Department Of Mathematics

About the department

Our Department of Mathematics has developed mathematical models which explain several useful contents of the subject of mathematics. But this is not just about what we do – this is also about you. Because we’re equally as passionate about giving you the chance to find your own way, make your own discoveries and put your mark on the world. We know our work is better in a shared academic community that includes you. Where you are coming from and your journey up to this point will have given you your own personal perspectives and ideas. Your experience, energy and willingness to ask the difficult questions benefits you and us. We believe that our teaching is inspirational when delivered by passionate scholars engaged in pioneering research. At The Copperbelt University you’ll be working with our leading academic staff who are at the cutting edge of their disciplines. By sharing their enthusiasm you’ll be

immersed in a stimulating and innovative learning environment, which will enable you to realize your potential and to compete alongside the very best.

The department of mathematics is a lively and friendly place with an excellent reputation for its teaching and research. Academic staff are active in pioneering research which has an impact on the national and international stages. The strong research culture influences our curriculum helping students with the latest developments in the field.

Our staff’s passion and enthusiasm for the subject transmit through their teaching and they are on hand if you need advice or support. Study mathematics with us and open a wealthy of opportunities.

We are an enthusiastic department offering high quality courses based around the teaching of fundamental mathematics and the development of employability skills mathematics graduates need for successful and fulfilling careers. We are a leading research department, which helps us continually develop and innovate our curriculum. The cutting edge research we do into areas such as mathematical modelling, computing, financial mathematics and data mining, algebra, geometry, and topology, feeds directly into our teaching, so you can be assured that you’ll be taught by staff at the forefront of current mathematics research. We provide a friendly and supportive environment in which to study and pride ourselves on placing great emphasis on student support, helping every student to fulfil his or her potential. We aim to produce highly trained graduates with employer focused skills. Choosing your degree is one of the most important decisions you are likely to make. We hope this brochure will provide you with all the information you need to consider to study mathematics at the Copperbelt University. Included are details of the courses we offer, our teaching methods, student support system and some of the career opportunities open to our graduates. We look forward to welcoming you at the department.

Dr. H. Mulenga

Head of Department

Programmes Offered

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Mathematics Programmes are as follows:-

To allow students to learn in an environment that will develop their potential and motivate them to become active participants in the learning process.
To provide effective teaching in Mathematics courses also as to produce competent Mathematics graduates, who will acquire knowledge and skills to be able to function efficiently in the work place.
To cooperate with other departments in the School of Mathematics and Science Education and other University faculties in order to train and produce high quality human resource in the sciences.
To combine theory and practice to promote critical thinking in all mathematical courses.

Internationally recognised teaching and research

You will be taught by research active staff at the cutting edge of their fields. Members of staff are involved in variety of research areas. Research is being undertaken in the area of mathematical risk theory and finance as part of the Department’s enhancement of Finance, as well as modelling of epidemiological systems to understand disease patterns. These diverse and interesting areas of mathematics feeds directly into our teaching, meaning you will benefit from developments in mathematics as they occur and stimulates an exciting learning environment.

Excellent Support

We provide small and large group teaching which leads to excellent staff-student relationships and allowing us to provide strong levels of support to you. The department house system enables greater student support both from staff and your peer group.

Breadth of Knowledge

Our degrees are constructed to reflect the central role contemporary mathematics plays in society; ranging from the most pure science to the most applied uses in industry and banking. Our wide range of specialist modules enabling you to specialise according to your interests and your skills develop.

Flexible learning methods

Our modern teaching methods mean you will learn topics using a variety of methods, making use of modern technology and electronic resources. Equally assessment methods will be diverse and aimed at enhancing your overall employability skills

Core Mathematics
Our Mathematics degree programmes begin with a number of core course which are designed to accommodate students both with, and without, Mathematics A level. These courses introduce key areas of university mathematics including calculus, algebra, real analysis, vector methods and linear algebra, geometry, probability, statistics and classical mechanics. All that is assumed is a detailed working knowledge of the Core mathematics O level syllabus. Because of the variety of choice within the department of mathematics, applied topics will be taught from scratch, but extended well beyond further ordinary level by the end of year 1.Students will start with a combined group in a Non quarter program then specialize in mathematics in year 2. More advanced courses in the later years allow you to specialise in one particular area or choose a broader programme. All our courses emphasize the importance of careful logical thinking, abstraction and problem solving in both mathematics and its applications. Students can concentrate on just, for example, pure mathematics or opt for an applied mathematics programme.

Applied Mathematics
Applied Mathematics involves the application of mathematics to problems that may arise in the natural sciences, financial engineering, Epidemiology, communications, and industry. In the first two years of your degree we concentrate on developing your mathematical and computational skills and introduce you to some fundamental aspects of applied mathematics. Students majoring in applied mathematics further learn detailed statistics. Some of the questions that can be answered in this stream are:

¨ How do changes in populations relate to environmental factors?

¨ Is a new cancer treatment safe and is it more effective than existing treatments?

¨ What factors affect life expectancy and insurance premiums?

The subject of statistics will appeal to students who wish to apply their mathematical knowledge to real world issues in many areas for example social, medical, financial, environmental or engineering. Wherever there is numerical data, statistics plays an important role, whether it is looking for correlations between information sets, designing experiments or testing hypotheses. Members of the Statistics and financial mathematics Group work on public health, clinical trials, risk analysis and economics and financial engineering.

Careers / opportunities

Our students are equipped for a wide range of careers and can go into the financial sector, including accountancy and actuarial work; management; the Civil Service; industry and teaching. All our degrees provide a suitable preparation for postgraduate study in mathematics; computer science and related areas. Employability skills are embedded into our teaching throughout your studies so you will be develop to the skills employers are looking for right from the start of your course. This is pulled together in your final year through a series of optional courses. As part of some projects and other courses you will have the opportunity to develop your business skills through a series of employer led workshops, networking events, business games and you can work with employers to solve real industry problems. For example, the business applications of mathematics courses gives you the opportunity to experience the application of mathematical theory and mathematical modelling in a business context, where problems are not clearly defined and do not fall into obvious categories. You reflect on the transferable skills you are developing whilst working through the case studies and are encouraged to consider how you can evidence these in the recruitment and selection process for graduate employment, giving you a competitive edge when entering the graduate careers market. The final year of our degree programmes offer a range of options in mathematics, finance and management as well as project modules aimed at increasing employability and interacting with the business community as well as traditional research skills. These course help to give our graduates a competitive edge when entering the graduate careers market.