Mathematics is at the core of all technological innovations.

If you’d like to master quantitative problem-solving, mathematical modelling and critical thinking, this is the degree for you.

It is an elite, research-focused program for exceptional students at Australia’s highest-ranked university.

Make your mark with maths at ANU: find out more about mathematical studies, the degree structure, the university experience, career opportunities and student stories on our website. Work and learn in both independent and collaborative ways with others to encompass diverse abilities and perspectives.

Get the inside story on what it’s like to be an ANU student by visiting our student blog.

This program is not available for Semester 2 commencement.

Are you interested in understanding political systems in Australia and in other parts of the world? Do you want to find out what drives citizens’ political attitudes and behaviour, and how these affect policy outcomes? The Bachelor of Political Science is the only dedicated political science degree in Australia. In it, students:

• study the identities, values and norms that underpin citizens' attitudes, drive political behaviour, and contribute to policy outcomes;
• examine and compare the institutions and political systems of Australia and other countries;
• acquire and apply a broad range of analytical skills that are highly sought after in today’s job market.

Located in the nation's capital, ANU enables students to be in the hub of Australian politics while they study politics. Internships, including in Parliament House, give students the opportunity to see see and experience policymaking firsthand.

Employment Opportunities

This program is excellent preparation for work in any mathematical field, whether in academia, private industry, or government. See the following information provided by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute for examples of employment opportunities for those trained in mathematics.

https://amsi.org.au/resources/mathsadds-careers-guide/

This program is excellent preparation for work in any mathematical field, whether in academia, private industry, or government. See the following information provided by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute for examples of employment opportunities for those trained in mathematics.

https://amsi.org.au/resources/mathsadds-careers-guide/

Learning Outcomes

1. Think clearly, sequentially and logically, as demonstrated by the critical analysis of quantitative problems, such as the ability to read, understand and write mathematical proofs.
2. Demonstrate mastery of the concepts and techniques of Advanced Mathematics.
3. Communicate concepts and results clearly and effectively both in writing and orally.
4. Systematically identify relevant theory and concepts, relate these to appropriate methodologies and evidence, and draw appropriate conclusions.
5. Engage in critical review of appropriate and relevant information sources.
6. Work and learn in both independent and collaborative ways with others to encompass diverse abilities and perspectives.

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key areas of interest to political scientists, including citizen ideas/interests/attitudes/behaviour, policy actors and outcomes, and political/social/legal institutions;
2. apply political science theories and concepts to the key areas of interest to political science;
3. demonstrate knowledge of a specific region/historical era of relevance to political science; apply political science theories and concepts to that region/era; reflect critically on the theories'/concepts' utility and explanatory power;
4. apply analytical tools from political science and other social sciences to the evaluation of political phenomena across of a variety of issue-areas that are relevant toscholars and policymakers; and
5. communicate and debate both orally and in writing, and work with others, using a wide variety of media.

Further Information

Student Advice

What courses should you take in your first year of study?

• MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1 (6 units)
• MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2 (6 units)

Our first-year curriculum lays a common foundation for all mathematics students, keeping all doors open. In the second-year, students take a collection of core courses to better understand their mathematical tastes. Later in the program, particularly in the third year, students will follow their mathematical interests through a variety of course choices.

Additional advice:

• Additionally, students who intend to take MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models (6 units) as part of their program requirements should enrol in it alongside MATH1115 in first semester.
• Students who intend to take MATH2222 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs (6 units) as part of their program requirements, can choose to take it alongside MATH1115 in first semester of first year, or wait to take it in the first semester of their second year. Students are welcome to seek advice if they are unsure which choice is correct for them.
• Please also note that if MATH1005 is completed as part of the main program requirements in first year, then students may still choose to take MATH2222 as an elective course in second year.

How can I satisfy the Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course requirements?

• Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving courses can be found using the Programs and Courses search engine.
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences) may identify in the "Advice for students" section which courses listed in the major will contribute towards this requirement. This might also be of assistance in identifying courses.

Internship opportunities

Students interested in incorporating an internship into their degree can find out more from the College of Science website.

How can I get a study plan to help me map out my degree?

Want to learn more about the structure of the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences or wish to map out your degree? Click here to access the study plan.

Academic or enrolment advice:

If in doubt, please seek further advice from the academic contact for this program (details above), or the College of Science Student Services Team (students.cos@anu.edu.au).

Student Advice

What courses should you take in your first year of study?

• MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1 (6 units)
• MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2 (6 units)

Our first-year curriculum lays a common foundation for all mathematics students, keeping all doors open. In the second-year, students take a collection of core courses to better understand their mathematical tastes. Later in the program, particularly in the third year, students will follow their mathematical interests through a variety of course choices.

Additional advice:

• Additionally, students who intend to take MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models (6 units) as part of their program requirements should enrol in it alongside MATH1115 in first semester.
• Students who intend to take MATH2222 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs (6 units) as part of their program requirements, can choose to take it alongside MATH1115 in first semester of first year, or wait to take it in the first semester of their second year. Students are welcome to seek advice if they are unsure which choice is correct for them.
• Please also note that if MATH1005 is completed as part of the main program requirements in first year, then students may still choose to take MATH2222 as an elective course in second year.

How can I satisfy the Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course requirements?

• Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving courses can be found using the Programs and Courses search engine.
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences) may identify in the "Advice for students" section which courses listed in the major will contribute towards this requirement. This might also be of assistance in identifying courses.

Internship opportunities

Students interested in incorporating an internship into their degree can find out more from the College of Science website.

How can I get a study plan to help me map out my degree?

Want to learn more about the structure of the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences or wish to map out your degree? Click here to access the study plan.

Academic or enrolment advice:

If in doubt, please seek further advice from the academic contact for this program (details above), or the College of Science Student Services Team (students.cos@anu.edu.au).

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

ACT: Specialist Mathematics and Specialist Methods (double major) / Discrete Mathematics ANU/UC.

NSW: Mathematics Extension 2 or equivalent. 

VIC: Specialist Mathematics.

QLD: Specialist Mathematics.

TAS: Mathematics Specialised / Both Mathematics IA and IB through UTAS.

SA / NT: Specialist Mathematics.

WA: Mathematics Specialist.

IB: Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL.

More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here .

Adjustment Factors

Adjustment factors are combined with an applicant's secondary education results to determine their Selection Rank. ANU offers adjustment factors based on equity, diversity, and/or performance principles, such as for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.

To be eligible for adjustment factors, you must have:

• achieved a Selection Rank of 70 or more before adjustment factors are applied
• if you have undertaken higher education, completed less than one year full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) of a higher education program
• applied for an eligible ANU bachelor degree program

Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
 

The 96 units must consist of:

A minimum of 84 units from completion of courses from the lists below, which must include:

30 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:

MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1 (6 units)

MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2 (6 units)

MATH2305 Applied Mathematics I (6 units)

MATH2320 Advanced Analysis 1: Metric Spaces and Applications (6 units)

MATH2322 Advanced Algebra 1: Groups, Rings and Linear Algebra (6 units)

6 units from the completion of one of the following courses:

MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models (6 units)

MATH2222 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking: Problem Solving and Proofs (6 units)

36 units from completion of 3000-level courses from the subject area MATH Mathematics

A minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 units from completion of courses not previously taken from the following subject areas:

ASTR – Astronomy & Astrophysics

BIOL – Biology

CHEM – Chemistry

COMP – Computer Science

EMSC – Earth and Marine Science

ENVS – Environmental Science

HLMD – Health and Medicine

HLTH – Health Science

MATH – Mathematics

MEDN – Medical Science

NEUR – Neuroscience

PHYS – Physics

PSYC – Psychology

SCNC – Science

SCOM – Science Communication

STAT – Statistics

HURDLE REQUIREMENTS

Students must achieve a minimum 70% Weighted Average Mark in each period (Summer/First Semester/Autumn and Winter/Second Semester/Spring) in the subject area of MATH to continue in the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences. During their first year of study, students will be considered in breach of this requirement only if it is not met in both Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Students who do not achieve a minimum of 70% Weighted Average Mark will be transferred to the Bachelor of Science.

First-year students should note that a prerequisite for the MATH1116 course is a mark of 60% or higher in MATH1115, and a prerequisite for both MATH2320 and MATH2322 is a mark of 60% or higher in MATH1116.

Students must achieve a minimum 70% Weighted Average Mark in each period (Summer/First Semester/Autumn and Winter/Second Semester/Spring) in the subject area of MATH to continue in the Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences. During their first year of study, students will be considered in breach of this requirement only if it is not met in both Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Students who do not achieve a minimum of 70% Weighted Average Mark will be transferred to the Bachelor of Science.

First-year students should note that a prerequisite for the MATH1116 course is a mark of 60% or higher in MATH1115, and a prerequisite for both MATH2320 and MATH2322 is a mark of 60% or higher in MATH1116.

The Bachelor of Political Science flexible double degree component requires the completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

The 96 units must consist of:

12 units from completion of the following compulsory Introductory and Methods courses:

POLS1002 Introduction to Politics

POLS1009 Introduction to Data and Methods for Political Science and International Relations

A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 12 units from the completion of courses from the following Theory list:

POLS2102 Political Belief and Deceit

POLS2119 Ideas in Politics

POLS2130 Public Choice

A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 12 units from the completion of courses from the following Australian and Comparative Politics list:

POLS2010 Comparative Politics

POLS2114 Australian Politics

A minimum of 6 units from the completion of courses in the following list:

POLS2044 Quantitative Methods in Politics and International Relations

POLS2045 Qualitative Methods in Politics and International Relations

POLS2137 Meaning in Politics: Interpretation, Method and Critique

A minimum of 6 units and a maximum of 18 units from the completion of the following Political Science and Social Science Enquiry courses, of which no more than 6 units can come from courses taken outside POLS:

DEMO1001 Global population challenges

ENVS1003 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research

HIST2110 Approaches to History

INDG1001 Country, Kinship and Continuities: An Introduction to Australian Indigenous Studies

INDG1002 Resilience, Responsibilities, Resurgence

POLS1005 Introduction to International Relations

POLS2002 Public Policy: Theory and Practice

SOCR1001 Foundations of Social Research

SOCY2038 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods

SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

 Or any other 2000 level POLS course with permission of the program convenor

24 units from the completion of the following 3000-level courses, of which:

A minimum of 18 units must come from the following Political Science Depth list:

POLS3002 Comparative European Politics

POLS3029 Comparative Federalism

POLS3043 Pressure Groups and Political Lobbying

POLS3095 Politics in Latin American

POLS3111 Elections, Political Behaviour and Public Opinion in Australia

POLS3113 Human Rights

POLS3125 Game Theory and Social Sciences

POLS3126 Democracy and Dictatorship

POLS3127 U.S. Politics

POLS3134 The Politics of Gender, Race, and Identity

A maximum of 6 units from the following Social Science Enquiry Depth list:

ANIP3003 Australian National Internships Program

ENVS3028 Environmental Policy

INDG3001 First Nations Peoples, the State and Public Policy in Australia

SOCR3001 Data for Decision Making

6 units from the completion of courses from the following Area Expertise list:

ASIA1025 Asia and the Pacific: Power, Diversity and Change

ASIA1030 Asia and the Pacific in Motion

ASIA1035 Introduction to Asian Politics

ASIA1999 The Origins of Political Order in Asia

ASIA2026 The Politics of China

ASIA2031 Japanese Politics

ASIA2065 Asia’s Changing Politics in Comparative Perspective

ASIA2070 Democracy in Southeast Asia

ASIA2096 North Korea: History, Culture, Politics

ASIA2222 Taiwanese Society and Politics

ASIA2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development

DEMO2003 Migration in the Modern World

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy, Past and Present

EURO1004 Europe in the Modern Era

HIST2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History

HIST2128 Colonies and Post-Colony: 19th Century Australia and its Legacies

HIST2221 The Birth of Modernity: Britain 1688-1848 

HIST2226 Nazi Germany

HIST2227 Australian Political History

HIST2240 Democracy and Dissent: Europe Since 1945

HIST2242 The Soviet Union: From the Russian Revolution to the Collapse of Communism

INDG1002 Resilience, Rights and Resurgence

MEAS1001 Introduction to the Modern Middle East

MEAS1002 Islam: History and Institutions

MEAS2000 Iran: History, Politics and Culture

MEAS2001 New States of Eurasia: Emerging Issues in Politics and Security

MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East

PASI1011 Pacific Encounters: Introduction to Pacific Studies

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

POLS2031 Politics of the Middle East

POLS2055 Pacific Politics

POLS2069 Politics of Russia

Study Options