Mathematics and physics are complementary subjects. Often a way of thinking developed in one discipline leads to new insights into the other. The advances in the theory of dynamical systems and chaos are an example. In both subjects the emphasis is on learning how to recognise the surprising and how to reason. Past students have gone on to work in industry and in professions such as business, journalism and the financial sector.
Students decide during the first year which degree to aim for.
The four year degree is designed to bridge a gap which has developed between the traditional British three year degree and the degrees awarded in other European countries which tend to last four or five years. The British three year degree is being seen increasingly as part of a general rounded education, which should leave students numerate, articulate and employable. The four year degree should appeal most to those who intend to make direct use of their knowledge of mathematics and physics after they graduate. The Warwick joint degree is now among the best-established in the country. Each year around fifty students enter the course.