Programme Structure

Within our Department, our PhD students are usually encouraged to undertake our taught module, Research Methods, in the first year of study, so you are well equipped with the necessary skills to undertake effective research. A PhD (taking at least three years) typically involves wide reading round the subject area in your first year, then gradually developing original results over your second and third years, before writing them up in a coherent fashion. The resulting thesis is expected to extend the understanding of a specialist topic, and should not exceed 80,000 words in length.

We offer an MPhil programme for those who wish to make an original contribution to mathematics, though of a less substantial nature than required for the award of a PhD. The minimum period of registration for our MPhil is six terms (two years) which is awarded on the basis of a thesis with a maximum length of 50,000 words.