2023/24 entry
BSc (Hons) Mathematics with Finance
Why study Mathematics with Finance at Liverpool John Moores University?
- Opportunity to undertake a year's paid industrial placement
- Strong links with over 450 local and national organisations
- Very high academic and professional standing, with official commendation for excellent teaching and research standards
- £6million investment in state-of-the-art teaching facilities
- International Foundation Year course available offering direct progression onto this degree programme - visit LJMU's International Study Centre to find out more
About your course
This programme was developed in direct response to the increasing demand from employers in the financial sector for graduates with an understanding of Mathematics. In the world of finance, being able to employ high-level mathematics to help understand and model the markets makes you highly employable.
This degree has a very high academic and professional standing and the Applied Mathematics Department has been formally recognised for its high quality teaching, excellent resources and dedicated staff. The Department also boasts state-of-the-art facilities at its Byrom Street campus, with over 150 high performance computers and industry-standard software.
We aim to improve your employability wherever possible on this course, which is why practical modules are introduced at every level. Most importantly, you can spend a sandwich year on a paid work placement to get a taste of what it's really like to work in industry.
The Department's strong links with over 450 local and national organisations mean that all of its courses are designed and developed to suit the needs of employers today, as well as creating excellent work placements for students. Currently we have close ties with IBM, Airbus, Vauxhall, Kellogg's, the NHS, The Ministry of Defence and Pfizer to name but a few.
Professional accreditation/links
This programme is accredited by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), a professional body of mathematicians.
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 masters degrees.
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.
Employability
The growth in the financial services sector in the UK and internationally continues to provide students with excellent graduate recruitment opportunities.
Graduates will be able to forge successful careers within commercial and investment banks, financial services, finance companies, building societies and other fields related to mathematics and statistics.
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
We are committed to ensuring all our students experience a transformation in their employability skills and mindset and their career trajectory. A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course.
Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose. It will enable you to become more proactive, adaptable and resilient in your awareness and approach to career possibilities.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU’s state-of-the-art suite of online tools, resources and jobs board. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU’s in-house recruitment service, ensuring students can build experience whilst they study.
One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones to accelerate your job search and applications, CV and interview technique. Themed careers and employability workshops, a programme of employer events and recruitment fairs run throughout the year and students have the opportunity to hear from a range of alumni who openly share their own onward experience.
Student Futures work with businesses to create opportunities for fully funded internships which help students increase their network within the Liverpool City Region and beyond. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.
A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU’s Careers, Employability and Enterprise Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.
Go abroad
LJMU aims to make international opportunities available to every student. You may be able to study abroad as part of your degree at one of our 100+ partner universities across the world. You could also complete a work placement or apply for one of our prestigious worldwide internship programmes. If you wanted to go abroad for a shorter amount of time, you could attend one of our 1-4 week long summer schools.
Our Go Citizen Scheme can help with costs towards volunteering, individual projects or unpaid placements anywhere in the world. With all of these opportunities at your feet, why wouldn’t you take up the chance to go abroad?
Find out more about the opportunities we have available via our Instagram @ljmuglobalopps or email us at: goabroad@ljmu.ac.uk.
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What you will study on this degree
Please see guidance on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or option in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations.
Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules may also be included to provide you with an element of choice within the programme. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Level 4
Core modules
Business Mathematics & Statistics
20 credits
This module introduces basic mathematical and statistical concepts and relates them to business and accounting situations and provides a foundation for further studies in business and finance. The module will introduce different data types and approaches required for analysis and enable you to appreciate the role of statistical and mathematical methods in a business environment.
Data Exploration and Analysis
20 credits
This module covers the exploratory analysis of datasets (including basic relational database skills to extract data from appropriate sources), the use of probability to handle uncertainty and develops techniques of hypothesis testing and confidence interval construction.
Mathematical Methods
20 credits
This module will provide the basic mathematical concepts and methods needed to solve a range of problems with scientific, business and statistical applications. You will be introduced to concepts of complex numbers and their application and introduced to methods for solving ordinary first and second order differential equations.
Linear Algebra
20 credits
This module provides you with the experience of using pencil-and-paper techniques and mathematical software to solve realistic problems in Linear Algebra.
Modelling 1
20 credits
The aim of this module is to introduce you to fundamentals of algebra and functions which will be built upon throughout the year.
Modelling 2
20 credits
The aim of this module is to introduce you to mathematical modelling and analytical reasoning linked to real-world applications and introduce you to algorithms for, and practical applications of linear algebra.
Level 5
Core modules
Financial Management
20 credits
This module will provide an introduction to corporate, investment and international finance decision making.
Further Mathematical Methods
20 credits
This module continues to build on mathematical methods and elements of discrete/finite mathematics which have increasing application in science, engineering and business decision making.
Statistical Modelling
20 credits
This module covers simple and multiple linear regression, basic one and two-way Analysis of Variance models, and the process of statistical modelling.
Probability and Risk
20 credits
This module will extend your knowledge of the use of probability models to introduce the use of simulation models in order to enable you to familiarise yourself with risk techniques through which can assist decision makers in making informed decisions in the face of uncertainty.
Personal and Professional Development
20 credits
This module will familiarises you with the employment market and the expectations of employers, and develops employability skills. The module also develops advanced I.T. skills related to Mathematics and Statistics.
Differential Equations
20 credits
This module will build on differential equation theory that was introduced in Mathematical Methods. You will be introduced to systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and determine how to solve linear autonomous systems of ODEs and to introduce the concepts of asymptotic theory as a tool for analytically approximating the solution of differential equations.
Level 6
Core modules
Project
40 credits
The aim of this module is to develop and widen your experience of tackling a realistic problem selected from the domain of your programme by carrying out independent research to extend the your ability to communicate the solution to a significant problem.
Operational Research
20 credits
The aim of this module is to examine a wide range of operational research methods and your applicability to real-life problems encountered in business and industry.
International Corporate Finance
20 credits
This module will enable you to make corporate financial decisions in an increasingly volatile international marketplace, in order to increase profitability, maintain liquidity and reduce financial risk.
The module follows the growth of a company from decisions concerning the acquisition of long-term and short-term sources of finance, to the evaluation of capital investment and ultimately the international marketplace as the company seeks to expand.Optional modules
Personal Finance
20 credits
This module will provide you with a rigorous framework of personal finance needed to make personal financial decisions.
International Finance
20 credits
You will learn about international finance and be provided with a understanding of how international finance impacts on the organisation.
Statistics in the Workplace
20 credits
This module aims to give you an experience of campus-based work related learning focusing on the role of a statistician in industry and how statistical methods are applied in both manufacturing and business.
INTRODUCTION TO DATA SCIENCE
20 credits
MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
10 credits
Business Systems Analysis
20 credits
This module will integrate and extend previous learning and experience in systems investigation and development to develop competence in the investigation and design of complex or large scale business and IT systems.
Mathematical Biology
20 credits
This module will teach the application of mathematical models to a variety of problems in biology and medicine. The aims of the module are to introduce mathematical models of biological systems and techniques for analysing them.
Experimental Number Theory
20 credits
The aim of this module is to familiarise you with the concepts of number theory from a computational perspective. It seeks to introduce you to some topics in elementary number theory based on formulation of conjectures from experimental data.
ADVANCED CALCULUS
10 credits
Teaching and work-related learning
Excellent facilities and learning resources
We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.
You will begin the course with a three day induction and then spend approximately 15 hours per week in the classroom. Independent study is a fundamental element of the course and accounts for about 70% or around 35 hours of your weekly study time.
Teaching is mostly via lectures with informal lab sessions, online activities and small-group tutorials to reinforce ideas discussed in the lectures and to give you a chance to develop ideas with staff and other students.
Work-related Learning
A 12-month paid work placement in your third year gives you the ideal opportunity to get a taste of what it's really like to work in industry. Thanks to our extensive industrial links, we are able to place you with high-profile companies like Intel, Morgan Stanley and Saab where you will be able to put into practice skills learnt during your first two years and also gain new skills.
This experience will significantly enhance your CV and give you that competitive edge over other candidates when you first enter the graduate job market.
Support and guidance
Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support
This is a supportive and friendly department. Should you choose to undertake a year's work placement, this support will continue as a supervisor will stay in close contact and visit you two or three times at your workplace.
Assessment
Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.
We recognise that all students perform differently depending on how they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of exam and coursework assessment methods for each module. Typically 40% of your mark comes from coursework and 60% from an exam, although some modules could be assessed entirely by coursework depending on the nature of the subject.
Facilities
What you can expect from your School
This programme is delivered in the Byrom Street complex of LJMU’s City Campus. Here you’ll find high quality lecture theatres, meeting and seminar rooms plus social spaces and a large café. The Avril Robarts Library, open 24/7 during semester, is just minutes away on Tithebarn Street.
Entry requirements
Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements
Minimum points required from qualifications: 112
GCSE and equivalents
Prior to starting the programme applicants must have obtained Grade C or Grade 4 or above in English Language and Mathematics GCSE or an approved alternative qualification below:
- Key Skills Level 2 in English/Maths
- NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
- Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
- Higher Diploma in Maths/English
- Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths/English
- Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
- Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
A Levels
- Minimum number of A Levels required: 2
- Subject specific requirements: Mathematics A level (Grade C or above) is required
- Is general studies acceptable? Yes
- Average A Level offer: BBC
- Are AS level awards acceptable? Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- Maximum AS Level points accepted: 20
T Levels
- T Level requirements:
112 UCAS tariff points from relevant subjects. Must include appropriate mathematical content. Pleasecontact the Faculty for further information.
BTEC qualifications
- National Certificate (RQF): Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- National Extended Certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- National Diploma (RQF): Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- National Diploma subjects / grades required: D*D* from a relevant subject area is required if no other level 3 qualifications are taken (must include appropriate mathematical content)
- National Extended Diploma (RQF): Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
- National Extended Diploma subjects / grades required: DMM in a relevant subject area is required if no other level 3 qualifications are taken
Access to Higher Education Diploma
- Access to Higher Education Diploma acceptability: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
- Further information: 112 UCAS tariff points from Access to HE Diploma. Access programme must have been taken be in a relevant subject area and include appropriate mathematical content.
International Baccalaureate
- International Baccalaureate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
- Additional information: 112 UCAS tariff points incuding 5 in HL maths.
Welsh awards
- Welsh Baccalaureate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
Irish awards
- Irish Leaving Certificate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
- Grades / subjects required: 112 UCAS points from a minimum of 5 subjects
OCR Cambridge Technicals
- Technical Certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- Technical Diploma: Acceptable on its own in a relevant subject area
- Technical Extended Diploma: Acceptable on its own in a relevant subject area
- Technical Foundation Diploma: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- Technical Introductory Diploma: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
- Technical Subsidiary Diploma: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
Reduced Offer Scheme
No interview required (UCAS application form only)
IELTS6.0 (minimum of 5.5 in each component) or equivalent English language proficiency test.
International entry requirementsPlease Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.
Can this course be deferred?Yes
Is a DBS check required?No
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
We are looking for students who are keen to learn new skills and develop those they already possess. We want students with the ability to: be creative with ideas and concepts, moderate their creativity with logic, be enthusiastic and thirsty for knowledge, communicate effectively and confidently and understand and adapt to a wide range of issues connected with the subject. It is also important that students are able to manage time and tasks effectively as an individual and as part of a team, use appropriate sources to find and organise information and select and critically evaluate information in order to analyse problems.
If you would like to develop these skills further, have a strong interest in this subject area and want to work effectively within it, then this is the course for you! International applications will be considered in line with UK qualifications.
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.
Further information on the terms and conditions of any offer made, our admissions policy and the complaints and appeals process.