Univerza na Primorskem Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije
Presentation of the study
The master’s study programme Mathematical Sciences is offered in Slovenian and English language.
The programme is an in-depth continuation of the undergraduate study programme Mathematics. Upon completion, graduates have several options: continuation to doctoral studies in mathematics, employment in industry or the public sector, while the programme content also equips graduates with skills useful for potential transitions into other scientific fields.
The curriculum is predominantly elective, offering mathematical courses from various current fields. A thorough understanding of these topics requires prior knowledge of fundamental mathematical subjects, which students typically acquire at the undergraduate level. Depending on students’ motivation, abilities, interests, and future ambitions, they are also introduced to research-level mathematics, primarily through supervision in the master’s thesis. The curriculum also includes several specialised applied mathematics courses, particularly suitable for students aiming for careers in the financial sector and other areas of the economy.
Programme information
Programme name: Mathematical Sciences
Type of programme: master’s study programme, 2nd cycle
Degree awarded: “magister matematike” equiv. to Master’s degree in Mathematics
Duration: 2 years (4 semesters)
ECTS-credits: 120
Mode of study: full-time
Language of instruction: Slovene, English
Place of study: Koper
Accreditation: the programme is accredited in accordance with the Higher Education Act and is officialy recognised.
Admission to the first year of study shall be granted to applicants having:
a) completed a first-cycle study programme in any mathematical study field; or
b) completed a first-cycle study programme in other professional fields, provided that they have, prior to enrolment, fulfilled all study obligations that are deemed essential for the continuation of studies in the Master’s study programme in Mathematics and accumulated at least 30 credits. The applicants may fulfil these obligations during their first-cycle studies, under training programmes, or by taking examinations prior to enrolment in the study programme Mathematical Sciences;
c) the admission requirements are also met by candidates who have completed equivalent education abroad and who, in accordance with the Act Regulating the Assessment and Recognition of Education, have been granted the right to continue their studies in the master’s study programme Mathematical Sciences through the recognition procedure of foreign education qualifications.
Individual applications for enrolment of candidates from point b) of the previous paragraph are reviewed by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT. The candidate completes additional study requirements prior to enrolment in the master’s study programme.
In the case of limited enrolment, candidates are selected based on the average grade of their undergraduate studies.
“Transfer between study programmes” refers to a situation in which a student enrolled in a particular study programme does not complete it (i.e. discontinues education in the enrolled programme) and directly enrols into a higher year of a new study programme, whereby both the previous and the new programme must belong to the same Bologna cycle (level). When considering the possibility of transferring to a new study programme, the comparability of the programmes and the student’s completed study requirements in the previous programme are taken into account.
Admission to the 2nd year of the master’s study programme in Mathematical Sciences under the transfer criteria is possible if the following conditions are met:
- the candidate meets the admission requirements for the master’s study programme in Mathematical Sciences,
- the completion of the initial study programme which the candidate is transferring from ensures the acquisition of comparable competences to those of the the master’s study programme in Mathematical Sciences, and
- other criteria in accordance with the Criteria for Transfers between Study Programmes are met (comparable curriculum of the study programme and completed study requirements of the candidate).
Individual applications for transfer shall be considered by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT. Apart from comparability between both fields of study, the committee shall also consider the comparability between the study programmes, in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes. The Committee may also assign bridging exams to the candidate.
A candidate transferring from a related study programme abroad may also be admitted under the transfer criteria, provided that, in accordance with the law, they have been granted the right to continue their studies in the master’s study programme in Mathematical Sciences through the recognition procedure of foreign education.
In the case of limited enrolment, candidates are selected based on the average grade of all completed study requirements in the study programme from which the candidate is transferring.
A student may progress to the next year if they accumulate at least 42 ECTS credits from the enrolled year.
In special cases involving individual circumstances (such as illness or extraordinary situations), a student may be allowed to progress to the next year even with a lower number of ECTS credits. In such cases, the decision on enrollment is made by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT.
A student who has not completed all the requirements specified by the study programme for progression to the next year may, during the course of their studies, repeat a year once, provided they have obtained at least 18 ECTS credits in the enrolled year. If a student repeats a year, they are not entitled to absolvent year, and their student status expires at the end of the 2nd year.
By progressing or repeating a year, a student retains student status and, consequently, the rights and benefits defined by law. In accordance with the law, a student may apply for an extension of student status, but for no more than one year.
Upon enrolment in the 1st year of study, students choose a study field. They may choose from the following eight fields: General Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics, Financial Mathematics, Geometry and Applications, Cryptography, Computer Intensive Methods and Applications, Theoretical Mathematics, and Probability and Statistics.
Each of the eight fields includes specific basic courses and internal elective courses.
The set of internal elective courses is defined by the study programme, while external elective courses may be chosen from outside the study programme.
More information on elective courses and study fields is available in the document “Curriculum” (see above).
General competencies
- The ability to analyze, synthesize and predict solutions and consequences of the factors related to the discipline of mathematics.
- The ability to critically assess the developments in the field of mathematics.
- Development of communication skills.
- Skills of co-operation, team work and project work.
- The ability to autonomously seek and acquire professional knowledge and to integrate it with existing knowledge.
- The ability to seek and interpret new information and to place it into the context of the discipline of mathematics.
- Autonomy in professional work.
Subject-specific competencies
- The ability to describe a given situation with the correct use of mathematical symbols and notations.
- The ability to explain and understand mathematical concepts and principles.
- The ability to solve mathematical (and other) problems with the use of modern technology.
- The ability to use the algorithmic approach – to solve a given problem by developing an algorithm.
- The ability to perform a numerical, graphical and algebraic analysis of a given problem.
- The ability to deduce new logical conclusions from the information given.
- The ability to tackle a given mathematical problem with confidence and to find its solution.
There are numerous employment opportunities. The programme provides graduates with appropriate knowledge for employment and career advancement, including opportunities in teaching and research, for example in computer science and informatics (IT companies and other institutions), statistics (e.g. statistical offices, insurance companies, banks), financial mathematics (insurance companies, banks, stock exchanges, brokerage firms), game theory (e.g. lotteries and sports lotteries), education, cryptography (defence, interior and foreign ministries), and RIMA (Ministry of Public Administration). Graduates may teach in secondary schools after completing additional pedagogical-andragogical training (PAI); the PAI programme is a professional development programme offered by faculties of education at universities (see UP PEF), worth 60 ECTS and lasting one year.
Graduates may also choose a career that is not directly related to mathematics, as logical thinking, prudence, evaluation of procedures and results, and an analytical approach to problem-solving –developed by every graduate of this programme – are also highly valued qualities for leadership positions in many fields.