Mathematical sciences

[sobet]

i have taken H3 Math and i heard math is uni is roughly like that. part of it is like learning theories and apply those theories to prove certain things.
spancer, u sound like u knoe quite a lot abt uni math, are u a math student?
anyway i still cant decide between nus applied math and ntu mathematical science. any suggestion?

[spencer]

Originally Posted by sobet

i have taken H3 Math and i heard math is uni is roughly like that. part of it is like learning theories and apply those theories to prove certain things.
spancer, u sound like u knoe quite a lot abt uni math, are u a math student?
anyway i still cant decide between nus applied math and ntu mathematical science. any suggestion?

If you search some of my past posts, you will have a rough idea of my background.

Always go for NUS. I don't know much about NUS, but they have a Maths course (as in just BSc Mathematics, instead of something like Applied Maths?) Always go for big, well-capitalised, research intensive, blue-chip universities.

Singapore is too small a city to substain three good universities. So just go for the best one, and that points to NUS.

[go0dbye]

I heard that with a math degree, it actually allows us to venture into the finance sector. However, may I ask from the employer 's point of view, is a maths degree graduate less attractive than a business degree graduate?
since both are general degrees, I suppose both graduates are paid almost equally?

[GSC1989]

I heard that with a math degree, it actually allows us to venture into the finance sector. However, may I ask from the employer 's point of view, is a maths degree graduate less attractive than a business degree graduate?
since both are general degrees, I suppose both graduates are paid almost equally?

I believe that the two degrees are used to apply for rather different jobs in the finance sector though. To my understanding, jobs involving math graduates in the finance sector often deal with more quantitative stuff like statistical models relating to risk and asset management. (Perhaps spencer or some other experienced professional could clarify on this?).

I think the problem would be that there isn't a considerable demand for such jobs in Singapore.

[spencer]

Originally Posted by GSC1989

I believe that the two degrees are used to apply for rather different jobs in the finance sector though. To my understanding, jobs involving math graduates in the finance sector often deal with more quantitative stuff like statistical models relating to risk and asset management. (Perhaps spencer or some other experienced professional could clarify on this?).

I think the problem would be that there isn't a considerable demand for such jobs in Singapore.

Think about it this way: the people in finance can almost teach you anything. So they can basically hire anyone whose brilliant, no matter your discipline, and train you to be an expert in finance. And what is the essence of finance? What are banks? Banks are actually just institutions that sell stuff, all sorts of stuff. Hence by nature people who work in finance need to have very good sales, people and by extension communication skills.

However, just like English is the medium in which people teach you finance, advanced mathematics is the medium in which people can impart derivatives and structured products knowledge. It is impossible to really teach you anything about that's mathematically complicated if you come in without even knowing how to integrate exp(-x^2) (this is the basic result concerning Normal Dist integrating to 1 over -infy to +infy).

The saying that you don't need to study finance to get into finance holds true. But now you need to come in with the language of advanced mathematics, which you would have acquired if you have done degrees in maths or physics.

There are more and more people in finance with background in maths and physics (and also engineering).

Most of the structured products are done in New York or London. Singapore is more like a distribution and operations centre. Hence you can study maths and hope to get into more quantitative areas of finance but I don't think the jobs will be there.

[go0dbye]

Originally Posted by spencer

Think about it this way: the people in finance can almost teach you anything. So they can basically hire anyone whose brilliant, no matter your discipline, and train you to be an expert in finance. And what is the essence of finance? What are banks? Banks are actually just institutions that sell stuff, all sorts of stuff. Hence by nature people who work in finance need to have very good sales, people and by extension communication skills.

However, just like English is the medium in which people teach you finance, advanced mathematics is the medium in which people can impart derivatives and structured products knowledge. It is impossible to really teach you anything about that's mathematically complicated if you come in without even knowing how to integrate exp(-x^2) (this is the basic result concerning Normal Dist integrating to 1 over -infy to +infy).

The saying that you don't need to study finance to get into finance holds true. But now you need to come in with the language of advanced mathematics, which you would have acquired if you have done degrees in maths or physics.

There are more and more people in finance with background in maths and physics (and also engineering).

Most of the structured products are done in New York or London. Singapore is more like a distribution and operations centre. Hence you can study maths and hope to get into more quantitative areas of finance but I don't think the jobs will be there.

Wad do u mean by the jobs won't be there? I'm kind of doubting my choice of choosing a general degree (maths). pls help, thanks a million.

[no0b1]

Originally Posted by spencer

Always go for NUS. I don't know much about NUS, but they have a Maths course (as in just BSc Mathematics, instead of something like Applied Maths?) Always go for big, well-capitalised, research intensive, blue-chip universities.

Hi, I was wondering which type of maths had better job prospects. Why did you prefer pure maths over applied maths? Isn't applied maths more related to real life?

[go0dbye]

Originally Posted by no0b1

Hi, I was wondering which type of maths had better job prospects. Why did you prefer pure maths over applied maths? Isn't applied maths more related to real life?

I went to the facutly open house the other day and the professor actually encourage my friend and I to take up applied maths instead of maths. I guess pure maths shld be tougher right?

[spencer]

Originally Posted by no0b1

Hi, I was wondering which type of maths had better job prospects. Why did you prefer pure maths over applied maths? Isn't applied maths more related to real life?

Do you really know what's "applied maths"? Applied maths means "mathematical physics". One big area of applied maths is computational fluid dynamics, which is heavily researched in American and European universities for defence companies (think JSF, Eurofighter).

I'm not saying that you shld do BSc in Pure Maths, but rather BSc Maths alone. Even in mathematical finance courses you will learn what's Cauchy Sequence, for example, which is in pure maths. General maths in the first and second year gives you a much better background. BSc Pure Maths is not very useful.

It's best that you have background in pure maths (the real/complex analysis), applied (most physics and engineering maths, applied finance), numerical analysis, statistics and probability (very impt), perhaps some introduction to dynamical system and chaos, and know how to use a language or two (like R, C++, Matlab, etc).

[spencer]

Originally Posted by go0dbye

I went to the facutly open house the other day and the professor actually encourage my friend and I to take up applied maths instead of maths. I guess pure maths shld be tougher right?

Why don't you give me the syllabus of BSc Applied Maths and I'll have a look>