International MSc Degree
RealMaths
Mathematics for Real World Applications
Duration
Pace
Language
Degree type
Double/Joint MSc
Campuses
Toronto (Canada); Brno (Czechia); Lyon (France); Hannover (Germany); L'Aquila (Italy); Gdansk, Katowice, Gliwice (Poland); Aveiro (Portugal); Karlstad (Sweden)
Latest News
2025 Selection List for InterMaths EMJM, MathMods and RealMaths
Admission round open for the International MSc RealMaths 2025
Midterms Schedule - Semester 1 2024
RealMaths – Mathematics for Real World Applications is a set of 2-year International MSc programmes with focus on scientific computing and applications. Students spend one year at the University of L’Aquila and one year in one of the partner institutions.
Our specialisations include modern applications in material science or socio-economical sciences, as well as innovative methodologies in high performance computing and data analysis.
Programme Overview
Join RealMaths and gain a double/joint international MSc Degree in Applied Mathematics from two of our partner universities.
The RealMaths programme assures the smooth credit transfer between partner universities and the awarding of a double/joint MSc degree after earning 120 ECTS credits from a given list of courses, which are all taught in English.
Year 1 in L'Aquila
You will spend your first year in L'Aquila, Italy
Programme Details
Double MSc Degrees in Mathematics for Real World Applications Awarded by the InterMaths Consortium
In the second year of the RealMaths Internatinoal MSc Degree programme students will be working on their Master thesis, co-tutored by two researchers, one for each of the two institutions involved in their degree programme. Both thesis and defence will be conducted in English. The thesis defence will be conducted according to the teaching regulations of both the academic institutions involved.
Though candidates will receive a double/joint degree, they will have to defend their thesis only once. This will take place in front of a board of examiners including one professor/researcher, at least, for each of the two institutions awarding the master's degree. It will be run starting from June (and no later than September) of your Year 2, but the candidate will have to have completed all their exams first.
The RealMaths Programme is designed for completion in two academic years of full-time study and is taught in English. Upon successful completion of the Degree Programme,students are awarded two master of science degrees, one for each of the two Consortium Institutions involved in their curriculum.
Below you can find a list of the local Master's degrees awarded by the RealMaths consortium.
MSc Mathematical Engineering issued by the University of L’Aquila
MSc Mathematics and Applications issued by the University of Aveiro
MSc Mathematical Engineering issued by the Brno University of Technology
MSc Nanotechnology issued by the Gdansk University of Technology;
MSc Mathematics issued by the University of Karlstad
MSc Mathematics issued by the University of Silesia in Katowice
MSc Mathematics issued by Silesian University of Technology
MA Applied Mathematics issued by York University
Joint MSc Mathematics for Real World Applications issued by Leibniz University Hannover & University of L'Aquila
Language Policy
- IELTS Academic: overall band score of 6.0 or above;
- TOEFL iBT: overall score of 80 or above;
- PTE Academic: 56 or above overall;
- C1 Advanced (formerly known as Cambridge Advanced English): overall score of 169 or above;
- or equivalent to the above.
- a beginner's (A1) course in the Italian language during the first semester
- an elementary (A2) course in Italian language during the second semester.
Credit Transfer Policy
The InterMaths students are required to earn 120 ETCS credits (30 per semester, i.e. 60 per year) to graduate.
Student's performance is documented through the national grading system in force at each partner institution. The transfer and recognition of grades from one institution to another follows the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and is based on the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area.
Below you can view a chart showing the different grading scales in use at each partner institution and the corresponding grades (A, B, C...) and GPA.
Partner University | Partner Mark | UAQ Mark |
|---|---|---|
BUT (Brno University of Technology - Czechia) | A | 30 |
BUT (Brno University of Technology - Czechia) | B | 27 |
BUT (Brno University of Technology - Czechia) | C | 25 |
BUT (Brno University of Technology - Czechia) | D | 22 |
BUT (Brno University of Technology - Czechia) | E | 19 |
Gdańsk Tech, SUT, US (Poland) | 5 | 30 |
Gdańsk Tech, SUT, US (Poland) | 4.5 | 27 |
Gdańsk Tech, SUT, US (Poland) | 4.0 | 25 |
Gdańsk Tech, SUT, US (Poland) | 3.5 | 22 |
Gdańsk Tech, SUT, US (Poland) | 3.0 | 19 |
KAU (Karlstad University - Sweden) | VG | 30 |
KAU (Karlstad University - Sweden) | G | 24 |
KAU (Karlstad University - Sweden) | U | 15 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 20 | 31 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 19 | 30 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 18 | 29 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 17 | 28 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 16 | 27 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 15 | 25 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 14 | 24 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 13 | 23 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 12 | 21 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 11 | 20 |
UA (University of Aveiro - Portugal) | 10 | 18 |
Objectives
While applied mathematics has a longstanding history and tradition in classically related fields such as physics and engineering, it was only in recent years that research scientists started to rely on applied mathematicians to develop more refined and adequate models and techniques to be used in real-world applications. In actual fact, the past 20 years have seen an explosion of new mathematical tools used in biology, medicine, social sciences, material sciences, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, big data.
Higher education has started only recently to formulate such recent developments in the framework of well-structured study programmes encompassing both mathematics and real-world applications. This is partly due to academic research being still structured, to some extent, in separate compartments, with the likely consequence that a very useful “applied” mathematical result may have poor chancesto be published
in a renowned mathematical journal (unless it features truly innovative maths, no matter what the application is).
The International Double MSc Degree RealMaths aims at being a forerunner in this sense. We are an academic programme providing both advanced modern mathematics and a strong focus on real-world applications. The programme takes advantage of the very diverse skills and competencies shared by the “InterMaths Network” partners. Such a diversity defines the programme’s aims and objectives, in that it allows to provide complementary skills combining mathematics and other applied disciplines. To perform this task, the RealMaths Programme is structured into two years spent in two different universities in two different countries at least, in which the student is enrolled at the same time.
Our set of curricula covers a broad range of topics, mostly depending on the partners involved. After having gained an adequate and modern methodological preparation for the study and development of mathematical models in the first part of the programme, candidates will then have the opportunity to choose their second-year destination depending on the specialisation offered by the institutions involved.
Our graduates will possess the proper mindset of an applied mathematician combined with the capability to dialogue with experts from other sectors. Depending on the study path they will follow, students will be ready to undertake a PhD in Applied Mathematics as well as to start a career in businesses, industries, and governments.
Scholarships
Note that all the info below is still to be confirmed for the 2024 edition
Pre Master Bonus
We're proud to confirm that since the 2022 edition, all our students who attended our PreMaster Program have been awarded a special bonus worth 100 EUR for each gained ECTS credit (credits are awarded after successfully passing a course examination). That means they obtained up to 1,200 EUR for the first part of the PreMaster Program (consisting of 12 ECTS credits).
Please note that all terms, conditions and amounts (which are usually paid before the Christmas break and might be subject to taxes) are yet to be defined for the 2025 edition.
Contribution to travel and installation costs from the University of L'Aquila
Sponsor. University of L'Aquila. Office in charge: International Relations Office
Details. By submitting your application before March 5, 2025 (1 pm Italy time), you will automatically be considered for a contribution to travel and installation costs provided by the University of L'Aquila worth around EUR 3,000.
Number of scholarships. The number of scholarships allocated to our programme has not been defined yet. However, consider that in 2024, our network has assigned 32 scholarships.
How to apply? No additional application is required on your side. The University's overall ranking (which will involve all the other UAQ international students) will be based on our ranking. If selected, you will receive an award notification via email from the office in charge (international.students@univaq.it) typically in June-July. Contributions are expected to be paid by the end of December.
Erasmus+ Grant support for Students Mobility for Study (KA131)
Not to be confused with Erasmus Mundus (EMJMD) scholarships!
In the paragraph below with the word "mobility" we refer to a student enrolled at the University of L'Aquila who studies at a partner university abroad for some time. As you'll be enrolled at the University of L'Aquila too for the whole duration of our programme, you're eligible to apply for extra funding when you study abroad ("abroad" from the viewpoint of a L'Aquila student, then).
Sponsor. University of L'Aquila (Erasmus+ funding). Responsible Office: International Relations Office
Details. All our international students can benefit from Erasmus+ grants KA131 (Mobility for Study), provided by the EU via the University of L'Aquila, to finance up to 12 months spent on mobility abroad (for the RealMaths programme, it means the whole Year 2; for MathMods/InterMaths students, that means 6 months for Semester 2 and 6 more months for Semester 3 - if spent away from L'Aquila).
Please consider that for your mobility you might also benefit from an additional special fund (referred to as the Disantavenged fund) addressed to students from families that have generated a low income in Italy.
All in all such grants, i.e. Erasmus+ for Mobility (~300 EUR/month) and Disadvantage Fund (~250 EUR/month depending on your family income in Italy) are expected to award our students up to EUR 550 per month for 12 months at most.
How to apply? Applications for Year2-mobility open in Jan-Feb 2025. There will be a selection mostly based on your previous and current academic achievements. Anyway, note that so far the allocated funding has always been enough to cover all our students going on mobility no matter the final ranking.
Other funding opportunities and benefits
2025-intake students may also obtain other funding opportunities and benefits even from our partner universities (some of our partner universities, for instance, have offered accommodation at reduced fares to our students in Year2). Detailed information about how to apply and what such funding may cover, will be emailed to applicants later on.
To give an idea, you may find below details about the funding opportunities available to students of the 2023 cohort. In their Year1 & Year2 they have all been receiving from the Abruzzo Region Agency for Education (A.D.S.U.) - Abruzzo is the region where L'Aquila is located:
Up to 3,000 EUR per year as allowance
Up to 1,700 EUR per year as rent reimbursement
Up to 600 EUR max. per 10 months on mobility abroad (not awarded if you have already received for your mobility an amount that is greater or equal from the University).
Free meals at UAQ canteens as of January 2025.
Note, such a grant is usually paid in 2 instalments: 1) a very small part (less than 1,000 EUR) at the end of December; 2) at some point in the following summer.
How to apply? The application usually opens in August. Scholarships are addressed to students from low-income families. A few more details will be provided via email by us. For more direct support, you may refer to our Alumni Association starting in August.
Grants by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI)
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) offers grants to foreign citizens and Italian citizens living abroad to foster international cooperation in cultural, scientific and technological fields, to promote the Italian language and culture and to support Italy’s economic system in the world (According to Law 288/55 and its subsequent changes and additions).
Note that we don't offer any kind of support with this specific grant, but you may retrieve all the information required from the Ministry's official website.
Also, note that such type of grant might be incompatible with other grants you might be awarded for the same academic year (like the ones listed above by ADSU, Regional Agency). That doesn't mean that you cannot apply for the MAECI grant or for any of the others mentioned on this page. You're free to apply for any of them, but if you're selected, before accepting a specific grant, you'll have to check the related terms & conditions and ensure that they are not incompatible with any other grant you might have accepted in the meantime. If they are incompatible, you'll then have to forgo either before accepting.
Find out more about the MAECI grant
Participation costs
EUR 2,250 per semester (i.e. 4 installments for a total of EUR 9,000), which include registration and tuition fees as well as any other mandatory "academic" costs related to student participation in the programme (i.e. exams, labs and such). Participation costs do NOT include insurance, accommodation costs, living costs, travelling costs, the cost of equipment or books or the sports centres.
Partial fee waiver
The RealMaths Consortium will grant the 2024-cohort students a partial waiver of the participation costs. Based on that, the student will only have to pay the RealMaths Consortium:
- a total of 2,000 EUR, to be paid in four instalments (500 EUR/semester) at the beginning of each term.
With regard to the first semester, a 344-EUR non-refundable deposit will be required within 30 days after notification of selection, whereas the remainder (156 EUR) is to be cleared before Semester 1 begins.
Mobility
The RealMaths Double MSc programme will take place in two of the countries represented in the RealMaths consortium.
Our specialization tracks have been designed on grounds of the fields of expertise of the reference groups, often with links with groups in the same institutions from other applied disciplines.- All students will spend the first year at UAQ, Italy.
- For the second year, the cohort is split into groups in one of the parterns mentioned above.
Organization of student mobility
Students are assigned one of the Year-2 specialisation tracks. We shall try to distribute the students as uniformly as possible on the specialization tracks, taking into account their preferences.
In their application form students may specify their favourite tracks in preferential order and even select their non-preferable tracks. What we can guarantee at this stage, before the official mobilty paths are established, is that no student will be assigned to a track they have flagged as "non-preferable" in their application. That being said, the committee will do its best to reach a compromise between the choices made by each student on their application and the need for allocating a balanced number of students to each partner university.
Each student is provided with all the essential information about their mobility only after the actual beginning of the programme activities and in any case before the end of the first semester.
Student support
Support via email is available to our students and applicants throughout the year (responses are usually given in no more than 48 hours) in order to handle as many practical matters as possible, for example:
- applicants are assisted in pre-enrolement matters (how to apply, details on scholarships, documents required, queries about the study programme, etc.);
- selected students receive all the support they may need before actually joining our programme: invitation letters, visa, embassies, health insurance;
- enrolled students keep being assisted on many occasions, as when documents for various purposes need to be produced (registration certificates, transcripts of records...).
Direct support is offered by our teams, Alumni Association and international offices at each node to handle matters related to students' accommodation, arrival, health care and the like. Our dedicated Team and Alumni Association are made up of experienced welfare advisers, who can give help and advice on a variety of subjects, including general and personal matters. We also organise a couple of social events for international students, which include trips to the surrounding areas and dinners. Some examples of the support services available to our students are given below:
- general welfare issues;
- advice on academic policies and procedures;
- issues relating to our program, academic progress, failure or exclusion;
- information about the university and local community;
- welcome and orientation meetings;
- enrolment at university and related support (e.g. exam registration).
Student agreement
The RealMaths Programme is designed for completion in two academic years of full-time study.
At the beginning of their studies, students shall sign an agreement with the Consortium Coordinator, which contains important information about the obligations and responsibilities they assume when they are accepted to programme.
More specifically, the agreement regulates the duration of the whole Degree Programme; the structure of the joint study path, mobility, and study plan; attendance and responsibility for health and social insurance; circumstances that can lead to automatic exclusion from the Degree Programme, Consortium administrative fees and contribution to participation costs.
Students who are unable to complete their studies before the deadlines set in the student agreement may make a request to the Management Board for an extension of up to a maximum of one additional academic year.
