It is now almost 20 years since the advent of Integrated Masters programmes in mathematics (referred to typically as MMath or MSci programmes). Essentially arising out of a report made by a working group supported by the London Mathematical Society [1] MMath programmes (as we shall refer to them here) were the sector’s response to the recommendation in that report that a choice of three or four year Honours degrees be offered in UK higher education institutions (four or five years in Scotland). The aim was and still is to provide appropriate training to those who wish to go on to a career as a professional mathematician since more in-depth and advanced training is needed for such individuals beyond the sound education that a traditional BSc course provides.
At the University of Reading we have been offering MMath programmes since 1994. During this time we have had no progression requirements for students going from their penultimate year (henceforth referred to as Year 3) to their final year (Year 4). Recently however the University has been considering the issue of progression requirements for Integrated Masters programmes. Realising that it was by no means clear to us just what the consensus was in other mathematics departments across the UK we set out to survey them. The results of this survey which demonstrate wide variability are summarised below. Also summarised is an analysis of our own data for recent MMath students to provide an insight into the possible effects of implementing different progression hurdles at Year 3. Our intention in this paper is to provide an opportunity for reflection on the current situation regarding MMath progression.
