It is not easy to capture such a versatile discipline in just a few sentences. At its core, mathematics studies structure, space, quantity and change, each reduced to its most abstract form. Two principles are central: abstracting from reality to uncover its essence, and deducing new truths from existing ones. Mathematicians seek patterns, formulate conjectures and construct proofs through rigorous reasoning based on carefully chosen axioms and definitions. Step by step, this creates a network of insights that is reliable, elegant and often surprising. Choosing the Mathematics programme therefore means choosing more than calculations or reproducing familiar formulas. You choose a broad and challenging academic education in which you learn to reason, think abstractly and analyse complex problems. You study structures, patterns and models, and discover how to apply them across a wide range of fields, from physics and economics to computer science, applied statistics and the life sciences.

• Bachelor

The Bachelor’s programme in Mathematics provides a broad mathematical education. The first year lays the foundations for courses in later years. From the second year onwards, you can broaden your knowledge by choosing one of five minors and taking three courses within it: Life Sciences, Economics, Computer Science, Physics or Education. You also begin to explore the various fields of mathematics, from complex analysis to mathematical optimisation, and from logic to regression statistics. In the third year, you have more room for electives. You can take courses from Bachelor’s programmes at any Flemish university or from the course offerings of Erasmus+ partner institutions. These electives do not always relate directly to mathematics, but encourage you to look beyond your own discipline. Mathematicians with a broad scientific background are highly sought after.

• Master

The programme includes 24 credits of compulsory courses relevant to every student: Mathematics and Society, Machine Learning, Coding Theory and Work Placement. You also choose a 24-credit major that reflects your mathematical interests: Pure Mathematics or Applied Mathematics. Four advanced courses within your chosen major enable you to develop a high level of knowledge and competence.

The Master’s programme also includes 42 credits of electives. Of these, you devote 30 credits to courses that deepen or broaden your knowledge. The former are grouped in the Advanced Mathematics cluster, while the latter are organised into seven thematic, career-oriented clusters: Computer Science, Data Science, Physics, Financial Mathematics and Economics, Life Sciences, Entrepreneurship and Education. You can also combine courses across clusters. All courses in these clusters are linked to ongoing academic research and taught by active researchers. Courses from the Financial Mathematics and Economics or Entrepreneurship clusters also provide you with economic knowledge useful for a career in banking, insurance or business. You can freely allocate the remaining 12 credits to courses from another programme at Ghent University or, where appropriate, from a programme at another university in Belgium or abroad.

You complete the programme with a 30-credit Master’s dissertation. In the second year of the Master’s programme, you conduct independent mathematical research on a topic related to your chosen major. This allows you to demonstrate your ability to apply the scientific skills you have acquired to a specific research project.

A Bachelor’s degree also gives you access to Master’s programmes other than the one described here. You can find an overview under the ‘Postgraduate studies’ tab.

A degree in Mathematics opens up a wide range of career paths. Your broad training in logical reasoning and problem-solving gives you access to diverse sectors, from the software industry and insurance to life sciences research and finance. Demand for mathematicians continues to grow: sectors such as healthcare, sports technology and politics increasingly welcome your expertise too. You often have an advantage over graduates with other degrees. As a mathematician, you can acquire new subject-specific knowledge relatively quickly, whereas it is much harder for non-mathematicians to build a solid mathematical foundation later on. This often gives you an edge with employers. Finally, if you aspire to a career in teaching, you can look forward to excellent job security. The significant shortage of mathematics teachers often means you can even choose where you teach.