BScMathematics with Spanish

Study location	United Kingdom, Egham, Surrey
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BSc
Course code	G1R4

Entry qualification

High school / secondary education (or higher) Required subject: Grade A in Mathematics, plus grade B in Spanish for the advanced level language pathway. Or, for the beginners language pathway, grade B in an essay based subject. At least five GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and Mathematics. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English IELTS: 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in in each subscore) CAE: 169 overall (with no less than 162 in in each subscore)

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application.

More information	royalholloway.ac.uk/..cs-with-spanish.aspx

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

Year 1

Mathematics: Calculus
In this module, you will develop an understanding of the key concepts in Calculus, including differentiation and integration. You will learn how to factorise polynomials and separate rational functions into partial fractions, differentiate commonly occurring functions, and find definite and indefinite integrals of a variety of functions using substitution or integration by parts. You will also examine how to recognise the standard forms of first-order differential equations, and reduce other equations to these forms and solve them.

Mathematics: Functions of Several Variables
In this module you will develop an understanding of the calculus functions of more than one variable and how it may be used in areas such as geometry and optimisation. You learn how to manipulate partial derivatives, construct and manipulate line integrals, represent curves and surfaces in higher dimensions, calculate areas under a curve and volumes between surfaces, and evaluate double integrals, including the use of change of order of integration and change of coordinates.

Mathematics: Number Systems
In this module you will develop an understanding of the fundamental algebraic structures, including familiar integers and polynomial rings. You will learn how to apply Euclid’s algorithm to find the greatest comon divisor of two integers, and use mathematical induction to prove simple results. You will examine the use of arithmetic operations on complex numbers, extract roots of complex numbers, prove De Morgan’s laws, and determine whether a given mapping is bijective.

Mathematics: Matrix Algebra
In this module you will develop an understanding of basic linear algebra, in particular the use of matrices and vectors. You will look at the basic theoretical and computational techniques of matrix theory, examining the power of vector methods and how they may be used to describe three-dimensional space. You will consider the notions of field, vector space and subspace, and learn how to calculate the determinant of an n x n matrix.

Mathematics: Numbers and Functions
In this module you will develop an understanding of key mathematical concepts such as the construction of real numbers, limits and convergence of sequences, and continuity of functions. You will look at the infinite processes that are essential for the development of areas such as calculus, determining whether a given sequence tends to a limit, and finding the limits of sequences defined recursively.

Spanish: Intensive Spanish for Beginners 1
This is your core Spanish language module (beginners’ pathway). It is taught intensively in five weekly seminar hours. The first three hours are devoted to work on reading, writing and listening comprehension skills combining both in-situ exercises with homework revision that students will have prepared for the day. The fourth hour is reserved for oral practice, which happens in the form of debates, role plays or text commentaries. The fifth hour is a grammar lecture in which new verb tenses and grammatical structures are introduced.

Spanish: Spanish 1
This is your core Spanish language module in which you will develop your skills in writing, speaking and comprehending the Spanish language. There are three hours of seminars per week well as a grammar lecture taught fortnightly. Teaching is done in small groups and conducted largely in Spanish. The module consists of a combination of textual analysis and grammar consolidation, combining in-situ exercises with homework revision; grammar work; lexical work and oral and listening work to develop lexical and communicative skills through the use of varied media such as the use of audio-visual aids, oral presentations and debates. You will take part in group discussions and have the chance to develop and practice your presentation skills.

Spanish: Spanish 2
This is your core Spanish language module in which you will continue to develop your skills in writing, speaking and comprehending the Spanish language. It consists of a combination of textual analysis and grammar consolidation, combining in-situ exercises with homework revision; grammar work; lexical work and oral and listening work to develop lexical and communicative skills through the use of varied media such as the use of audio-visual aids, oral presentations and debates. Through oral practice you will have the opportunity to take part in group discussions and have the chance to develop and practice your presentation skills.

Year 2

Mathematics: Linear Alegbra and Project
In this module you will develop an understanding of vectors and matrices within the context of vector spaces, with a focus on deriving and using various decompositions of matrices, including eigenvalue decompositions and the so-called normal forms. You will learn how these abstract notions can be used to solve problems encountered in other fields of science and mathematics, such as optimisation theory. Working in small groups, you will put together different aspects of mathematics in a project on a topic of your choosing, disseminating your findings in writing and giving an oral presentation to your peers.

Mathematics: Complex Variable
In this module you will develop an understanding of the basic complex variable theory. You will look at the definitions of continuity and differentiability of a complex valued function at a point, and how Cauchy-Riemann equations can be applied. You will examine how to use a power series to define the complex expontential function, and how to obtain Taylor series of rational and other functions of standard type, determining zeros and poles of given functions. You will also consider how to use Cauchy’s Residue Theorem to evaulate real integrals.

Spanish: Intensive Spanish for Beginners 2
This is an intensive course with four hours per week of contact in each term, plus an extra hour of oral practice. The first two hours are devoted to work on reading, writing and oral skills combining in-situ exercises with homework revision that you will have prepared for the day (usually a journalistic text). The third hour is reserved for the listening comprehension exercises which sometimes take place in language laboratories. The last hour is a grammar lecture in which new verb tenses and grammatical structures are introduced and subsequently put into practice during the next two hours of the following week.

Spanish: Principles and Practice of Translation from Spanish to English and English to Spanish
Classes will focus on a piece of Spanish or English from a literary or (quality) journalistic source. You will be required to draft an English or Spanish translation of it in preparation for the class, which will be spent discussing the relative merits of different versions. Some time will be devoted to vocabulary acquisition and the consideration of professional translations too.

Year 3

Spanish: Spanish 3
This is your core language module in Spanish, in which you will continue to develop your skills in writing, speaking and comprehending Spanish. It is taught entirely in Spanish, and takes the form of a combination of formal grammar lectures and seminars focused on written and oral skills. The module concentrates on textual analysis and grammar consolidation, combining in-situ exercises with homework prepared in advance; grammar work: theory and practice; lexical work. You will deliver presentations in Spanish and take part in debates. You will also refine your knowledge of aspects of contemporary Spanish by studying films, podcasts, news broadcasts and other audiovisual aids.

Optional modules

In addition to these mandatory course units there are a number of optional course units available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course units that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new units may be offered or existing units may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

Career opportunities

By combining your mathematics with Spanish you will find yourself in demand for your valuable combination of numeracy and language skills, and you will be well placed to take advantage of the globalised jobs market. Employers will value your cross-cultural awareness and understanding and your ability to communicate clearly, research effectively, analyse and handle complex data, approach problems with creativity and employ logical thinking.

We have a strong track record of preparing our students for the world of work and research. Graduates from the two departments have gone on to enjoy successful careers in international management and consultancy, computer analysis and programming, teaching, sales and marketing, media and publishing, banking, accountancy, law, the arts, the civil service, politics, travel and tourism, translating and interpreting, finance, risk analysis, research and engineering.

They work for employers as diverse as: KPMG, Ernst & Young, the Ministry of Defence, Barclays Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, the Department of Health, Logica, McLaren, TowersWatson Fleishman-Hillard, the Canadian High Commission in London, UBS Investment Bank, BBC, Pearson Education Limited, London Chamber of Commerce, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Thomson Reuters, Fremantle Media, Citigroup, Crédit Suisse, JP Morgan Chase, Mills & Reeve Solicitors, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Burberry, the Government Economic Service, Little Brown Book Group, Estée Lauder Companies, Systema Human Information Services, Bloomberg Tradebrook Europe, Pineapple, and Amazon UK.

Our Mathematics department is part of the School of Mathematics and Information Security and we enjoy strong ties with the information security sector as well as with industry at large. We offer a competitive work experience scheme at the end of year 2, with short-term placements available during the summer holidays. You will also attend a CV writing workshop as part of your core modules in year 2, and your personal adviser and the campus Careers team will be on hand to offer advice and guidance on your chosen career. The University of London Careers Advisory Service offers tailored sessions for mathematics and modern languages students on finding summer internships or holiday jobs and securing employment after graduation.