(Full time) 2022 start
Mathematics and Music BSc
Coronavirus information for applicants and offer holders
We hope that by the time you’re ready to start your studies with us the situation with COVID-19 will have eased. However, please be aware, we will continue to review our courses and other elements of the student experience in response to COVID-19 and we may need to adapt our provision to ensure students remain safe. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, regularly visit our website, which we will continue to update as the situation changes www.leeds.ac.uk/covid19faqs
Overview
Links between mathematics and music have been known since the time of Pythagoras. From the vibration of a guitar string and the analysis of a rhythmic pattern to the use of randomness in 20th-century experimental music, mathematics continues to impact music at every level. This course provides a thorough grounding in mathematics, music, and the deep connections between them.
Your time will be divided roughly equally between the School of Mathematics and the School of Music. The School of Music is home to internationally recognised scholars and composers, first-class resources, and extensive facilities. It also has a very active performance life, with a free lunchtime concert series and formal collaborations with external organisations such as Opera North. The School of Mathematics has extensive research interests, allowing you the freedom to study modules across statistics, applied mathematics and pure mathematics.
Course highlights
Our courses are shaped by our leading research in areas such as probability and financial mathematics, modern applied statistics, and analysis.
Learn from world-renowned experts at the School of Music, ranked top 10 in the UK for Music (Complete University Guide 2021)
Access to modern facilities and computing equipment throughout the school, complemented by social areas, communal problem-solving spaces and quiet study rooms
Enjoy a programme of performances, concerts and cultural events throughout the year
Small tutorial groups to support the teaching, so you get regular feedback from the academic staff helping you solve any problems that you might have with a particular topic.
Programme team
Programme leader, Dr Rob Sturman, is an applied mathematician with his research fields in dynamical systems, chaos theory, and applications to fluid mixing problems. His musical history is long and varied. He has been a tenor in many choirs and plays the piano, organ and tuba, and used to conduct the student union choir in Leeds.
With colleagues in the School of Music, Dr Sturman designed the Mathematics and Music degree at Leeds to allow coherent pathways through the programme. For example, pairing the applied mathematics of Fourier theory and differential equations with music technology and acoustics; or allowing musical composition to be complemented by the pure mathematical structures of group theory and abstract algebra.
Specialist facilities
The School of Music has its own purpose-built facilities complete with rehearsal, performance, and practice spaces and lecture theatres. At the heart of the School is the Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, a beautiful performance space with a multi-channel sound system for the live projection of electronic music, comprising a large array of top-of-the-range Genelec loudspeakers. Our entire international concert series programme is free to students.
Enhancing your degree
This course offers you the opportunity to spend a year working in industry or studying at a university abroad, both of which provide valuable experience and help your personal development. Both of these schemes add an additional year to your course, taking the total course length to 4 years.
Course content
On this course, you will study in-depth modules in both subjects side by side, developing an appreciation for the ways mathematics and music complement and interact with one another. Your time will be divided roughly equally between modules from both subjects.
Discovery modules are available in all years of your degree, as long as you are taking enough credits of your own subject for that year.
Year one
During the first year, you will study key mathematics topics, including calculus, differential equations and linear algebra, plus you’ll have the option to study geometry or probability and statistics. Your studies in music will develop your awareness of the academic research skills necessary to study music at degree level. You'll have optional modules in music from which to choose.
Year two
Progressing into the second year, you’ll study the mathematics of music, vector calculus and music in context, as well as the optional modules that you select. You’ll have the freedom to study optional modules from a wide range in both subjects. Your music studies could explore the psychology of listening and performance or interpreting music. In mathematics, modules are available across the major branches of the subject.
At the end of year two, you will have the opportunity to complete an industrial placement or study abroad, which will extend your degree by 12 months.
Year three
In your final year, you’ll have the chance to undertake a project, which could be focused on mathematics or music. You’ll have a great deal of independence in shaping your studies due to the variety of optional modules available to you, allowing you to specialise in your particular areas of interest.
See examples of recent projects on our Research-based degrees webpage.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Calculus and Mathematical Analysis 10 credits
- Numbers and Vectors 10 credits
- Introductory Linear Algebra 10 credits
- Modelling with Differential Equations 10 credits
- Music Research Skills 20 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Introduction to Geometry 10 credits
- Interest Rates and Cashflow Modelling 15 credits
- Probability and Statistics I 10 credits
- Probability and Statistics II 10 credits
- Understanding Music 20 credits
- Music in History and Culture 20 credits
- Composition 20 credits
- Performance 20 credits
- Ensemble Performance 20 credits
- Sound, Technology, and Music 20 credits
- Introduction to the Psychology of Music 20 credits
Year 2
Compulsory modules
- The Mathematics of Music 10 credits
- Vector Calculus 15 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Real Analysis 15 credits
- Groups and Vector Spaces 15 credits
- Rings and Polynomials 10 credits
- Logic 10 credits
- Logic with Computation 15 credits
- Geometry of Curves and Surfaces 10 credits
- Discrete Mathematics 10 credits
- Discrete Mathematics with Computation 15 credits
- Linear Differential Equations and Transforms 15 credits
- Nonlinear Differential Equations 10 credits
- Financial Mathematics: Risk 10 credits
- Financial Mathematics: Markets 10 credits
- Numerical Analysis 10 credits
- Numerical Analysis with Computation 15 credits
- Fluid Dynamics 1 10 credits
- Calculus of Variations 10 credits
- Statistical Methods 10 credits
- Statistical Modelling 10 credits
- Environmental Statistics 10 credits
- Introduction to Markov Processes 10 credits
- Survival Analysis 10 credits
- Mathematics into Schools 10 credits
- Maths at Work 10 credits
- Computational Mathematics 10 credits
- Interpreting Music 20 credits
- Music in the Judeo-Christian Tradition 20 credits
- British Music and National Identity 20 credits
- Music, Culture, Politics: the Long Sixties 20 credits
- The Tools of Music Making 20 credits
- Music and Culture in Late Seventeenth-Century London 20 credits
- Duke Ellington and the Twentieth-Century Jazz Environment 20 credits
- Composition 20 credits
- Performance 20 credits
- Ensemble Performance 20 credits
- Notation and Editing 20 credits
- Aesthetics and Criticism 20 credits
- Music Technology Skills and Techniques 20 credits
- Music in Context A 20 credits
- Music in Context B 20 credits
- Music in Practice 20 credits
- Music in Practice 20 credits
- Music in Practice 20 credits
- Film-Score Creation and Production 20 credits
- Opera North: Opera in Practice 20 credits
- Synthesizer Ensemble 20 credits
- The Psychology of Listening and Performance 20 credits
- Music Students into Schools 20 credits
Year 3
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Mathematics Education 10 credits
- Real Analysis 15 credits
- Groups and Vector Spaces 15 credits
- Rings and Polynomials 10 credits
- Logic 10 credits
- Logic with Computation 15 credits
- Geometry of Curves and Surfaces 10 credits
- Discrete Mathematics 10 credits
- Discrete Mathematics with Computation 15 credits
- Nonlinear Differential Equations 10 credits
- Financial Mathematics: Risk 10 credits
- Financial Mathematics: Markets 10 credits
- Numerical Analysis 10 credits
- Numerical Analysis with Computation 15 credits
- Fluid Dynamics 1 10 credits
- Introduction to Optimisation 10 credits
- Calculus of Variations 10 credits
- Statistical Methods 10 credits
- Statistical Modelling 10 credits
- Environmental Statistics 10 credits
- Introduction to Markov Processes 10 credits
- Survival Analysis 10 credits
- Mathematics into Schools 10 credits
- Computational Mathematics 10 credits
- Project in Mathematics 20 credits
- History of Mathematics 15 credits
- Calculus in the Complex Plane 15 credits
- Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics 20 credits
- Graph Theory 15 credits
- Number Theory 15 credits
- Groups and Symmetry 15 credits
- Proof and Computation 15 credits
- Differential Geometry 15 credits
- Models and Sets 15 credits
- Combinatorics 15 credits
- Coding Theory 15 credits
- Commutative Rings and Algebraic Geometry 15 credits
- Metric and Function Spaces 15 credits
- Hilbert Spaces and Fourier Analysis 15 credits
- Topology 15 credits
- Transformation Geometry 15 credits
- Hamiltonian Systems 15 credits
- Mathematical Methods 15 credits
- Linear and Non-Linear Waves 15 credits
- Hydrodynamic Stability 15 credits
- Quantum Mechanics 15 credits
- Dynamical Systems 15 credits
- Nonlinear Dynamics 15 credits
- Analytic Solutions of Partial Differential Equations 15 credits
- Introduction to Entropy in the Physical World 15 credits
- Geophysical Fluid Dynamics 15 credits
- Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 15 credits
- Modern Numerical Methods 15 credits
- Numerical Methods 15 credits
- Discrete Systems and Integrability 15 credits
- Actuarial Mathematics 1 15 credits
- Actuarial Mathematics 2 15 credits
- Relativity and Cosmology 15 credits
- Mathematical Biology 15 credits
- Evolutionary Modelling 15 credits
- Fluid Dynamics 2 15 credits
- Linear Regression and Robustness 15 credits
- Statistical Theory 15 credits
- Stochastic Calculus for Finance 15 credits
- Time Series 10 credits
- Bayesian Statistics 10 credits
- Generalised Linear Models 10 credits
- Analysing Music 20 credits
- Analysing Music 40 credits
- The Supernatural in Opera 20 credits
- Special Study in Musicology A 20 credits
- Special Study in Musicology B 20 credits
- Music and Postcolonial Politics 20 credits
- Music as Performance: People, Bodies and Instruments 20 credits
- Dissertation 40 credits
- Composition 40 credits
- Performance Platform 20 credits
- Ensemble Performance 20 credits
- Applied Project 20 credits
- Performance 40 credits
- Editing and Source Studies 20 credits
- Editing and Source Studies 40 credits
- Contemporary Aesthetics 20 credits
- Contemporary Aesthetics 40 credits
- Music Technology 40 credits
- Music in the Real World 20 credits
- Opera North: Opera in Practice 20 credits
- Music Psychology 40 credits
- Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics 20 credits
- Cosmology 15 credits
- Molecular Simulation: Theory and Practice 15 credits
- Advanced Quantum Mechanics 15 credits
- Dynamics of Weather Systems 10 credits
- Inverse Theory 10 credits
- Atmosphere and Ocean Climate Change Processes 10 credits
Discovery modules
Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.
This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.
Learning and teaching
You’ll be taught through lectures, tutorials, workshops and practical classes. You’ll enjoy extensive tutorial support and have freedom in your workload and options.
We offer a variety of welcoming spaces to study and socialise with your fellow students. There’s a café, social and group study areas, a library and a seminar room, as well as a Research Visitors Centre and a Mathematics Active Learning Lab.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.
You can also benefit from support to develop your academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.
Watch our taster lectures to get a flavour of what it’s like to study at Leeds:
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
You’re assessed through a range of methods, including formal exams and in-course assessment.
Entry requirements, fees and applying
Entry requirements
A-level: AAB including Music and grade A in Mathematics.
Where an A-Level Science subject is taken, we require a pass in the practical science element, alongside the achievement of the A-Level at the stated grade.
As standard, we expect that you’ll have studied Music to A level or equivalent. However, if you haven’t we may still be able to consider your application providing you have, as a minimum, ABRSM Grade 8 practical qualification and evidence of musical literacy (e.g. Grade 5 music theory or equivalent). You should also have studied A level or equivalent at least one essay-based subject.
GCSE: You must also have GCSE English at grade C (4) or above (or equivalent). We will accept Level 2 Functional Skills English in lieu of GCSE English.
Other course specific tests:Extended Project Qualification and International Project Qualification: Whilst we recognise the value of these qualifications and the effort and enthusiasm that applicants put into them, we do not currently include them as part of our offer-making. We do, however, encourage you to provide further information on your project in your personal statement.
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Access to HE Diploma
Normally only accepted in combination with grade A in A Level Mathematics or equivalent.
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BTEC
BTEC qualifications in relevant disciplines are considered in combination with other qualifications, including grade A in A-level mathematics, or equivalent
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Cambridge Pre-U
D3/M1/M1 or D2/M1/M2, including Music, and where the first grade quoted is in Mathematics.
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International Baccalaureate
35 points overall with 17 at Higher Level including 6 in Higher Level Mathematics (Mathematics: Analytics and Approaches is preferred).
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Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)
H1 in Mathematics, H2 grades in three other subjects including Music, and H3 grades in two further subject in your Irish Leaving Certificate. If you have not taken Music at Higher Level (especially if it isn't taught at your school or college), you should have at least one essay-based subject, as well as a minimum ABRSM Grade 5 music theory and Grade 8 practical qualifications.
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Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers
Suitable combinations of Scottish Higher and Advanced Highers are acceptable. A typical offer is AAABB including Advanced Higher Music and grade A in Advanced Higher Mathematics. If you have not taken Music (especially if it isn’t taught at your school or college), you should have at least one essay-based subject, as well as a minimum ABRSM Grade 5 music theory and Grade 8 practical qualifications.
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Other Qualifications
We also welcome applications from students on the Northern Consortium UK International Foundation Year programme, the University of Leeds International Foundation Year, and other foundation years with a high mathematical content. Read more on the School Foundation year programmes page.
Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.
Alternative entry
We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.
Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.
Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.
Typical Access to Leeds offer: ABC including A in Mathematics, B in Music, and C in a third A-level, plus successful completion of Access to Leeds scheme.
If you do not have the formal qualifications for immediate entry to one of our degrees, you may be able to progress through a foundation year. We offer a Studies in Science with a Foundation Year BSc for students without a science background at A-level and an Interdisciplinary Science with Foundation Year BSc for applicants who meet specific widening participation criteria.
International
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information
International Foundation Year
International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
How to apply
Apply to this course through UCAS. The institution code for the University of Leeds is L23. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.
Read our general admissions guidance.
We may consider applications submitted after the deadline. Availability of courses in UCAS Extra will be detailed on UCAS at the appropriate stage in the cycle.
Read our guidance about applying and writing your personal statement.
International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Applicant days
Suitable applicants will be invited to an applicant day, which is not mandatory, but for which we strongly encourage attendance, as this gives you the opportunity to meet our staff and students, explore the School and University and find out more about your course.
After you apply we will send you a link to book your place on the applicant day, but please let us know as soon as possible if you cannot attend, so your place can be allocated to another applicant.
If you have non-standard qualifications, or when there is no evidence of recent mathematical study, a 30-minute interview and/or a 90-minute test covering the core A-level Mathematics syllabus may be part of the selection procedure. This is to ensure that the course is suitable for you and that your current studies have prepared you for the curriculum at Leeds. If you are unable to attend, a telephone or Skype interview may be arranged. For further information, read our admissions policy.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2022
Fees
UK: See fees section below
International: £23,000 (per year)
Tuition fees for UK students starting in 2022/23
For UK full-time students starting in 2022, the fee for 2022/23 will be £9,250.
The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the Government and may vary if policy changes.
Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs
Financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.
Career opportunities
Recent graduates from the School of Mathematics have secured positions at organisations including:
Lloyds Banking Group
IBM
Deloitte
HMRC
Marks and Spencer
PwC
Morgan Stanley
Ministry of Defence
In virtually all areas of life, mathematical skills are highly valued. The numerical, analytical and problem solving skills you will develop, as well as your specialist subject knowledge and your ability to think logically, are highly valued across sectors, including financial services, IT, software design, data analysis, engineering, and teaching. This course also allows you to develop the transferable skills that employers seek.
Careers support
At Leeds we help you to prepare for your future from day one. Our Leeds for Life initiative is designed to help you develop and demonstrate the skills and experience you need for when you graduate. We will help you to access opportunities across the University and record your key achievements so you are able to articulate them clearly and confidently.
You will be supported throughout your studies by our dedicated Employability team, who will provide you with specialist support and advice to help you find relevant work experience, internships and industrial placements, as well as graduate positions. You’ll benefit from timetabled employability sessions, support during internships and placements, and presentations and workshops delivered by employers.
You will also have full access to the University’s Careers Centre, which is one of the largest in the country.
Visit our Careers and employability page to find out more.
There are also plenty of exciting ways you can volunteer during your time at Leeds. Find out more at the Leeds University Union website.
Study abroad and work placements
Study abroad
On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America.
Find out more at the Study Abroad website.
The optional study abroad year takes place between years two and three and will extend your studies by 12 months. You will return to Leeds to complete your final year of study.
Work placements
Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.
Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.
An industrial placement year is a great way to help you decide what kind of career you might like when you graduate. As well as giving you the opportunity to develop your skills, you’ll gain a real insight into working life in a particular company or sector.
With the help and support of our dedicated Employability team, you can choose to undertake a salaried industrial placement year at one of the 100+ companies that we work with. If you decide to undertake a placement year this will extend your period of study by 12 months and, on successful completion, you will be awarded the ‘industrial’ variant in your degree title to demonstrate your added experience to future employers.
Below are examples of placements Mathematics students have recently completed:
Analytical Officer – NHS England & NHS Improvement
Modelling & Simulation Section Head – Covance
Credit Risk Analyst – Lloyds Banking Group
Finance Director – The Walt Disney Company
Business Relationships Manager – Network Rail
Aftersales Planning Manager – Volkswagen Group UK
During your industrial placement you will have an industrial supervisor from within the company, plus an academic supervisor who will keep in touch throughout your placement.
Find out more about Industrial placements.