Mathematics

Modules and Teaching

• One year full-time or one year part-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

  Course structure

  Graduate Certificate:

  You must complete modules worth a total of 60 credits, consisting of two 30-credit modules or one 30-credit and two 15-credit modules at Level 6 (final-year undergraduate level).

  Graduate Diploma:

  You must complete modules worth a total of 120 credits:

  • one at Level 5 or 6 (30 credits) or two at Level 5 (15 credits each)
  • three (30 credits each) or four (two of 30 credits each and two of 15 credits each) at Level 6.

  Graduate Certificate indicative option modules

  • Calculus 3: Transforms & Models
  • Data Science
  • Problems in Mathematics
  • Statistics: Theory and Practice

  Graduate Diploma indicative option modules - Level 5

  • Algebra 2
  • Mathematical Reasoning and Discrete Structures
  • Multivariable Calculus
  • Number Theory and Cryptography
  • Statistical Inference

  Graduate Diploma indicative option modules - Level 6

  • Calculus 3: Transforms & Models
  • Data Science
  • Problems in Mathematics
  • Real Analysis
  • Statistics: Theory and Practice

• Teaching

  We encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching to help ensure you have the best learning experience and provide a range of different modes of learning to help you juggle study with work and other commitments.

  Find out more about our teaching and teaching hours.

  What are the methods of teaching?

  Lectures and seminars. Examinations are held in May and June. You will work on your project throughout the course, and submit the final dissertation in September (at the end of your second year if studying part time).

• How will I be assessed?

  Each module will have a daytime examination at the end of the year. There will also be regular assessed coursework, usually contributing 20% of the marks for the module. Normally this will consist of two to four take-home exercise sets.

  Please see individual modules for more details.

  Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above) in a quantitative discipline, such as science or economics, or a joint degree containing some mathematics.

In exceptional circumstances, candidates without a first degree in a quantitative discipline may be admitted, provided they have equivalent-level qualifications or professional experience that convinces the admissions team that the course is suitable for them.

• What are the English language requirements?

  If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

  If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

  Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

• What are the visa and funding requirements?

  If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

  The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

  • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
  • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

  International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

  As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

  For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

  Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

  Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

• Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

  If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

Fees

• Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

  If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

• Can I apply for an international scholarship?

  We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. View Birkbeck's available scholarships.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this mathematics course, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess problems logically and approach them analytically
• highly developed quantitative skills
• an ability to transfer knowledge and expertise from one context to another
• comprehension of conceptual and abstract material.

Graduates can pursue career paths in the financial sector, actuarial profession, IT and computing, teaching and academia. Possible professions include:

• actuary
• statistician
• chartered accountant
• corporate investment banker
• investment analyst
• quantity surveyor
• teacher.

Student support

How to apply

• When should I apply?

  You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

  You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

• How can I get help with my application?

  Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

  Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

• International agents

  If you are an international agent applying to Birkbeck on behalf of an international student, please use Birkbeck's agent portal.