Dissertations
Introduction to Dissertation
OMMS and Part C students are required to undertake a dissertation worth two units as part of their degree programme. This can be either a mathematics dissertation or a statistics dissertation. Please note that some statistics dissertations are not open to mathematics students and are reserved for those on the Part C Mathematics and Statistics.
The dissertation will entail investigating a topic in an area of the Mathematical Sciences under the guidance of a dissertation supervisor. This will culminate in a written dissertation with a word limit of 7,500 words, which usually equates to 25-35 pages. It is expected that students embarking on a dissertation will be working on it over Christmas vacation, Hilary Term and Easter vacation for submission in early Trinity Term.
Students completing a dissertation may request a book for consultation if it is held only by the Whitehead Library (and not held in the RSL, their College library or as an e-book) by emailing the Librarian at library@maths.ox.ac.uk .
The book will be sent to the RSL where it can be consulted for reference, not borrowing. Please see further information here.
Timetable for Dissertations
Michaelmas Term | |
| Week -2, Friday | Dissertation abstracts published |
| Week 0, Friday | Dissertation Information Session |
| Week 1, Wednesday 12:00 | Deadline for submitting dissertation choices |
| Week 2 | Students notified of project allocation |
| Weeks 3-8 | Initial meetings with dissertation supervisor |
Hilary Term | |
| Weeks 1-8 | 4 further supervision meetings |
| Weeks 7 and 8 | Oral presentations take place |
Trinity Term | |
| Week 1, Monday 12:00 | Submission deadline |
Choosing a topic
A list of potential dissertation topics will be published on the website. Each topic will be accompanied by a short abstract outlining the project with details on necessary pre-requisite knowledge and the maximum number of students who will be able to take each topic. You will be asked to complete an online form, ranking 5 of the topics. Please note that Maths Part C students are only permitted to chose a maximum of three statistics topics. You will be notified of which project you have been allocated by the end of week 2.
Oral Presentation
Each student is required to give an oral presentation to their supervisors and at least one other person with some knowledge of the field of the dissertation. These will usually take place in the final two weeks of Hilary Term. The presentation does not count towards the final assessment of the project, however, it will give you an opportunity to practice your presentation skills which will prove useful in your later careers.
Useful Links and Sources of Information
- Past project archive
- Mathematical Institute's LaTeX help
- University guidance on research and library skills
- University guidance on referencing
- Oral Presentation Guidelines
- Guidance for Supervisors 2024-25_0.pdf
- Nov 2022 Dissertations Information Session
- Projects Talk TT24
- Dissertation Guidenotes 2024-25.pdf
The First Notices to Candidates (including information on dissertations) can be found here.