About Leeds

The School of Mathematics

The School of Mathematics at the University of Leeds, which comprises the departments of Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, is one of the largest and most active in the country. The School has over eighty members of staff including about twenty five professors. In all three disciplines the School has a high reputation for research, both nationally and internationally. We have close research links with other departments, with universities in this country and abroad, and with industry and hospitals.

We offer undergraduate degree schemes which are both comprehensive and extremely flexible. This flexibility includes opportunities for students to spend a year studying in Europe or America, to spend a year in industry, to choose from three or four year courses, and to study non-mathematical subjects alongside mathematics. In the teaching quality exercise in 1998 we scored 22/24.

We pride ourselves on our friendly atmosphere and good staff-student relations. There is a staff-student committee with representatives from all sections of the School. It is a forum for discussing issues within the School, such as course content and tutorial arrangements, as well as wider issues relating to the University as a whole. The Maths Society, which is run by students, is open to all students and staff, and organizes a range of social and sports events.

Find out more about undergraduate mathematics degrees at Leeds.

The University of Leeds

The University of Leeds received its Charter in 1904, although its origins lie in the nineteenth century with the foundation of the Yorkshire Technical College and the Leeds Medical School.

The University is one of the largest and most successful in the United Kingdom, with about 24,000 full-time equivalent students. With some 2,000 academic staff and research fellows, it is the home of many distinguished scholars with a wealth of experience in teaching and research, and an array of courses which few others can equal. We have students from over 100 countries, so studying at Leeds is a great way to meet people from other parts of the world. The University also has the advantage that all departments are on one campus which is virtually traffic-free and very close to the city centre.

Leeds University Library houses one of the country's major university libraries. The main science collection is in the Edward Boyle library, right next to the Maths building. This, together with various areas in the School, provides ample space for private study.

The University Sports Centre, situated on-campus, provides seven squash courts (including one glass-court), weight-training and fitness rooms, a table-tennis room, and three general-purpose sports halls for indoor activities such as badminton, five-a-side football, basketball, netball, volleyball, aerobics, judo, cricket net-practice and hockey.

And when you want a break from study there is lots to choose from. Leeds University Union (LUU) has over 50 sports clubs and 150 societies which cover a large spectrum of interests - music, theatre, art, religion, politics, and those with an international flavour. There are also opportunities to do something with and for the local community by helping with Student Community Action projects. The Union Building houses numerous bars, the Refectory, a stationery shop, supermarket, travel agents, book shop, snack bars, a card and ticket shop, launderette, opticians and print shop, and its new concert hall is the venue for regular discos and live bands. Throughout the year the University also holds several established balls. The Union also runs an evening minibus service for women and provides welfare services, offering advice on matters such as housing, finance and academic affairs.

For more information, see the University of Leeds website, and the Leeds University Union website.

The City of Leeds and beyond

The City of Leeds has its roots in the Victorian era: on the banks of the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool canal, Leeds rapidly transformed into a thriving city built around the clothing, textiles and manufacturing industries. Leeds also has thriving commercial, financial, medical and legal communities. The city now has a population of around three quarters of a million with a further 1.5 million within a half-hour drive.

The centre of Leeds is just a ten minute walk from the University. It has a compact shopping area; a mixture of the old and new, from modern precincts to Victorian arcades and markets. Leeds also has thriving commercial, financial, medical and legal communities. There is a city Art Gallery with a relaxing coffee shop, and next door you can visit sculpture exhibitions at the internationally renowned Henry Moore Institute. For night life there are pubs, restaurants, cafe bars, night clubs and live music venues such as the Leeds Town and Country Club and the Irish Centre. If you are in search of culture the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the Grand Theatre (home of Opera North), and the concert season at the Town Hall can help provide it.

Leeds is renowned for its sporting connections. The city boasts several major sporting attractions and venues: Elland Road, home of Leeds United Football Club; Headingley, home of test matches, Yorkshire Cricket Club and Leeds Rugby League Club; Leeds International Swimming Pool; The Leeds Marathon and Half-Marathon; International Cycling; as well as a wide range of sporting facilities for active participation both in the University and the City.

There are also plenty of places to visit around Leeds. There is York, oozing with history, Bradford with the National Museum of Photography, the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales and Moors, or you can step back in time by visiting some of the local abbeys and stately homes. Why not search for the ghosts of Cathy and Heathcliffe in Brontë country, or take a trip to Holmfirth and walk in the footsteps of Compo and Clegg from "Last Of The Summer Wine"? Then there is always Emmerdale...

Leeds has excellent rail, coach, motorway links with all of the country. Hull is just an hour away for ferries to mainland Europe, and for the high fliers there is Leeds/Bradford airport with regular flights to other UK airports, Ireland, other parts of Europe and beyond. The University is just fifteen minutes walk from the central coach and railway stations, and within Leeds itself there are frequent bus services and scores of taxis.

For more information, see the Leeds City Council website and YorkshireNet