Mathématique études

From understanding the problem to discussing the results, via designing a program, translating it into an appropriate language, improving algorithms or demonstrating faster convergence, by the end of the Master's program you'll be ready to tackle problems in economics, astronomy, biology, physics, sociology, chemistry or communication in concrete terms, in partnership with experts in these disciplines, bringing them your rigor, your spirit of synthesis and your sense of modeling.

Whether you choose teaching, the corporate world, the public sector or research, these assets make you indispensable scientific partners in multidisciplinary projects.

Your objectives

  • Get involved in topical issues: How can we increase the reliability of weather forecasts? How can we improve the transportation network, a food production chain, energy distribution or information on Facebook? How can we optimize the positioning of satellites around the Earth? How can we understand a stock market crash? How can we study the evolution of an ecological system? How can we give meaning to mathematical learning?
  • Master all the steps involved in solving real-life problems (analysis, modeling, simulation and implementation) using the theoretical, algorithmic and computational tools of applied mathematics;
  • Integrate yourself into professional life (teaching, research, business) with a scientific and multidisciplinary vision.

The benefits of training

  • A real career choice, in touch with the world of work.
  • Training in individual and team work, autonomy, initiative-taking.
  • An interdisciplinary approach built on a solid theoretical foundation.
  • A specialization in applied mathematics: a valuable background, whether you're destined for teaching, business or research.
  • Many opportunities for mobility in Belgium and abroad.

The program

Sciences études

The Master's degree at the University of Namur articulates theory and practice through analytical and numerical approaches through advanced training in scientific programming.

By selecting the in-depth finality, you train for scientific research within a research institute (naXys or IRDENa).

The master's degree combines internships in research centers, personal work and advanced training in applied mathematics.

A final dissertation focusing on a theme of your choice concludes your training.

You finally develop autonomy, communication skills, knowledge of languages and philosophical and ethical reflection to become responsible scientists integrated into tomorrow's society.

International experience

You have the opportunity to complete an Erasmus study period abroad at prestigious foreign universities (in Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden...).

The English-language course includes a 3-day stay in London.

Other master's degrees in mathematics

The University of Namur is organizing:

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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 an in-depth focus

The in-depth focus is meant for students aiming for a career in research. It gives students a choice between two specialised orientations within applied mathematics ; one turns to graphs and networks, the other to chaos and determinism, which demands a more challenging dissertation, followed by an internship / work placement in a laboratory of international prestige lasting a minimum of three months.

The emphasis is on preparing students for careers in research and the themes are linked to those of the naXys (Centre Namurois des Systèmes Complexes) or to those of the Unit of Research in the Teaching of Mathematics. Students have a choice as to whether or not to spread out the in-depth focus courses over two years. It doesn’t make such a big difference, but it gives the possibility of establishing a better coherence between studies and professional plans. When choosing to spread out the in-depth courses over two years, students can prepare their internship / work placement outside the University with more anticipation and better preparation.

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.

Les métiers des mathématiciens

Careers in mathematics

For graduates in applied mathematics from the University of Namur, the transition from studies to the world of work presents no major difficulties: schools are short of mathematics teachers; the business world is looking for skills in networks, dynamic systems, optimization, control, modeling and programming, all assets that mathematicians trained at UNamur possess.

Confronting mathematics with reality

Many mathematicians invest their knowledge within companies. Many business sectors appreciate their analytical and synthesizing skills, as well as their rigor. Whether in consultancy or in the economic and industrial world, mathematicians have plenty of room to model phenomena and situations and, more broadly, put their mathematical baggage at the service of society.

Building IT solutions

Mathematicians at UNamur receive a solid training in scientific programming, an asset that many of them put to good use within various organizations (private or public), or in IT service companies. After a few years in applications development, mathematicians generally move on to project management.

Whatever their job title and level of responsibility, they work to bring human beings and an information management and processing system into harmonious interaction... an ongoing challenge that demands a good sense of interpersonal relations and an excellent knowledge of technology and the business world.

My job as an IT manager is at times akin to a mathematical demonstration. I start with a hypothesis, i.e. the existing situation, the budget, the resources, and I have to arrive at a thesis, in this case a major business project, such as setting up a company abroad. To achieve this, I conduct a real demonstration using lemmas, i.e. small implementations of IT solutions. To set up a company abroad, for example, you need to secure your IT network.

Alain Dieudonné, IT Manager

Evaluating financial or economic risks

Risk management is a strategic issue in banking and financial organizations, stock markets, insurance companies, but also parastatal institutions for social security, pension control, etc. Thanks to their sound knowledge of modeling, mathematicians often perform functions linked to controlling the uncertainty inherent in most economic activities.

Producing statistics

Statistics play an important role in today's society: opinion polls and surveys are part of our daily lives. Some consultancies specializing in conducting this type of analysis call on mathematicians.

Modeling reality

Whether it's the shape of contact lenses, the dynamics of a population, the concentration of space debris, the movements of the oceans, the understanding of social networks, the work of mathematicians is always linked to modeling: being able to understand, simplify, conceptualize and visualize a situation, to come out with a more abstract model likely to provide a global description of a phenomenon.

I've been working for a few years as an actuary in a consultancy firm in the field of supplementary pensions. We live in a world full of hazards: the actuary's role is to quantify, to model uncertainties... Above all, mathematics enables us to develop our way of thinking, which makes our capacity for analysis our main working tool.

Noémie Laloux, actuary

Transmitting a passion for reality

Teaching and the world of training still represent one of the major outlets for mathematicians. Almost a third of our young, professionally active graduates communicate their passion for the real world by teaching mathematics and/or science in upper secondary schools, colleges and universities.

The subject we teach is not particularly difficult. Above all, we need to give young people a taste for mathematics and help those with difficulties to understand it. It's a daily challenge.

Marie Matelart, Secondary school mathematics teacher

Pushing the limits of our knowledge

Mathematicians pursue research mainly in academic settings, in Belgium or abroad. Universities and public funds (FNRS, FRIA, etc.) finance the completion of a PhD (between 4 and 6 years) or award time-limited grants for participation in a research program, sometimes in partnership with the business world.

Aside from fundamental research, mathematics is often a valuable tool for scientific progress in other disciplines: computer science, astrophysics and physics, meteorology, economics, transport, biology... In these multidisciplinary contexts, dual skills often represent an asset.

Sciences études