In Which My Pure Maths Degree Is Even More Useless Than Normal

I was angry.

Yesterday I received an email from a job I applied to. Though mostly aimed at graduates of engineering, they said maths was an acceptable subject. I didn’t really read the part about “accreditation” because I thought that was something that concerned engineers only. Unfortunately, it turns out that there is such a thing as the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications: http://www.ima.org.uk/ and such a body does not recognise my degree.

Great, I thought, I’ll never get a job now. I wondered who to complain to. I initially tried my tutor but in minutes it was referred to Dave Wood (director of undergrad studies / mostly spends his time saying he is too busy to talk to you / once asked me if I was dying).

“No, our degrees are not accredited and we have no wish to be; in fact most of the top maths degrees in the country are not accredited, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial. I would much rather be in the same bracket as those departments than Coventry and London Met.”

Well, Dave you are just being silly. So, perhaps the IMA was set up so that universities like Coventry (I’m trying really hard not to offend here) can feel they can compete with the top universities; to award themselves recognition. But it’s gone too far! The employers believe the list! What use is having a “top” maths degree if employers don’t recognise it? I’m afraid that we aren’t Oxbridge, Warwick, we just aren’t.

It might interest you to know that the physics degree here is accredited by the Institute of Physics and all 79 engineering programmes are recognised by the relevant body. Why is maths still on its high horse? My MMath prepares me for nothing but a PhD in maths research, or admittedly the dreaded financial sector.

I wish I had thought of this before and taken options in stats or (much more preferably) operational research. The algebra and number theory certainly don’t help, but what does it matter. Warwick MMath, which we were promised would get us a good job, is not eligible for consideration.