Hone your analytical powers and deepen your knowledge of mathematics! Umeå University offers a two-year Master's programme in Mathematics with a close connection to the mathematical research groups at the university. The programme will equip you with a solid theoretical foundation for pursuing careers in research and development, be it in government, finance, the tech industry or academia.
You will be part of a small, human-sized Master's programme and Mathematics department, giving the possibility for richer and more personal interactions between students and teachers. During their first course on the programme, incoming students choose a mentor from one of our research groups – Discrete Mathematics, Analysis and Modelling, Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. The mentor follows the student through the programme, giving advice on the choice of courses and thesis topics, as well as on applications to PhD programmes.
As a student on the programme, you have great freedom to pick and choose courses in mathematics and from related fields such as computer science, physics and statistics from a large list of electives in order to tailor your degree to you interests and future plans.
Teaching on the programme consists of a mixture of lectures, seminars and individual supervision. All teaching on the programme is done in English and by active researchers. Students on the programme also have the opportunity of taking part in a semester-long exchange abroad at partner mathematics departments in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, England, the Czech Republic, China, South Korea, Turkey and Kazakhstan as part of their studies.
After a semester of common courses and two semesters of electives, students spend their final semester working on a Master’s Thesis in one of our areas of research expertise: Discrete Mathematics, Analysis and PDE theory, Financial Mathematical, Numerical Analysis and Computational Mathematics, Mathematical Modelling of Evolution and Biological Phenomena, Machine Learning, Optimisation and Mathematical Programming, Data Science and Mathematical Statistics.
The programme's greatest draw is its close connection to the life of the research groups in the department, which we hope you will take full advantage of. As a student on the programme, you will be able to work on research and thesis projects with some of our young and highly successful researchers, and to use the mentoring system as a gateway into the world of research.
In this digital age, mathematical skills are in high demand across the economy. In addition some of our core, profile and elective courses, and much of our research, lie in exciting "hot topic" areas such as network science, modelling, financial mathematics, numerical analysis, artificial intelligence and big data. The employment prospects of our graduates are thus excellent.
Finally, Umeå provides a highly attractive environment for studying. It is a young and fast growing city of around 120 000 inhabitants, of whom over 35 000 are students. This makes for a rich cultural life, with many pubs, cafés, restaurants, concerts and festivals. The city is home to Norrlands Opera and to Bildmuseet, a museum of contemporary art and visual culture. In 2014, Umeå shared with Riga the distinction of being the European capital of culture.
The city is small, extremely safe and well-run, with an extensive network of bicycle paths allowing its denizens to cycle all year round. It is surrounded by beautiful nature – from the Umeå river, which freezes over in winter and becomes criss-crossed with cross-country skiing tracks, to Nydala lake and the Gammlia forest within the city limits, and to the vast and largely unspoiled countryside of forests, lakes and seashore just outside it. And of course studying in Umeå allows you to experience the Swedish way of life, with its well-delineated seasons and traditions, from Sankta Lucia in the dark of December to Midsommar in the overflowing light of June, with coffee and cinnamon buns throughout.
Read more about the Department and Umeå University
Core courses in Mathematics:
Research in the Mathematical Sciences, 7.5 credits
Probability Theory, 7.5 credits
Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations, 7.5 credits
Stochastic Differential equations. 7.5 credits
Degree projects in Mathematics:
Thesis Project for a Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) in Mathematics, 15 credits
Thesis Project for a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) in Mathematics, 30 credits
Elective courses in Mathematics:
Extremal and probabilistic combinatorics, 7,5 credits
Algebraic and geometric combinatorics, 7.5 credits
Enterprise Risk Management, 15 credits
Financial Mathematics, 7.5 credits
Graph Theory, 7,5 credits
Integer Programming, 7.5 credits
Integration Theory, 7.5 credits
Monte Carlo Methods for Financial Applications, 7.5 credits
Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations, 7.5 credits
Probability Theory, 7.5 credits
Stochastic Differential equations. 7.5 credits
The Finite Element Method, 7.5 credits
Transform methods, 7.5 credits
A Mathematical Introduction to Machine Learning, 7.5 credits
Continuous Optimization, 7.5 credits
Elective courses in Mathematical Statistics:
Statistical learning with high dimensional data analysis, 7.5 credits
Time Series and Spatial Statistics, 7.5 credits
Stationary Stochastic processes, 7.5 credits
Current Research in Mathematical Statistics, 7.5 credits
Inference theory, 7.5 credits
Elective courses in Computing Science:
Computational Complexity, 7.5 credits
Efficient Algorithms, 7.5 credits
Matrix Computations and Applications, 7.5 credits
Engineering Optimization, 7.5 credits
Elective courses in Physics:
Computational Fluid Dynamics, 7.5 credits
Modelling and Simulation, 7.5 credits
Modelling the Dynamics of Living Systems, 7.5 credits
Monte Carlo Simulations of Critical Phenomena in Physics, 7.5 credits
Information, networks and markets, 7.5 credits
There is flexibility to mix and match courses from the various profiles of the programme, and from mathematical statistic, physics and computer science. Your mentor will help you choose a tailor-made set of courses from the available options.
In addition to the regular courses listed above, we offer other advanced-level courses on a more ad hoc basis, with topics covered in recent years including Differential Geometry, Measure Theory and Combinatorial Number Theory. Students on the programme may also replace suggested courses with courses from the sister programme in Mathematical statistics or take advanced undergraduate courses in Topology, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Graph Theory, Number Theory and Algebraic Structures if they have not taken such courses before.
Graduates of a master’s programme in mathematics have a wide range of opportunities available to them. Mathematicians and mathematical skills are highly sought-after in finance and in IT, for example, and in research and development more generally. And of course a master’s programme is a natural springboard for entering a PhD programme and pursuing an academic career.