Andrew Lewis-Pye

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Applicable Mathematics. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

The Dissertation in Mathematics is an individual, substantial project as an introduction to mathematical research methods. The student will investigate and study an area of mathematical research or application of advanced mathematical techniques, and to write a report on their findings. The project may include some programming. The dissertation topic will normally be proposed by the Department.

A minimum of 15 hours of lectures/seminars across the Michaelmas and Lent terms. This year, some or all of this teaching will be delivered through a combination of virtual classes and lectures delivered as online videos. The ratio of lecture time and seminar time varies each week. Seminars do not include personal supervision time, which is scheduled independently with student supervisors.

Several seminars will include presentations by members of the Department of Mathematics on proposed topics for dissertations that they would be interested in supervising. Additional seminars will cover important aspects of writing a dissertation in mathematics, including: what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, the use of libraries for research, electronic research, general aspects of writing mathematics, and preparing a manuscript using mathematical text processing software (in particular, LaTeX). Each student will be assigned a supervisor who will monitor their progress and provide appropriate guidance thorough the LT, ST, and over the summer.

Students will be expected to produce an initial report (in LT) and an interim report (in ST) for which feedback will be provided.

Detailed suggestions for reading will be provided by the supervisor.

Dissertation (90%) in the LT and ST.
Oral examination (10%) in the ST.

Assessment is primarily based entirely on the Dissertation, three hard copies and one electronic copy of which must be submitted by early September (exact date to be specified later). The report may include some software relating to the project. Detailed information about the required format for this submission will be provided during the Seminars.

At the end of summer term, each student will give a presentation to an audience of two members of staff on the topic of their dissertations. If restrictions mean that presentations cannot be given in person this year, then they will be recorded and uploaded for assessment. The presentation will be graded and worth 10% of the course grade. Students will be given support in the seminars on how to prepare, how to present and what is expected.