Mathematics and Astrophysics

Mathematics and astrophysics is a partnership that takes you to the outer limits of what the human mind can comprehend: the mathematics of curved spacetime, the physics of objects so dense that light cannot escape them, the dynamics of stellar formation and destruction, and the large-scale structure of a universe that is thirteen billion years old and still expanding. Astrophysics is one of the most mathematically demanding of the natural sciences, and a degree that takes both the mathematical and the physical seriously prepares you for the frontier of the field.

At the University of Dundee you will follow a four-year programme, developing a rigorous mathematical foundation alongside deep engagement with astrophysical theory and observation. You will study the exotic objects of the universe, including neutron stars, quasars, pulsars, black holes, red giants and supernovae, as well as the physical processes that create and govern them. Your mathematical studies will develop your skills in analysis, algebra, differential equations and the quantitative methods that underpin theoretical physics and mathematical modelling.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international institution and engage with different research environments and scientific traditions.

Mathematics and astrophysics graduates occupy a distinctive position in the graduate labour market, with quantitative and analytical skills of exceptional depth and a record of engaging with abstract problems of great complexity. Many go on to postgraduate study or research in astrophysics, cosmology, theoretical physics, or mathematics. Others find that their training opens doors in data science, quantitative finance, actuarial science, scientific computing, aerospace, defence, and the technology sector, where the ability to reason rigorously about complex systems is consistently valued.

For students drawn to the grandest questions about the nature of the universe, this combination provides both the language and the framework to pursue them.