Competencies

The Faculty of Mathematics, currently the Mathematics Section, in its effort to offer studies within this discipline adapted to the European Higher Education Area, has been offering a Degree in Mathematics since the 2010-2011 academic year. This new Degree replaced the degrees of Bachelor in Mathematics and Bachelor in Statistical Sciences and Techniques. The Degree allows the choice of two itineraries in the configuration of the electives, Pure and Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Operational Research.

This offer will provide a remarkable scientific and research level to the students who choose these studies, preparing them for a future with a high degree of competitiveness, which will open numerous doors for them in the world of work, and will also enable them to complete master's degrees in different fields of science.

Following the recommendations of the White Paper on the Degree in Mathematics, the general competencies of the degree are:

• To know the nature, methods and purposes of the different fields of Mathematics together with a certain historical perspective of its development.
• Recognize the presence of Mathematics underlying Nature, Science, Technology and Art. Recognize Mathematics as an integral part of Education and Culture.
• Develop analytical and abstraction skills, intuition and logical and rigorous thinking through the study of Mathematics.
• To train students to use the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in defining and posing problems and in finding solutions in both academic and professional contexts.
• To prepare for further specialized studies, both in a mathematical discipline and in any of the sciences that require good mathematical foundations.

According to the provisions of the EHEA Qualifications Framework (known as Dublin descriptors, or QF-EHEA in English), students are required to acquire the following basic skills during their studies:

• Demonstrate possession and understanding of knowledge in the area of Mathematics based on general secondary education, at a level that, while supported by advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that imply knowledge from the cutting edge of the study of Mathematics.
• To be able to apply this knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and to possess the skills that are usually demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and the resolution of problems within the area of Mathematics.
• Have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data, within the area of Mathematics, to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
• Being able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
• Having developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.

Furthermore, based on the proposals of the White Paper on the Degree in Mathematics, students must acquire the following specific skills during their studies in order to obtain the degree:

• Understand and use mathematical language. Acquire the ability to state propositions in different fields of Mathematics, to construct demonstrations and to transmit the acquired mathematical knowledge.
• Know rigorous demonstrations of some classical theorems in different areas of Mathematics.
• Assimilate the definition of a new mathematical object, in terms of other known ones, and be able to use this object in different contexts.
• Knowing how to abstract structural properties (of mathematical objects, of observed reality, and of other areas) distinguishing them from those that are purely occasional and being able to verify them with demonstrations or refute them with counterexamples, as well as identify errors in incorrect reasoning.
• Learn new knowledge and techniques independently.
• Propose, analyze, validate and interpret models of simple real situations, using the most appropriate mathematical tools for the purposes pursued.
• Solve math problems using basic calculation skills and others, planning their resolution based on the tools available and time and resource restrictions.
• Use computer applications for statistical analysis, numerical and symbolic calculation, graphical visualization, optimization, or others to experiment in Mathematics and solve problems.
• Develop programs that solve mathematical problems using the appropriate computing environment for each case.