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Description

The Master’s Degree in Mathematical Sciences, granting 120 credits, links theory and practice, and combines analytical and numerical approaches. Three main focuses are offered : In-depth focus, focus on teaching, and focus on specialisation, each orientation leading to 30 specific credits within the 120 required credits. Students are first allowed to choose subjects from a wide range of options and then begin to concentrate on those that are specific to the sought focus, either in the first or the second year of the Master’s degree, depending on how their decision evolves. The training includes compulsory courses as well as optional courses, internships / work placements and personal projects, plus a research project and dissertation on a chosen topic to conclude the studies.

High-level techniques of programming, learning of languages and ethical reflection on sustainable development, as well as the possibility of an exchange programme under the Erasmus scheme, are all aspects with which Unamur seeks to enhance the profile of today’s mathematician, regardless of the chosen focus.

The Master’s degree with a focus on specialisation

This orientation, which is the one that particularly corresponds to the Unamur approach, allows students who are planning to work in firms and entities both from the public and the private sectors, to focus more specifically on preparing their future professional life and projects.

Students carry out team work on a project that is new for each year. The project calls for unexplored techniques and practical knowledge of applied Mathematics as a response to a current problem in society. Interdisciplinary skills are obviously at the heart of this approach. The nature of these projects can go from the setting up of a get-together in space, to the creation of a synthetic population, the choice of a gift on Facebook,  the construction of a robot, or collecting data on an individual’s whereabouts on Twitter. The training sessions are organised in short and specific modules, with emphasis on team work and on  programming in various languages, under the supervision of members of staff or external coaches. Deadlines are to be met and regular reports are to be written, with the purpose of resembling the rhythm of the professional world. The reality of work within a firm or entity is at the center of this orientation, which revolves around the project as well as the internship/ work placement lasting 3 to 5 weeks. Basic training in management is another important aspect of the training. Students are equally confronted with the current problems of the gathering of data, respect of privacy, and application of laws on confidential details. A single assessment before a jury that includes members of faculty as well as external judges finalises this intensive four-month period.

Students who choose to spread out the specialisation courses over the two years of the Master’s degree can begin the internship / work placement in a firm or entity and follow the training in management from the first year on. The carrying out of the project then takes place more specifically in the second year.

International mobility and openness

The Master’s Degree in Mathematical Sciences, granting 120 credits, offers the possibility of an exchange under the Erasmus scheme during the second half-term of the first year. 30 credits are granted for courses which are to be chosen among the options within the programme. Contacts have been established primarily with Spain, France, Italy and Sweden.

Students doing the Master’s degree with in-depth focus carry out an internship / work placement in another research laboratory, often abroad.

Students doing the Master’s degree with a focus on specialisation do their internship / work placement in Belgium or in a bordering country, or, more rarely, in the framework of Cooperation in Development, in countries such as India or the Philippines.

Some students take advantage of the obligation to take a course abroad to have an experience at international level, either in Lille (following an agreement between Belgian francophone Universities and the University in Lille), or within a unique set-up, such as a thematic intensive course, offered in exceptional terms.

Training in English for students in the second year of the Master’s degree, regardless of the focus, includes a three-day stay in London, followed by an assessment.

Teaching methods

The Master’s Degree in Mathematical Sciences in Namur, granting 120 credits, with its three focuses and its approach towards applied mathematics, offers training covering very diversified courses, whether compulsory or optional :

  • Mathematics courses associated with practicals, including exercices, programming  and the use of specific software (Matlab in particular)
  • optional courses, where staff members ensure that they meet the needs of their audience, and enhance their course with the most recent research results ;
  • training where traditional courses are replaced by lectures, personal projects, applications developed as partnerships between staff members and students ;
  • a course which students are obliged to take outside the department and which requires approval by the academic secretary, constituting a reinforcement of the dissertation topic or of a personal project, and contributing to students’ reflections about their individual learning process and personal and professional choices
  • internships / work placements that are closely linked to the chosen focus : insertion lasting more than 3 months within a research laboratory for the degree with in-depth focus, a short and intensive immersion period of a few weeks in a firm for the degree with a focus on specialisation, practice periods spread out over several months in different sectors of the the secondary teaching system for the degree with a focus on teaching ;
  • a stay in London, prepared and assessed, replacing a part of the English course offered to students in the second year
  • the carrying out of a research project and dissertation which spreads out over a period of 18 months and allows students to be in contact with the world of scientific production and elaboration in applied mathematics : topics, methodology, follow-up, support in writing and communication vary depending on orientations and on supervisors. This project is an opportunity of intense collaboration with one or more researchers or staff members, where students can give evidence of their maturity and independence in the choice and the handling of a topic, while showing awareness of their weaknesses as well as their strengths.         

Aims and objectives

The Master’s Degree in Mathematical Sciences at Unamur, granting 120 credits, focuses on applied mathematics. Its aim is to provide society with scientists who not only have thorough knowledge of mathematical theory but also a clear focus on how to apply this theory to a wide range of sectors. From the understanding of a problem to the discussion of results, Unamur students experience the process of designing a programme, translating it to the appropriate language, improving algorhythms or demonstrating a quicker convergence, thus developing the ability to approach problems linked to a wide range of fields such as economics, astronomy, sociology, chemistry or communication. The partnership with experts in each particular field allows students to benefit from the development of a rigorous approach, a sense of modelisation, and the ability to synthesise information from a variety of sources.  Similar transferable skills and strengths will be necessary in any kind of scientific partnership committed to the elaboration of multidisciplinary projects, regardless of the choice of career, whether it be teaching, public service, work within private sectors or research.

Assessment

The idea of a traditional examination, where restitution of theory was at the core of the assessment, has practically disappeared from the Master’s degree programme. Students are naturally requested, in certain cases, to prove full knowledge of the material covered in courses, but the emphasis is on their ability to apply this knowledge wisely.

A good number of examinations have been replaced, partially or completely, by a variety of personal projects such as the elaboration of a poster, the model establishment and numerical resolution of a problem from its design to its completion, or even a critical commentary of one or more topic-related articles.

After all practice periods, reports about the experience are required. Students are encouraged to reflect on the lessons learnt, as well as to refer to their training and analyse their reactions when faced with the reality of the work world, whether it be in schools or in firms.

Beyond pure academic knowledge of theoretical concepts, the elements which constitute the main criteria for assessment in this Master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences with an approach towards applied mathematics, are rigour in writing and in reasoning, ability to analyse and prioritise, and the highlighting of relevant elements.

Teaching profile

The Master’s Degree in Mathematical Sciences at Unamur ensures the development of a rigorous and precise mind, on the lookout for applications and developments in modern society activities.

As students complete their guided practical work and their research project and dissertation, they exploit theory and apply it to areas that are relevant to current real life problems. They design solutions to problems they analyse and supervise their implementation.

Teaching staff and the naXys centre (Centre Namurois des Systèmes Complexes) offer an environment for research which is not only at the core of the Master’s degree in Mathematics but also represents its strength. Students may specialise in areas chosen from a wide range of options offered by the staff’s various fields of research.

Students also develop personal skills of independence, ability to communicate, knowledge and use of languages, as well as philosophical and ethical reflection, which will lead them to responsibly play the role of scientists within our modern society.