Our BSc Finance and Mathematics (including foundation year) course will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your academic skills in order to support your academic performance.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study three academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module, with additional English language for non-English speakers.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Through developing expert abilities in mathematics and discovering how these can be applied to financial situations, you will improve your capacity to make successful financial decisions and understand how you can turn risk into opportunity.

Our BSc Finance and Mathematics course offers you modules in mathematics, accounting, economics and actuarial science. Our business-focused course equips you with the knowledge and skills that are in demand by employers, and in particular in financial markets or corporate careers that involve financial decision-making and problem-solving.

You gain a thorough grounding in both finance and mathematics, investigating topics including:

As part of our Department of Mathematical Sciences, you’re a member of an inclusive and approachable research community which allows you to explore topics in pure, high-level mathematics and applied mathematics.

Find out what it's like to live and study at Essex from those who are already here.

We have some of the best teachers across the University in our Essex Pathways Department, all of whom have strong subject backgrounds and are highly skilled in their areas.

As well as being world-class academics, our mathematics staff are award-winning teachers. Many of our staff have won national or regional awards for lecturing, and many of them are qualified and accredited teachers – something which is very rare at a university.

Our Department of Mathematical Sciences is a small but influential department, so our students and staff know each other personally. You never need an appointment to see your lecturers and professors, just knock on our office doors – we are one of the few places to have an open-door policy, and no issue is too big or small.

Our innovative research groups are working on a broad range of collaborative areas tackling real-world issues. Here are a few examples:

Our Essex Business School staff specialise in areas including: accounting and economic development in the public and third sectors; regulation and corporate social responsibility; finance and banking; accounting and finance in developing economies; and contemporary financial markets and their participants.

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials.
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student.
• Our social space is stocked with hot magazines and newspapers, and provides an informal setting to meet with your lecturers, tutors and friends.

Take advantage of our extensive learning resources in the Department of Mathematical Sciences to assist you in your studies:

You also have access to our landmark new Essex Business School building, the first zero carbon business school in the UK. Set around a lush winter garden, the Eden-style dome will give the building its own micro-climate.

Our new building provides you with a stunning new work environment, offering:

Clear thinkers are required in every profession, so the successful mathematician has an extensive choice of potential careers.

Our graduates are highly employable in a wide range of places, working in business, pharmaceutical industries, banking and computing among others. The Council for Mathematical Sciences offers further information on careers in mathematics.

Recent graduates from our BSc Finance and Mathematics have found employment as:

We also work with our University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.