Skip to main content

Financial Mathematics BSc

Course code

GN13

GND3 with placement

Start date

September

Placement available

Mode of study

3 years full-time

4 years full-time with placement

Fees

2024/25

UK £9,250

International £21,260

Entry requirements

2024/25

ABB - ABC (A-level)

DDM and A-level in Maths or Further Maths at grade A. (BTEC)

30 (IB)

Back to top

Overview

Ranked no.4 in London for student satisfaction in mathematics by The Complete University Guide 2024.

Mathematics is a fundamental subject that is critical to our understanding of the world. Through the study of mathematics you’ll advance your problem solving skills, develop your reasoning and increase your analytical thinking. This is why mathematics forms a basis to so many careers. Yes – it is a discipline in its own right, but it is also the thinking behind countless commercial, industrial and technological activities. Mathematical models underpin engineering, the applied sciences, computing and many aspects of management today.

Follow the four-year ‘Professional Placement’ degree programme and you‘ll benefit from our extensive experience in helping students to find well-paid work placements with blue-chip companies. Our sandwich students find that their mathematical and transferable skills are in demand in many sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

Areas recently offering placements include: accountancy, aviation, banking, defence, finance, insurance, IT (software development, network management and design), management (public and private sector), marketing and telecommunications.

The Financial Mathematics BSc covers the application of mathematical methods to financial problems so if you’re looking to work in the fast-moving world of finance or commerce then this is the course for you. Two thirds of the course content focuses on developing your mathematical knowledge and skills. The rest of the course covers financial markets, corporate investment and finance.

This programme will meet the educational requirements of the Chartered Mathematician designation, awarded by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, when it is followed by subsequent training and experience in employment to obtain equivalent competences to those specified by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for taught master's degrees.

Maths-logo

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

Back to top

Course content

Two thirds of your course will be shared with the BSc in Mathematics so much of your level one will cover the broad range of mathematics with the addition of specialist finance areas such as Financial Markets and an Introduction to Data Handing for Finance. At Brunel we aim to make your transition into the university style of learning as easy as possible. So in the first few weeks of Level 1 you’ll start your learning in small groups of about 20 students.

By Level 2 you’ll be learning through lectures, seminars and in computer labs, and an individual piece of course-work will account for one third of Level 3. You’ll be able to select from a large number of projects covering a wide range of mathematical areas and applications. Your project will be supervised by a staff member. You’ll emphasise real applications or abstract theories, using theoretical and/or computational tools. If you’ve completed a placement you will be able to choose a project associated with your work experience. Examples of project titles are:

  • The very famous ‘travelling salesman problem’ (also known as ‘the lazy waiter’!);
  • Simulations of iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma and game theory
  • The mathematics of complex networks such as the web or Facebook
  • Applications of statistics to the Premier League, police complaints data and climate change

You’ll also have the opportunity to study modern theories in quantitative finance, with particular emphasis on the maths and computation underlying the powerful and influential financial derivatives (e.g. options) industry. Often termed the ‘Black-Scholes theory’, this is famous for winning its discoverers a Nobel prize, as well as for its misapplication often being blamed (rightly or wrongly) for the current worldwide financial crisis.

This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Back to top

Careers and your future

There is massive demand within financial institutions for mathematically trained graduates with an awareness of markets and their workings. The recent combination of financial deregulation, increased globalisation and technological advance has led to a huge increase in the nature and volume of financial derivatives contracts traded around the world.

As a Brunel Financial Maths graduate you will enjoy excellent employment prospects. Our combination of work experience and up-to-date teaching means that you will be well-equipped to follow the career you want after graduation.

Our combination of work experience and up-to-date teaching means that you will be well-equipped to follow the career you want after graduation.

These are some of the type of careers you could pursue:

  • Finance: banking, accountancy, actuarial, tax, underwriter, pensions, insurance
  • Medicine: medical statistics, medical and epidemiological research, pharmaceutical research
  • Design: engineering design, computer games
  • Science: biotechnology, meteorology, oceanography, pure and applied research and development
  • Civil Service: scientists (‘Fast Stream’, DSTL, DESG), GCHQ, security service, statisticians
  • Business: logistics, financial analysis, marketing, market research, sales oil industry, management consultancy, operational research
  • IT: Systems analysis, research
  • Engineering: aerospace, building design, transport planning, telecommunications, surveying.
Back to top

UK entry requirements

2024/25 entry

  • GCE A-level ABB-ABC, including grade A in Mathematics or Further Mathematics.
  • BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM, plus A-level Mathematics or Further Mathematics at Grade A.
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM in any subject with an A-level Mathematics or Further Mathematics at grade A.
  • BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D in any subject with A-levels grade AC including grade A in Mathematics or Further Mathematics.
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points, including 6 in Higher Level Mathematics. GCSE English equivalent SL 5 or HL 4
  • Obtain a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3 and A-level in Mathematics or Further Mathematics grade A.
  • T levels : Merit overall and grade A in A level Maths

For Brunel Mathematics with an Integrated Foundation Year requirements, see the course pages.

Five GCSEs at grade C or grade 4 and above are also required, to include Maths and English Language.

Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

Back to top

EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
  • BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Back to top

Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£9,250 full-time

£1,385 placement year

International

£21,260 full-time

£1,385 placement year

Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

Back to top

Teaching and Learning

How the course will be delivered

Required equipment

How you'll learn on your course

Back to top

Assessment and feedback

The ‘exams to coursework’ ratio is around 50:50 in Level 1, increasing to 70:30 in Level 3.We base your final degree class on your performance at Levels 2 and 3. Level 3 carries twice the weight of Level 2. We run weekly essential skills tests to keep you up-to-date with the theory learnt in previous lessons so you’ll feel fully prepared for your exams.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

;