Studying Mathematics at postgraduate level gives you a chance to begin your own research, develop your own creativity and be part of a long tradition of people investigating analytic, geometric and algebraic ideas.
You would be joining a vibrant research community of almost 100 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers and academic staff. You have the opportunity to engage with a very wide range of research topics within a well-established system of support and training, with a high level of contact between staff and research students.
A very active research seminar programme further enhances the Mathematics research experience.
The School has a strong reputation for world-class research. Postgraduate students develop analytical, communication and research skills. Developing computational skills and applying them to mathematical problems forms a significant part of the postgraduate training in the School.
In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 93% of our Mathematical sciences research was classified as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ for outputs.
The Mathematics Group also has an excellent track record of winning research grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Royal Society, the EU, the London Mathematical Society and the Leverhulme Trust.
A first or upper second class honours degree in a subject with a significant mathematical content (or equivalent).
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from a UK university
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
Postgraduate research is a fantastic opportunity and significant investment in your future, enabling you to expand your knowledge, skills and career options – all while making a meaningful impact and contribution to an area you are passionate about.
At Kent, we also recognise the significant financial investment that comes with postgraduate study, and we offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate researchers, to help keep your mind on your studies, and off your finances.
Scholarships can be broad, or specific to your situation, background or even country – so please do use our scholarships finder to discover the options available to you.
We also have research partnership funding with research councils and government schemes in specific areas of interest that can help you take your research to the next level with additional financial support.
Find out more on our fees and funding page and discover what option is right for you.
The University’s Templeman Library houses a comprehensive collection of books and research periodicals. Online access to a wide variety of journals is available through services such as ScienceDirect and SpringerLink. The School has licences for major numerical and computer algebra software packages. Postgraduates are provided with computers in shared offices in the School. The School has two dedicated terminal rooms for taught postgraduate students to use for lectures and self-study.
The School has a well-established system of support and training, with a high level of contact between staff and research students. There are two weekly seminar series: The Mathematics Colloquium at Kent attracts international speakers discussing recent advances in their subject; the Friday seminar series features in-house speakers and visitors talking about their latest work. These are supplemented by weekly discussion groups. The School is a member of the EPSRC-funded London Taught Course Centre for PhD students in the mathematical sciences, and students can participate in the courses and workshops offered by the Centre. The School offers conference grants to enable research students to present their work at national and international conferences.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Advances in Mathematics; Algebra and Representation Theory; Journal of Physics A; Journal of Symbolic Computations; Journal of Topology and Analysis. Details of recently published books can be found within the staff research interests section.
Kent's Graduate School co-ordinates the Researcher Development Programme for research students, which includes workshops focused on research, specialist and transferable skills. The programme is mapped to the national Researcher Development Framework and covers a diverse range of topics, including subject-specific research skills, research management, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking and teamworking, and career management skills.
The research interests of the Mathematics Group cover a wide range of topics following our strategy of cohesion with diversity. The areas outlined provide focal points for these varied interests.
The research on nonlinear differential equations primarily studies algorithms for their classification, normal forms, symmetry reductions and exact solutions. Boundary value problems are studied from an analytical viewpoint, using functional analysis and spectral theory to investigate properties of solutions. We also study applications of symmetry methods to numerical schemes, in particular the applications of moving frames.
Current research on the Painlevé equations involves the structure of hierarchies of rational, algebraic and special function families of exact solutions, Bäcklund transformations and connection formulae using the isomonodromic deformation method. The group is also studying analogous results for the discrete Painlevé equations, which are nonlinear difference equations.
Natural systems are dominated by nonlinear interactions which produce a rich variety of dynamical behaviours. Analysis of these systems provides insight into real world problems such as genetic and infectious diseases and conservation of wild populations. Moreover, these systems provide inspiration for the design of new computer algorithms.
Current research on quantum integrable systems focuses on powerful exact analytical and numerical techniques, with applications in particle physics, quantum information theory and mathematical physics.
Topological solitons are stable, finite energy, particle-like solutions of nonlinear wave equations that arise due to the general topological properties of the nonlinear system concerned. Examples include monopoles, skyrmions and vortices. This research focuses on classical and quantum behaviour of solitons with applications in various areas of physics including particle, nuclear and condensed matter physics. The group employs a wide range of different techniques including numerical simulations, exact analytic solutions and geometrical methods.
A representation of a group is the concrete realisation of the group as a group of transformations. Representation theory played an important role in the proof of the classification of finite simple groups, one of the outstanding achievements of 20th-century algebra. Representations of both groups and algebras are important in diverse areas of mathematics, such as statistical mechanics, knot theory and combinatorics.
In topology, geometry is studied with algebraic tools. An example of an algebraic object assigned to a geometric phenomenon is the winding number: this is an integer assigned to a map of the n-dimensional sphere to itself. The methods used in algebraic topology link in with homotopy theory, homological algebra and modern category theory.
Invariant theory has its roots in the classical constructive algebra of the 19th century and motivated the development of modern algebra by Hilbert, Noether, Weyl and others. There are natural applications and interactions with algebraic geometry, algebraic topology and representation theory. The starting point is an action of a group on a commutative ring, often a ring of polynomials on several variables. The ring of invariants, the subring of fixed points, is the primary object of study. We use computational methods to construct generators for the ring of invariants, and theoretical methods to understand the relationship between the structure of the ring of invariants and the underlying representation.
Research includes work on financial risk management, asset pricing and optimal asset allocation, along with models to improve corporate financial management.
Kent’s world-class academics provide research students with excellent supervision. The academic staff in this school and their research interests are shown below. You are strongly encouraged to contact the school to discuss your proposed research and potential supervision prior to making an application. Please note, it is possible for students to be supervised by a member of academic staff from any of Kent’s schools, providing their expertise matches your research interests. Use our ‘find a supervisor’ search to search by staff member or keyword.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
A postgraduate degree in Mathematics is a flexible and valuable qualification that gives you a competitive advantage in a wide range of mathematically oriented careers. Our programmes enable you to develop the skills and capabilities that employers are looking for including problem-solving, independent thought, report-writing, project management, leadership skills, teamworking and good communication.
Many of our graduates have gone on to work in international organisations, the financial sector, and business. Others have found postgraduate research places at Kent and other universities.
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for this course are:
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for UK postgraduate research courses have not yet been set by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This is ordinarily announced in February. As a guide only for the full-time tuition fee for new and returning UK postgraduate research courses for 2024/25 is £4,786. The equivalent part-time fee for these courses is £2,393.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
You'll need regular access to a desktop computer/laptop with an internet connection to use the University of Kent’s online resources and systems. We've listed some guidelines for the technology and software you'll need for your studies.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, as well as general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
Learn more about the application process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.
You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.
Supporting your success
Kent ranked top 40 in The Times Good University Guide 2025.
Fees and funding
Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
Accommodation
