Mathematics and Statistics (Placement Year) (Hons) Lancaster University

Overview

Mathematics is an incredibly powerful subject that sits at the foundation of all science and technology. At its core it is the study of change, patterns, quantities, structures and space, and you will learn how to see the beauty of maths in everything; from patterns in nature, geometry in buildings, and relationships in data. You will be able to find and develop your passions, whether that be in statistics, data science, machine learning, probability, geometry or algebra.

Here at the School of Mathematical Sciences, we know that Mathematics and Statistics (Placement Year) (Hons) at Lancaster University have a positive influence on almost all aspects of contemporary society. Our statistical experts are driving innovations in data science and AI, which are enhancing our day to day lives. As a statistician, you are open to a huge range of career paths, from developing personalised healthcare to cyber security, finance to neuroscience, epidemiology to natural hazard risk management.

3 things our mathematics students want you to know:

• Our statisticians carry out amazing research such as developing solutions in epidemiology, medicine, infectious disease modelling, environmental modelling and understanding rare events. It’s so interesting and we get to learn about it first-hand!
• Maths is beautiful. You will see it for yourself. Once you begin learning, you start to see maths everywhere in life, all around us in nature and architecture, and that makes it easier to imagine the future possibilities

• Mathematics and statistics at Lancaster are incredibly collaborative. You will bounce ideas around with experts, or with students from all years. Our thriving postgraduate research student community has been right where we are, asking the same questions, and there’s even opportunities to talk with them and learn from them

Careers

Mathematics is fundamental to the way our modern world works and is an essential tool to solving many of the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis. The problem-solving and analytical thinking skills you’ll gain from a degree in mathematics will be applicable in almost every industry and sector, making you a highly in-demand employee. From business and finance to technology, IT and health, there are a wealth of opportunities open to graduates of mathematics. Many are grounded within mathematical principles (including data analysis and programming), but there are also less traditionally mathematical roles that rely on skills gained during your undergraduate degree, such as positions within higher management, engineering, and teaching. Our graduates are well-paid too, with the median salaries of those from our Mathematics degrees being £32,000, 15 months after graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025).

Here are just some of the roles that our BSc and MSci Mathematics and Mathematics with Statistics students have progressed into upon graduating:

• Actuarial Analyst – Just Group Plc
• Analytics Engineer – Thread
• Statistical Officer – HMRC
• Data Analyst – William Hill
• Finance Modelling Analyst – KPMG
• Trial Statistician – Liverpool Clinical Trials
• Lead Data Analyst – NFU Mutual
• Programmer – Quanticate
• Statistical Officer – Department for Education
• Statistician – AstraZeneca
• Technology Associate – Goldman Sachs
• Consultant – Deloitte