The Cambridge Mathematical Tripos
The undergraduate mathematics course at the University of Cambridge is known as the Mathematical Tripos. It is widely regarded as one of the most rewarding - and also demanding - undergraduate mathematics courses available. The course is designed for students who delight in mathematical challenges and are ready to think deeply and work hard. You will encounter ideas that are both beautiful and powerful, taught by researchers who are shaping modern mathematics and addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges — from healthcare and climate science to artificial intelligence and beyond.
As the course progresses, you will have the freedom to specialise across an extraordinary range of subjects. Along the way, you might:
- explore algebraic geometry and elliptic curves, central to the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem
- derive the equations governing an expanding universe
- understand the mathematics of black holes through general relativity
- analyse chaos and bifurcations using dynamical systems
- explain secondary rainbows in the sky through the solution of an Airy equation
- study the theory behind modern machine learning methods that shape our digital world
- uncover the mathematics behind gene regulation, population dynamics and the spread of infection
- discover how quantum information theory makes ideas such as quantum teleportation possible.
What the Cambridge Mathematics course can offer you
- Excellent academic support throughout your degree. All lecture courses in the first three years are complemented by small-group teaching sessions ('supervisions'), normally consisting of two students and one supervisor.
- Great flexibility and exceptional breadth. After the core courses in the first year, the choice of subjects increases each year reaching around 80 in the fourth year, from which most students choose 6-8. Many students in the second and third year choose to study more courses than they prepare for exams. The flexible workload allows you to choose what suits your own work pattern and your interests, rather than being driven by exam considerations.
- World-leading taught Masters course in the fourth, optional year, leading to a BA with MMath. This fourth year is renowned as a a breeding ground for future leaders in mathematical research. Cambridge undergraduates in the fourth year are joined by students from other universities in the UK and from all over the world.
- Excellent career prospects. Our graduates are highly sought-after by employers in all sectors, and go on to a wide variety of rewarding careers, including many in academic research. Their career paths range from data science, finance and banking, insurance, IT, to teaching, weather forecasting, cryptography, medical applications, telecommunications, avionics, and many other fields.
Structure of our course
First year (Part IA)
All students follow a common, core course which provides an introduction to both pure and applied mathematics. This gives you an excellent foundation for any further specialisation, and allows you to keep all your options open until after you have experienced a wide range of mathematics at University level. There are two options:
(a) Pure and Applied Mathematics;
(b) Mathematics with Physics (specific information about the first year option with 25% physics is available here).
Second year (Part IB)
The course becomes broader and deeper. There is some choice in the number of courses you take, and you can start to specialise in pure or applied mathematics if you wish. There is also the opportunity to take a Computational Projects course.
Third year (Part II)
With typically 35 or more courses to choose from,of which most students choose 8 to 10, and a free choice of the areas of mathematics you study, this is when you really choose your specialisation in, for example, Pure Mathematics, Theoretical Physics, Statistics. Again, there is also the opportunity to take a Computational Projects course.
The first three years lead to a BA in Mathematics.
Applicants should note that the Faculty Board for Mathematics has decided to change the examination format for Part II of the Mathematical Tripos from 2027-28 onwards. Further details of this change can be found here.
Optional fourth year (Part III)
The fourth year is an optional integrated Masters with 80 or so courses available. Most students choose 6 to 8 courses, to study a subject in depth. You will also write an essay on a research topic, chosen from the 100 or so possible set titles, or on a topic proposed by you and agreed with one of the lecturers.
The four year course leads to a BA with MMath.