Detailed Course Description

General information UCL is a leading university in the UK usually placed in the top three when compared to other multi-faculty universities and probably leading the field in terms of research income. UCL is the oldest and largest university within London acting almost entirely independently yet still operating within the University of London. UCL is located in the heart of London close to the main shopping zone, to the head offices of many leading companies and also close to the financial district in the City.

The Mathematics Department at UCL is an internationally renowned department which carries out excellent individual and group research applying modelling techniques to problems in industrial, biological and environmental areas; elements of these find their way into the challenging taught courses available within the Department.

Introduction The MSc course aims to teach students the basic concepts which arise in a broad range of technical and scientific problems and illustrates how these may also be applied in a research context to provide powerful solutions. This said, the emphasis is placed on generic skills which are transferable across disciplines so that the course is a suitable foundation for anyone hoping to advance their scientific modelling skills.

The Mathematics Department at UCL is at the forefront of research and this course will allow students to experience the excitement of obtaining solutions to complex physical and other problems. Students will initially consolidate their mathematical knowledge and formulate basic concepts of modelling before moving on to case studies in which models have been developed for specific issues motivated by e.g. industrial, biological or environmental considerations.

The course will provide a unique blend of analytical and computational methods with applications at the frontiers of research. Successful students will be well placed to satisfy the growing demand for mathematical modelling in commerce and industry. The course will alternatively form a strong foundation for any student who wishes to pursue further research.

Course Structure The course lasts for one calendar year, starting in the last week of September. The course is full time consisting of taught modules which are usually examined between the end of April and beginning of June. The course consists of 5 compulsory modules, 3 optional modules, plus an individual project. Each module corresponds to approximately 30 hours of lectures.

The majority of the compulsory modules are held in the first term from late September to mid December. The optional modules are taught mostly in the second term from early January to mid March, but it is also possible take some options that are taught in the first term. Some modules may be assessed by coursework only, some by examination only, and some by a combination of both coursework and examination. All students then embark on an individual project with submission early in September. The taught modules account for 2/3 of the final mark with the project making up 1/3. A postgraduate diploma for the taught component is available as an option for those who do not wish to take the individual summer project.

The course is equivalent to 72 ECTS, on the European Credit Transfer Scheme.

Entry Qualifications The standard entry requirement for the masters course in Mathematical Modelling is a very good undergraduate degree (certainly more than 60%) in a numerate discipline, subject to case-by-case consideration. While a strong background in mathematics will be important, applications from students whose qualifications are in physics or other areas will also be welcomed and considered on individual merit.

All students are required to have a good knowledge of English (IELTS overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each subtest, TOEFL score of 237 plus 4 in essay rating). The utilisation of computers for simulation and visualisation will form a part of the course. Thus a familiarity with computers is desirable but is not essential.

Course Aims The Masters level course in Mathematical Modelling has three main aims:- To provide an understanding of the processes undertaken to arrive at a suitable mathematical model

To teach the fundamental analytical techniques and computational methods used to develop insight into system behaviour

To introduce a range (e.g. industrial, biological and environmental) of problems, associated conceptual models and their solutions.

Compulsory modules Advanced Modelling Mathematical Techniques Nonlinear Systems Operational Research Computational and Simulation Methods Frontiers in Mathematical Modelling and its Applications

Options The options for the mostly 2nd term modules from courses may be individual to each student but subject to the approval of the course coordinator. A range of options will be available for students to select within the UCL Mathematics Department but students may also take courses run by other departments such as Statistics, Economics, etc.

Some of the current UCL options likely are :- Real Fluids, Traffic Flow, Cosmology, Mathematics in Biology, Biomechanics, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Financial Mathematics, Mathematics in Economics, Applied Mathematical Finance.

Contact For application forms etc, contact any of the staff organisers:-

  • Professor Frank Smith: frank AT math.ucl.ac.uk
  • Dr Sergei Timoshin: s.timoshin AT ucl.ac.uk 
  • Professor Steve Bishop: s.bishop AT ucl.ac.uk 
  • Professor Robb McDonald: robb AT math.ucl.ac.uk