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Department of Mathematics

ADVANCED PROGRAM IN MATHEMATICS

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be doing only mathematics?

  • Not at all. Every Australian university, in its BSc program, requires you to get a good grounding in several sciences in the first year, and Macquarie University is no exception. In later years, you can concentrate heavily on mathematics, or you can balance it with complementary units from one or more of the other sciences.
  • The flexibility of the Macquarie University degree structure allows you to build your degree in a way that is most advantageous to your own interests and aspirations. Along with mathematics, you might study astronomy, computing, electronics, physics, chemistry or statistics, to name just a few.

Can I study some non-science subjects?

  • Of course the majority of your BSc does have to be in science subjects. But up to about a quarter of your BSc program can be in non-science areas. And for this, you can choose from many subjects offered by the University.

What degree do I get by doing the Advanced Program in Mathematics?

  • If you follow the program the whole way, you will graduate after four years with a BSc (Hons) degree and you will be ready to take off with a career in industry, or to study for a PhD and embark on a research career. Moreover, if you achieve first class honours, you not only will have a degree that is quite distinctive but you will also have a good chance of obtaining a postgraduate scholarship to support you while you undertake further studies.

What are the extra opportunities in the Advanced Program in Mathematics?

  • In the Department of Mathematics, there are special advanced units that are usually available only to students in this program. In the first year, there are two units designed specially for advanced students, in place of the normal ones.
  • In the second and third years, students in this program take the same mathematics units as other students. These provide a solid grounding in ideas and techniques that pervade the whole subject. But as the content of these core units is to a large extent dictated by the need to service other sciences, they are not able to explore the more modern and exciting developments of the subject. For this reason there are several additional units for the students in the Advanced Program in Mathematics.
  • Although these advanced units are more demanding than the ordinary ones, this is reflected in the very high proportion of High Distinction and Distinction grades awarded, so your grade point average need not suffer.
  • For some other units you are permitted to enrol a year earlier than usual. This frees up your timetable in later years and gives you more opportunity to do the things that you want.
  • In the long vacation at the end of each year, we offer a number of Vacation Scholarships to students in this program, for four to six weeks at $250 per week, tax free. Under this scheme, each student undertakes a small piece of research under the supervision of one of the staff members. This provides the student with the opportunity of experiencing the world of research and also helps the staff to get to know the student better.

What UAI will I need?

  • You will need a UAI of at least 95.

I got a UAI of over 99. Would I not be wasting it by enrolling in the Advanced Program in Mathematics?

  • There is a strange notion held by many students that one should opt for the course with the highest UAI that one can get into, otherwise "one is wasting it". This has led many students to make very unsuitable choices. Once you get above a UAI of 90, the cut-offs merely represent the equilibrium point of supply and demand and have nothing to do with the intrinsic difficulty of the course. Also, UAI's can also be a bit misleading. While it is true that a good UAI is an indicator for success there are many other factors. We have had many students in the program with very high UAI's who have done very well. But we have noticed that a couple of students with very high "force-fed" UAI's have had difficulty in coming to terms with the self-motivation required for university study. Others with good, but less spectacular, UAI's have really blossomed in the tertiary environment.

How does the Advanced Program in Mathematics compare with advanced science programs at other universities?

  • You should check what other universities can offer and compare it with what the Advanced Program in Mathematics can offer you. There is no such thing as one being better than another overall. But one can be better for you, and only you can make that decision.
  • What distinguishes the Advanced Program in Mathematics at Macquarie University is the central role it gives to mathematics. So if you intend to major in mathematics you should consider the benefit of a program which is specially focussed on your needs.

I'm not doing Mathematics Extension 2. Is that a problem?

  • Entry to the Advanced Program in Mathematics is based solely on the UAI. But it is assumed that you will have done Mathematics Extension 2 at the HSC, or its equivalent.
  • If you only have Mathematics Extension 1 but have the required UAI, you will still be accepted. What it would mean is that in first year you would not be able to take advantage of the extra opportunities. But from the second year on you will be treated exactly the same as all other students in the program.

If I do not get in now, can I get in later?

  • If you miss out on the Advanced Program in Mathematics but get accepted for the normal BSc program (UAC code 300517) and do really well in your first year mathematics, you will be invited into the Advanced Program in Mathematics in the second year. We shall also consider suitably well qualified students transferring from other universities.

Can I do an advanced BSc LLB or an advanced BSc (DipEd)?

  • Because of the small number of students wanting it, there is no specific UAC code for these combinations. You should apply for the BSc LLB or BSc (DipEd) or whatever, using the normal UAC code. If you gain the required UAI for the Advanced Program in Mathematics, then you can be included in the program, even though you remain enrolled in the other degree. Please contact Ross Street.

What about actuarial studies?

  • Like the Advanced Program in Mathematics, the Actuarial Studies Program at Macquarie University is highly regarded. However, if you are trying to decide between them, make sure you know what each of them involves. Talk to each department and make up your own mind.
  • Actuarial studies is very suitable for students who are good at mathematics but whose interests lie more in the world of commerce and who want a clearly defined career path. It is a very specialised course and normally only includes one mathematics unit.
  • The Advanced Program in Mathematics is more suitable for students who have a fundamental interest in mathematics itself, who are interested in the diversity of applications and who do not want to limit their career prospects to just one industry.
  • Overall the employment prospects for a mathematician are as good as for an actuary but the areas of employment are more diverse. The actuary generally earns more but the mathematician has more flexibilty in employment. Basically it all comes down to what sort of person you are.
  • Each year a few very good students in the final year of their Actuarial Studies Program begin, concurrently, a BSc degree within the Advanced Program in Mathematics.

But is mathematics not like a dead language?

  • Mathematics may not be the oldest profession, but it is the most ancient of academic pursuits. All of the mathematics that is taught in schools today was around over 300 years ago. Even studying at university may only get you up to the beginning of the twentieth century. No wonder the subject has the reputation for being dusty, dry and dead.
  • What the general public does not realize is that important new discoveries are being made in mathematics at an ever increasing rate. In fact several problems that remained unsolved for over a hundred years have recently been solved. And whole new branches of mathematics are just opening up. These are exciting times for mathematics.

Have computers not made mathematicians redundant?

  • Far from making mathematicians redundant, the advent of the computer has given mathematicians powerful new tools. Perhaps more importantly, it has spawned whole new areas of mathematics by raising many fundamental questions that mathematicians are ideally equipped to answer. And important new advances in computing science have been built on new areas of mathematics. So mathematics and computing are not in competition. They are in an exciting partnership.

Is Macquarie University strong in mathematical research?

  • Students are often reminded that they should choose a university not because of its research (which they may never get to see), but on the quality of its teaching. This is excellent advice. However, because of its small size, the Advanced Program in Mathematics group at Macquarie University will come more into contact with research activities than is likely at the other universities.
  • Macquarie University need make no apology for the quality of its research. In terms of research grants awarded and international reputation, Macquarie University is now, for its size, one of the leading universities in the country in many, many subject areas. And one of these is mathematics. The Department of Mathematics at Macquarie University has several staff members with distinguished international reputations, supported by many other academic staff members who are very active in research. We have excellent groups in analysis, category theory and number theory, as well as a new direction in applied mathematics.
  • But you should ignore all this! What is most important to you now is the quality of our undergraduate teaching! And that, as we are constantly reminded by ex-students and independent surveys, continues to be first class.