What careers can Maths lead to?
It is no surprise that that there are very few jobs entitled “Mathematicians”. However, Maths can lead you
to some of the most exciting and well-paid careers. It
is important that you understand the opportunities
available to you.
- Actuary and Insurance:
Insurance Risk Manager, Insurance
broker, Actuary.
- Art, Design, Music:
Music Computer game designer, Multimedia Specialist, Designer.
- Business consultancy and operational research:
research
Data Analyst, Actuary, Management Consultant.
- Engineering:
Engineering Aerospace, Medical, Sport, Mechanical, Electrical and Marine Engineer, Technical
Brewer, Design Engineer.
- Finance and Banking:
Banking Investment Banker, Auditor, Stock Broker, Credit Manager.
- IT and Computers:
Computers Computer Games tester,
Forensic Computer Analyst, Web designer, IT
product developer.
Information for parents
As not all school and colleges offer Further Mathematics many parents are not aware of how useful and important AS and A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics can be to their children.
- Your children may not find out about Further Mathematics until it is too late, which may compromise their
choice of university course and their future career.
- If your children’s school or college does not offer Further
Mathematics, from Jan 2011 your son or daughter may
get access to AS/A level Further Mathematics tuition
through the FMSP Wales tutor. Please contact your FMSP
Area Coordinator for more information or visit:
www.furthermaths.org.uk/wales.php.
- The FMSP Wales tutors are
experts in teaching and learning
Mathematics at this level and
are interviewed and approved by
the FMSP Wales.
- Medicine and Health:
Health Medical Statistician and
Physicist.
- The Natural and Life Sciences:
Sciences Bioinformatician, Climatologist, Oceanographer, Uncertainty Analyst.
In the words of employers:
“As a technology company operating in global
markets we depend on our people’s analytical and technical skills and the ability to
recruit people with Mathematics-rich degrees will be a great boost to our future
development.” Kevin Smith, Founder and
Operations Director of CyDen Ltd, Swansea.
“A good numerical aptitude is essential in
understanding the importance of the price
we sell our products and what our costs
are and how the company makes a profit.
The more we know about the numbers
that affect our business the more we can
learn from the past and plan our future. A
-level Mathematicians bring a logical
approach to business problems.” Steven
Lowe, co-founder and General Manager
of Bodywise (UK) Ltd.
Further Mathematics
Support Programme Wales
Wales Institute of Mathematical and
Computational Sciences
Suite 105, Digital Technium, Swansea University
Singleton Park, Swansea. SA2 8PP
Phone: 01792 606609
E-mail: [email protected]
Webpage: www.furthermaths.org.uk/wales.php
Further Mathematics
Support Programme Wales
Let Maths take you Further...
Why Study
Further
Mathematics?
What is Further Mathematics?
Further Mathematics is an A-level course valuable for
all students planning to study Maths related degrees,
such as Science, Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science.
An AS/A level qualification in Further Mathematics
both broadens and deepens the Mathematics covered
in AS/A level Mathematics.
AS level Further Mathematics is designed to be learnt
alongside AS level Mathematics in Year 12. It can also
be taken up as a new AS subject alongside A2 Mathematics in Year 13.
Is A-level Maths not enough? Do I
really need Further Maths?
- You will have the chance to
study more Applied Maths that
will be directly relevant to your
career, and to the Maths you
may study at university.
- Students who take Further
Maths almost always get a
better grade at A-level Maths.
- Students with a qualification in Further Maths find
their first year at university much easier and progress
better.
- In England some universities (e.g. Imperial College,
Warwick University, some Cambridge and Oxford Colleges) now require Further Maths to at least AS level
for studying certain Maths-related degrees.
- More and more universities offer incentives to students to encourage them to study Further Maths. (To
find out what the universities say about Further Maths
please
visit
www.furthermaths.org.uk/
universities.php.)
- Studying Further Mathematics is a fascinating
thought-provoking Mathematical journey.
Does your school or college offer A level Further Mathematics?
Check with your local school or college if they offer A-level
Further Mathematics. It may be offered under a different
name, such as Double Maths, Extra Maths or Pure and Applied Maths.
If you cannot get access to Further Mathematics through your
local school or college, from January 2011 you may get Further Maths tuition through the Further Mathematics Support
Programme (FMSP) Wales www.furthermaths.org.uk/
wales.php
Your FMSP Wales tutor will offer you the following tuition models:
- Tutors visit you in your school or college.
- You attend lessons organised at a local
university, school or college.
- Online sessions. To find out more about the
online option visit:
http://www.furthermaths.org.uk/online.php.
- Support via email, fax and telephone.
The FMSP Wales is a three year pilot project funded by the
Welsh Assembly Government. Tuition will be offered in the
counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and
Neath Port Talbot and includes schools and colleges near the
boundaries of those counties.
To arrange tuition with the FMSP Wales please contact
[email protected]
In the words of a year 12 student:
“I joined my school’s Further Maths class by chance, a few
weeks into Year 12; I saw FM mentioned on a university prospectus and asked my Statistics teacher about it, who put me
in touch with the after-school class. It’s been an excellent
experience, introducing me to some more interesting mathematics, and learning more advanced calculus and trigonometry has also made my regular Maths stronger. I'll be taking
Further Maths A2 next year, and will apply for Maths and
Philosophy at Oxford this October”. Robert Day, Year 12.
Can you solve this?
Question: If 2n and 5n (where n is a positive integer) have
the same initial digit, what is this digit? Numbers are written in standard decimal notation, with no leading zeroes.
Hint: Consider 2n × 5n
Solution: The digit must be 3! A reasoned solution can be
seen at www.furthermaths.org.uk/challenge.php.
Useful links
For more information on
Further Mathematics be
sure to visit Student Area on
www.furthermaths.org.uk
www.mathscareers.org.uk,
www.maths-jobs.co.uk,
www.careercast.com – are the most useful for information
related to Maths careers. They have a large number of
career profiles of people working in many different sectors.
www.futuremorph.org – is designed to show you just some
of the amazing and unexpected places that studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths can take you.
www.wolframalpha.com – this 'mathematical' search engine can answer even very smart Maths questions. Enter
your question or calculation and WolframAlpha will use its
computational power and ever growing collection of
knowledge to compute the answer. Be creative!
In the words of a famous Mathematician:
“Many who have never had an opportunity of knowing any more
about Mathematics confuse it with
Arithmetic, and consider it an arid
science. In reality, however, it is a
science which requires a great
amount of imagination.” Sofia
Kovalevskaya, the first woman appointed to a full professorship in
Mathematics in Northern Europe.