Mathematics Education

Entry requirements

A minimum of a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent international qualification) in mathematics, education, psychology or a related discipline.

It would be an advantage in some cases to have a master's in mathematics education, educational/psychological research methods or in a related discipline.

Projects which have funding attached (e.g. through research councils, University funding or industry sponsorship) are advertised on our online prospectus and do not require a research proposal.

If you can't find an advertised project that fits your interests and experience, you can submit a research proposal to find a supervisor who will work with you on your project. You can view our list of academic staff on our website or you can email us for guidance.

Alongside your research proposal, you must also submit the following to accompany your application:

• a one-page CV summarising relevant experience and skills
• a one-page cover letter describing the reasons for wishing to undertake research in your chosen area and the personal qualities you will bring
• a two-page essay on one or more issues affecting teaching/learning in mathematics related to your proposed area of research. This should be a specially constructed piece of writing, making reference to relevant academic literature.

You should also indicate on your application the area in which you would like to study and the person with whom you would like to work, if appropriate. You are strongly encouraged to contact this person ahead of making an application to discuss your interests and possible research topics.

Months of entry

January, April, July, October

Course content

The Department of Mathematics Education (formerly the Mathematics Education Centre) is one of the largest mathematics education research groups in the UK. In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, 85% of our research activity was judged to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’, putting us amongst the highest of all education departments in the UK.

Our research focuses on two interest groups: Culture, Pedagogy and Identity, and Mathematical Cognition. We explore the fundamental processes involved in learning mathematics, as well as the design and evaluation of innovative pedagogy.

Academics from the Department have won national and international awards for their research and research-informed teaching practices. They connect with other specialists throughout the UK and run monthly seminars and workshops, attracting academics and researchers from across the region, which you will benefit from as a student, along with our reading group sessions.

We attract an increasing amount of external funding for our research with grants from the ESRC, the Royal Society, the Nuffield Foundation, the British Academy, Action Medical Research and the HE STEM programme. In recent years we have hosted several prestigious fellowships:

• Dr Sophie Batchelor (ESRC Future Leaders Fellowship)
• Dr Camilla Gilmore (British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship)
• Dr Matthew Inglis (Royal Society Educational Research Fellowship)
• Dr Ian Jones (Royal Society Educational Research Fellowship).

Our Department's growing international reputation has been reflected in Loughborough University's appearance in the top 250 universities in the world for education in the 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject, and by being ranked as the fifth highest education department in the UK in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (based on the percentage of 3/4* activity).

The Department is responsible for the University-wide Mathematics Learning Support Centre, which provides mathematics and statistics support to all students. In addition, one-to-one support for students at all levels of study is provided by Mathematics Education staff and colleagues in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The Statistics Advisory Service is a specialist service which is in great demand, providing support for final-year project students, postgraduates and staff requiring help with statistics. There is also increasing demand for support from the Eureka Centre for Mathematical Confidence which supports students with a range of neuro-diverse needs. The Department, together with Coventry University, hosts the sigma Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in university-wide Mathematics and Statistics Support.

The Department of Mathematics Education is proud to be part of the ESRC Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) in partnership with the universities of Warwick, Nottingham, Birmingham, Aston and Leicester.

Information for international students

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.

Fees and funding

Please see our website for a list of research degree funding and scholarships.