Mathematics BSc Hons | University of Chester

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Course Summary

Gain heavily sought-after skills on this challenging and enjoyable course which provides you with a broad mathematical education and the skills needed for a wide variety of careers.

BSc Mathematics at the University of Chester is designed to provide you with in-demand skills such as logical reasoning, problem-solving ability, teamwork, and computational skills, all of which boost employability. Our academics have a diverse range of expertise and you will explore both pure and applied mathematics and also their computational aspects. These underpin all the current technological advances and will equip you for the careers of the future.

Small class sizes allow for personalised attention and regular feedback, creating a highly supportive learning environment for you. In the final year, you will have the opportunity to select projects from both applied and pure mathematics, with dedicated tutors providing regular one-to-one guidance. Our research-active lecturers deliver cutting-edge mathematical knowledge and are deeply committed to helping you thrive in your academic and professional journeys.

Our graduates have excellent employment prospects. In the last five years, our Mathematics graduates have successfully obtained roles in a variety of different sectors and industries from Chartered Accountants and Credit Risk Analysts to Teachers, Java Development Consultants, Utility Expense Analysts and Operational Statisticians. In addition, several of our graduates have gone on to further study for Master's or PhDs.

Why You'll Love It

Gain essential skills to prepare you for your future career

Black Male Scientist Solving Complex Mathematical Problems Standing and Writing Long Formulas on Whiteboard.

Small group teaching and student involvement

Accredited by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA)

Mathematics at the University of Chester

BSc (Hons) Mathematics

What You'll Study

Our Foundation Year in Mathematics offers a wide range of essential skills and knowledge that feeds into the following Year 1. This begins with the Term 1 module that introduces and develops your knowledge of areas such as computer hardware, software, algorithms and programming – to name just a few. You then move into Term 2, where you explore cybersecurity of software products and services, considering cyber-crime, cyber-threats and online protection. We then turn to Applied Programming and Data Science in Term 3, where you advance your computing skills and knowledge to improve your programming skills – especially in Python – and deepen your knowledge of how data science can tackle interesting and complex problems.

The Foundation Year is delivered by subject experts who take you from whatever prior knowledge and experience you have, even if you’re new to the field, and equip you with the knowledge and skills to get the most out of your continued degree

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

In Year 1, you will be exposed to a diverse range of topics, laying a solid foundation to help your transition to being an undergraduate mathematician. This will include workshops on how to read, write and learn mathematics, equipping you for lifelong learning. You will learn topics including calculus, analysis, linear algebra, ordinary differential equations, probability, statistics and programming.

In Year 2, you will explore key theoretical results from pure mathematics and important techniques in applied mathematics, which are highly valued in a variety of industries, such as linear programming and optimisations, graph theory, algebra, analysis and stochastic processes. You will have the opportunity to put your skills into practice in a work-based learning module towards the end of this year.

In Year 3, you will study topics related to the research interests of academic staff in the mathematics group and which are closely linked to real-world applications. These include partial differential equations, numerical methods and group theory. In your final year project, you will have the chance to direct your own learning and explore a mathematical topic which could have real-word impact and which you are personally interested in and passionate about. You will be supervised and guided in this by our experienced and dedicated research-active mathematicians.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, you will study 40 credits split into one or two modules. You can expect between nine and 12 hours of in-person sessions per week, depending upon level of study and the complexity of the material being taught. These will mostly be lectures, but will also include workshops, example classes, computer labs and seminars.

If studied, the Foundation Year, as with the following years of study, will be taught in three 10-week blocks across an academic year. Each block will comprise of a large 40-credit subject-specific module that includes a breadth of topics and subject skills. You will have on average 12-14 hours of contact time per week during the Foundation Year. There may be variations to this where subject practical or specialist space teaching is included.

You are expected to spend an average of 25-30 hours per week on independent study. To support you with this, we will provide detailed lecture notes and online material in addition to the books and resources in the university’s newly refurbished library. The dedicated mathematics lecturers will also offer you drop-in sessions for further one-to-one support and are always open to discussing mathematics with you.

You will be taught by the experienced, enthusiastic and innovative Mathematics staff. All our Mathematics staff are research active and internationally recognised with an extensive network of research collaborations with leading researchers in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

You can expect to be assessed in a number of different ways throughout the course. Your learning in most of your modules will be supported by assessed problem sheets and online quizzes. In addition to traditional exams, you will also learn how to give presentations, write computer programs and engage with group-work projects. Alongside this, reports and your final-year project will give you the opportunity to develop your research and communication skills, crucial for your future careers.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common first year with students on the Mathematics with Finance, Mathematics with Data Science and Mathematics with Computer Science courses.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within mathematics, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

Entry Requirements

112UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC Must include A Level Maths
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM Considered alongside A-Level Maths
International Baccalaureate	28 points - Including 5 in an appropriate HL Mathematics course
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers - H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 (Including H3 in Maths) Scottish Highers - BBBB (Including Maths at grade B)
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above, including H3 in Maths

Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72 UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	72 points
GCE A level	72 points overall, including grade D in A level Maths
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP Considered alongside A Level Maths
International Baccalaureate	24 points - Including HL Mathematics grade 4
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 (Including H$ in Maths) Scottish Highers: CCDD (Including Maths)
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall must include Mathematics

Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

There are no mandatory additional costs required to study the course. Students often elect to purchase a laptop, where students choose to do so, the cost it likely to be around £800-£1000.

Occasional, optional, field trips may be offered, depending on student demand, these are typically within the UK and where chargeable the cost is likely to be under £100. Students are not required to participate in order to successfully complete the course.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

Who You'll Learn From

Dr Yubin Yan

Associate Professor and Programme Leader in BSc Mathematics

Dr Zach Mckenzie

Senior Lecturer

Dr Justin Mcinroy

Programme Leader for MSc Mathematics

Where You'll Study Exton Park, Chester

The location

Modern learning resources and library

Seaborne library, seating and reception area.

Student Services

Fitness facilities

A male student wearing goggles is swimming in the training pool between the red rope lane marker lines.

Chapel, chaplaincy and multi-faith spaces

Accommodation

Catering

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Teacher, education sector
Maths Analyst, software development
Operational Statistician, Central Government
Information Analyst, NHS
Actuary, insurance firm
Pricing Analyst, insurance firm
Auditor, banking sector
Chartered Accountant, financial sector
Credit Risk Analyst, financial sector
Tax professional, HMRC
Java Development Consultant, industry
Software Developer, industry
Utility Expense Analyst, energy sector
Team Manager, retail sector
Business Intelligence Developer, law firm

In addition, several of our graduates have gone on to further study for Master's or PhDs.

Careers Service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extracurricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Mathematics BSc (Hons)

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