Training is provided through individual supervision of research, by advanced seminar courses and conferences, and through MAGIC taught courses (see below). The PhD degree involves a qualifying dissertation submitted during the second year of study. We expect students to give seminars, attend conferences and present papers, preparing them for professional life.
A successful PhD student will produce independent and original research work which should contribute to knowledge in the field of study. Studying for a PhD is an exciting and extremely rewarding experience.
The School of Mathematics is a founding member of MAGIC, the ‘Mathematics Access Grid: Instruction and Collaboration’. This is an interactive video conferencing resource, which is used to present lectures to postgraduate students across the whole of England. Our postgraduate lectures are broadcast to about 20 English universities and our students have the opportunity to collaborate with students and academics in other universities. This is a very exciting development and means that postgraduate students will have access to lecturers not available on their own campus.
All PhD students must take five 10 credit graduate level courses during their first three years of study. These are typically MAGIC courses, but they can also be courses presented at Summer Schools or final year undergraduate courses.
We have a vibrant postgraduate society called BUMPS which provides an active social network for research students. Particularly popular is the Friday afternoon Cake Club which involves Cake baking and tasting.