traditional' lecturing style but occasionally include the voting system or other innovative teaching methods.

Workshops

Lectures are supported by small-group workshops. These sessions give you the opportunity to apply the concepts you have learned in lectures and to develop your understanding. You will work with five to six other students, with a tutor on hand to answer questions and support you.

Interactive learning

Our teaching fosters interactive engagement that promotes long-term understanding. Teaching is enhanced by technology, including voting systems and online quizzes, and we actively encourage collaborative learning.

Assessment

Mathematics courses are mostly assessed through exams.

In Years 1 and 2, these exams are primarily 'open book' exams, where you can use your textbook and notes. This allows you to concentrate on understanding and using the ideas and concepts involved, rather than memorising procedures.

In later years, there is a mixture of open and closed book exams, depending on the course.

Most mathematics courses have regular assessments throughout the year, both written and online, so you can get feedback on your progress. These typically count for a small part of your course grade.

Later in the degree programme, there are some courses available which are entirely assessed by coursework, usually in the form of reports, posters, projects or presentations.

Depending on your choice of arts, humanities or social sciences subject, you may complete other types of assessments, such as essays.

Support for your studies

You will have access to broad-ranging support from within the School of Mathematics, including:

  • drop-in Year 1 mathematics support
  • the option to take part in our peer-assisted learning scheme, MathPALS
  • the Mathematics Student Services team
  • the Student Development team

Our academic staff

The School of Mathematics has expertise in a variety of research areas, allowing you to tailor your degree to your area of mathematical interest. To find out more about our research and its applications, take a look at our Researchers on Record video series.

Researchers on Record

Where you will study

Study location

The School of Mathematics is based in the James Clerk Maxwell Building at the King's Buildings campus. Your mathematics teaching will take place at the King's Buildings campus throughout your degree programme.

Your outside subject in Years 1 and 2 will be taught on another campus, and so you will need to travel between campuses for classes.

Academic facilities

Undergraduate students in the School of Mathematics have access to dedicated study spaces, MathsBase and MathsHub.

MathsBase is a drop-in study space staffed by tutors on weekdays during the semester.

MathsHub is a suite of rooms in the James Clerk Maxwell Building for the sole use of undergraduate mathematicians as a study space.

Career paths

Our programmes focus on employability skills.

As a mathematics graduate, you will have a wide range of exciting careers open to you. Through your degree programme, you will develop skills that are highly sought-after by employers:

  • logical and analytic abilities
  • programming
  • data analysis
  • presentation skills
  • practical problem-solving

You will gain complementary skills from your arts subject in Years 1 and 2. This gives you a broader skill set to draw on in the world of work.

Our graduates

Recent graduates have gone into fields including:

  • finance (accountancy, actuarial, banking, insurance, risk, tax)
  • data science and statistics
  • IT (for example, software engineering and programming)
  • operational research
  • education

We regularly invite alumni back to share their experiences and showcase the range of careers available to you.

Enhance your CV

Within the School of Mathematics, you will have many opportunities to develop your skills and enhance your CV. For example, you can:

  • share your love of mathematics by working with the wider community as a member of our outreach team
  • join our team of Student Ambassadors and inspire prospective students
  • become a MathPALS leader and support Year 1 students
  • apply for a project scholarship and work with a lecturer during the summer

Employability support

Working in partnership with the Careers Service, academics, alumni and the business community, the Student Development Team provides activities, events and resources focused on developing skills, engaging with opportunities and building networks:

  • applications support (for example, CV writing, interview preparation, how to network)
  • specific career advice (for example, insights into actuarial careers, how to apply for PhDs)
  • interactions with recruiting organisations and alumni (for example, annual careers showcase and presentations with employers)

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

Further study is also a popular option. You can progress from this programme into masters or PhD level study in mathematics, or apply your mathematical training to postgraduate study in another subject.

Graduate profiles

Read stories on our blog from recent graduates who have shared their memories from studying mathematics at Edinburgh and how it shaped their careers so far.

Mathematics graduate profiles

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

Apply to one Mathematics degree  

Apply for only one degree in the School of Mathematics as we are only able to consider one application to this subject area. You will have the opportunity to switch between degrees in later years provided the required courses have been passed.

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

How we select applicants

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Find out more about applying through UCAS  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Applying for a visa  

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Find contact details for an education agent

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

MathSoc is the University’s Mathematics Society. The society hosts a mixture of both academic and social events throughout the year, including quizzes, bitesize lectures and collaborative events with the School of Mathematics.

Learn more about MathSoc

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life.

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

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