Annual Science Conference 2016: Science A Lifetime of Opportunities

Table of Contents I. Prologue

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II. Acknowledgements

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1. Introduction

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2. Review of the Current Policy

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2.1. Department of Biology

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2.2. Department of Chemistry

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2.3. Department of Physics

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2.4. Department of Statistics and Operations Research

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2.5. Department of Mathematics

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2.6. Department of Geosciences

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3. Statement of the Necessity of Change

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3.1. Applied Postgraduate courses

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3.2. Research Scheme for Masters Students within the Industry

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3.3. Multidisciplinary Approach

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4. Discussion 4.1. In depth examination of advantages and disadvantages of following a course in science

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4.1.1. Advantages

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4.1.2. Disadvantages

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4.2. Department of Statistics and Operations Research

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4.3. Department of Mathematics

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4.4. Collection of opinions obtained from the Policy Forum (04.03.16): Discussion with the Students

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5. Data Analysis

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6. Conclusions

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1

Prologue The process of defining scientific career aspirations, as in other disciplines, often entails a principal dilemma: whether to pursue postgraduate studies or commence employment. In this regard, this year’s policy memorandum addresses the issue and delineates the opportunities that science students have upon finishing their first degree, on the basis of a statistical study. This detailed analysis focuses on the students’ perspective concerning the pros and cons of furthering their studies and/or gaining work exposure. The students’ viewpoint regarding the different opportunities present in Malta, was also analysed, whilst taking into consideration the situations vacant presented by the local leading scientific firms.

‘Science: A Lifetime Of Opportunities’ deals with life all scientists have before them.

Whether one decides to keep on studying or find employment, newly qualified scientists are presented by an increasing array of opportunities. From the feedback we got from our respondents, it was suggested that students are unsure to where they are heading, since B.Sc. courses do not direct towards a particular profession. Consequently, we decided to look into this predicament with the aim of elucidating the matter, while providing means of support and assistance in clarifying our goals as science students.

Upon establishing the title, works on this policy commenced last summer. A social policy sub-committee was established in November 2015, wherein the policy’s structure and argumentation were constructed. By the end of January, the analysis process was initiated by dissemination of questionnaires to lecturers, students, employees and employers in the scientific field. The data obtained was then compiled and analysed as presented today in this publication.

Without further ado, we would like to invite you to read our paper and hope that your expectations are met and your questions answered.

Anna Vella Secretary General

Rebecca Marie Bezzina Social Policy Officer

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Acknowledgements This policy paper would not have been made possible without the help of the following people; Chantelle Spiteri, Maria Falzon and Matthias Vassallo for their work and dedication towards the project.

Prof. Charles V. Sammut , the Dean of the Science Faculty, for his endless support from the inception of the project, for the suggestion of the title himself and as for his contribution on behalf of the Department of Physics.

Dr. Joseph A. Borg for his help and constant support as well as for his contribution on behalf of the Department of Biology.

Prof. Emmanuel Sinagra for his significant help and contribution to the project on behalf of the Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Peter Borg for his suggestions and contribution on behalf of the Department of Mathematics.

Prof. Lino Sant for his contribution on behalf of the Department of Statistics and Operations Research.

Jean Paul Formosa and Romario Catania for helping out in the design of this booklet.

Benji Fenech Salerno and Rebekah Chetcuti for helping with the creation and effectiveness of the opinion questionnaire.

Pamela Cuschieri for helping in the proof reading of this document.

Luke Spiteri for carrying out data analysis for the aforementioned questionnaire.

Lastly, S-Cubed would like to thank all the students who in any way contributed to the writing of this policy, either by filling in the questionnaire, attending the policy forum or giving statements on the subject.

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1. Introduction In this study, all of the six departments within the Faculty of Science were contacted in order to get a holistic study of the current situation. The compilation of information was a result of student and lecturer input via questionnaires, interviews and statements sent by email. Throughout the course of collecting the necessary data, it was made sure to include as many people as possible for more representative results.

The respondents’ feedback obtained via the disseminated questionnaires was of utmost importance and their ideas were also gathered in the forum that was held prior to this conference. Their ideas and input are noted in a later section in this report. This information provided the committee with a sound overview regarding the current policy and which in turn the committee proposed improvements that can be implemented and hence establishing the required amendments in the current policy.

The paper will include a review of the current policy where the current state of affairs will be discussed. Additionally, a statement of the necessity of change where the major problems identified will be expressed. A discussion of the opinions and recommendations of both the staff and students and the data analysis of the circulated questionnaire will follow. Finally, recommendations and implementation of change will be made in order to push forward the ideas that came out from discussing the matter.

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2. Review of the Current Policy Since B.Sc. courses do not directly lead to a profession, students experience uncertainty on what to do once they graduate. They are not fully aware of the benefits of studying or gaining work experience and believe that both serve as crucial elements in their careers (extent of which is subjective). Such doubtfulness has no right or wrong answer and a balance of both studying and work experience is necessary. It is highly subjective to the individual whether s/he is willing to commit in pursuing further studies, or ready to enter the employment sector. It is suggested by several professionals that studying should be done at a younger age since it allows students to focus, before life commitments get in the way. In spite of this, by no means are post graduate studies limited to young students. Many are those who pursue postgraduate studies after acquiring years of experience in the related field and who wish to broaden their understanding by specialising at the masters or Ph.D. level.

In this analysis, we aim to present students with the advantages and disadvantages of studying and working after a B.Sc. course. Ultimately, each student is to make his/her own analysis by weighing out these pros and cons and apply them to their own personality. We understand that students have to undergo an important decision making processes and we aim to facilitate their choice regarding this issue.

2.1

Department of Biology

The Department of Biology gives the opportunity to students to study at masters and Ph.D. levels. These courses lead to various opportunities particularly in teaching, the environment and industry in general. With regards to teaching, currently there are graduates teaching in secondary schools and even sixth forms. To be able to do so one has to consider the new masters course offered by the Faculty of Education to replace the PGCE. However private secondary schools also accept B.Sc and M.Sc holders in biology to work as teachers.

Within the Environment sector, opportunities can be found in corporations such as MEPA and MSDEC which include the fisheries and agriculture department as well as in companies which do work on groundwater such as the Malta Resources Authority The industry in general offers other various job opportunities including positions within consultancy firms. Potential employers include all the organisations that perform Energy Administration Information as well as pharmaceutical companies amongst many others.

Corporations such as the Water Services Corporation employ a number of graduates from the department to work in their labs.

This all goes to show that finding employment upon completion of the B.Sc degree, is not as daunting as it may seem. Traineeships are important as one gains experience, while familiarising oneself with the industry’s customs.

Being successful depends on the skill one works on, the most important being knowledge, critical thinking and how practical one is in applying what he learnt. Other skills such as communication, observation, motivation and reasoning are also important to be efficient in one’s job.

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2.2

Department of Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry offers postgraduate courses at M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. Students are able to conduct their studies via research in their preferred field. A 55% average from the B.Sc. Chemistry course is required to be able to advance their studying at M.Sc. level.

Currently the Chemistry Department is working on introducing study units for the M.Sc. course which would be useful when one finds a job in the industry so that the company does not spend a long time training new graduates. These study units would include a detailed description on how to use instrumentation as a preparatory course before entering the industrial sector. Such skills are suggested by leading pharmaceutical companies that are consistently employing new graduates.

When conducting a M.Sc. course, students are expected to be fully committed and would have a tight schedule hence they won’t be able to go abroad for internship opportunities while undertaking the course. Yet internship opportunities are recommended during undergraduate study.

Companies have been given some incentives by the government to employ postdoc scientists which promotes employments for postgraduate students. In Malta there is a great opportunity for networking of scientists from different fields. Hence they are able to work together by compilation of different skills due to scientists coming from different scientific backgrounds.

Due to the relatively small number of scientists one doesn’t experience a high degree of competition when it comes to specified area of study. Once one decides to study a specific part of the subject it is likely to become the only expert in the field present in Malta. If students feel that they are capable of continuing to study, they are strongly encouraged to do so.

The rate of employment of science students is relatively high and finding a job in this sector isn’t expected to be problematic. In Malta one can find a good number of pharmaceutical industries which are undergoing expansions and hence would result in more employment in the near future.

2.3

Department of Physics

The Department of Physics believes that the better and more academically inclined students are, the more they are encouraged to do research by means of masters and Ph.D. programs.

Finding a job after graduating is not a difficult task. All students graduating from the Department of Physics pursue further studies in Malta or abroad or else find gainful employment within a few months after completing the course. The prospects of finding work with a Ph.D. depends on flexibility. Permanent research positions are not common however if the graduate is prepared to broaden the field, there are many opportunities where a Ph.D.

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level in Physics becomes an asset such as; finance, insurance and gaming. Temporary postdoc positions exist and more should be available in the near future. Hence if exposed to periods of unemployment students should be able to broaden their horizons and apply their skills into other sectors. Being a successful scientist requires skills such as problem solving techniques, presentation skills, scientific writing skills, public speaking and self confidence.

Students are required to possess problem solving, analysis and critical thinking skills which are useful during their course and further on in their career. Students are assessed on knowledge recall, critical thinking and analysis. These are prevalent in all sciences. In physics in particular, problem solving techniques are of utmost importance.

2.4

Department of Statistics and Operations Research

The Department of SOR believes that there are good work opportunities for their students both at undergraduate and Ph.D. level. Most of the students find a job before they even graduate. They are contacted in their third year for internships. Finding a job after completing a postgraduate course is not difficult since they are able to retain their job while furthering their studies. Yet it is understandable that some employers would prefer undergraduates.

Periods of unemployment after graduation are not likely to occur yet if a student faces periods of unemployment s/he should continue his/her studies in order to increase their chance in finding a job. Ph.D. courses are not suggested for all the students. Among many conditions to follow a Ph.D. course, ability and motivation to do research is essential. The B.Sc. (Hons.) course offered by the department certainly prepares students well on the theory aspect. Yet most students should consider a Masters course.

Students in the department are assessed on their ability to master mathematical and statistical concepts and theory solve real life problems statistically and use various statistical software to conduct statistical analysis and fit models. A balance of good understanding of theory and solving practical problems is essential. Using statistical software correctly to analyse data is a skill that students learn during their course and would be needing it in their future workplace.

Solid understanding of theoretical background of statistics and its application in theory is a necessary skill one should take in his/her career. The job opportunities found by statistics students include National Statistics Office (NSO), lottery and betting companies, insurance companies, banks, and educational institutions. Once students start their professional career they should be able to achieve certain skills such as familiarisation with new statistical techniques and mastering of new statistical software to help them in analysing data.

Computational skills, numerical appreciations and intuition of quantifiable tasks, ability to analyse logically arguments and problems and mathematical breadth and depth are necessary skills at their jobs. Lastly, ability to apply theory in practice is crucial and further research would encounter room for improvement and broadening of their knowledge.

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2.5

Department of Mathematics

The Department of Mathematics believes that as a subject, it is in the core of many others.

The jobs one can encounter might not be limited to mathematics. The most common successful jobs are banking, financial trading, gaming, teaching and research. Yet any work that involves calculations and mathematical analysis is a potential job for mathematics students. It seems that there is no difficulty in finding a job after completing a B.Sc. in Mathematics. The subject is being used everywhere and it is too technical for graduates in other degrees such as engineers. Hence the degree would have prepared graduates to tackle these problems.

A problem that one may find is that only larger companies consider employing graduates of mathematics. Finding a job after completing a maths degree can at times be difficult, however this is not definite. When completing postgraduate courses, the student is exposed to better opportunities. Lecturers from the mathematics department believe that a degree should not be assigned to a particular job but the fundamental skills are usually required. Investing one or two years in a masters course will be worth it in the long run especially if made part time while already employed. If a graduate experiences a period of unemployment s/he should opt to further on their studies. One should not expect to get their dream jobs immediately after graduating. Yet, furthering their studies into a specified area they are interested in would increase their chance of employment in the near future.

Computer programming is a necessary skill for employees. Students should have people oriented skills in order to thrive well at their workplace. English language proficiency, independent analysis, problem solving, research, organising and presenting are all essential skills that one should learn. Students at the Department of Mathematics are assessed on their understanding of a problem and its analysis, writing skills, basic computer skills, and finding logical structure and deducing a solution for the problem given. Model building is also a necessary skill that is expected from our students. Students are assessed on various mathematical skills which would result in a good mathematician once they complete their undergraduate course.

2.6

Department of Geosciences

Currently there are only postgraduate students within this department. It was only in 2015 that this Department was founded offering four M.Sc programmes: M.Sc in Applied Oceanography, M.Sc. in Petroleum Studies; M.Sc. in Geoscience with research full time and another one part time. In Malta jobs for people studying within this sector can be a bit limited as there are no oil and gas companies extracting oil economically in Malta and so students at masters level enrolled in Petroleum Studies can only find related job opportunities abroad.

Since this is a relatively new department, there are various challenges students face such as no paper models and not enough equipment due to fund limitations. This department is still expanding with openings for undergraduate courses being open in the near future.

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3.

Statement of Necessity of Change

To improve the current policy, we are calling out for improvement in different sectors.

Although they might be subjective to personal opinions, we believe that these changes would enable students to get a better perspective on what they want.

3.1

Applied Postgraduate courses

From the variety of courses available at the University of Malta, it can be noted that when doing the masters course for a pure subject such as Masters in Chemistry for example, it does not greatly contribute to implementation of knowledge. Applying the learned knowledge is evidently a skill that students require before they enter their careers. Yet achieving this skill requires prolonged studying and thinking. What S-Cubed is suggesting is that the courses though should be more applied rather than theoretical or with heavy weighting on the theory.

The right skills for the future workplace are to be achieved within the course. Hence courses would have a more applied setting. Some undergraduates believe that the courses are too theoretical. Yet, theory is a strong concept and do not intend to ask for change. It is suggested that this theory is be applied to actual tentative career leading masters course.

While understanding that the B.Sc. courses are not made for a particular profession, further effort is required to aid students in the application of the scientific knowledge to their careers.

3.2

Research Scheme for Masters Students within the Industry

It is recommended that the masters projects taking place in the Faculty of Science are to be applied for the industry. This requires an agreement between the Industry and the Faculty of Science in order to compromise titles for the M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis that would help the student obtain his/her degree and the industry would benefit by having its research done by freshly graduate students who are interested in improving the company.

3.3

Multidisciplinary Approach

It is important to encourage a holistic studying approach rather than focusing solely on the chosen area of study. This is already being implemented in undergraduate courses and should be encouraged in the postgraduate courses. If study units are to apply for the postgraduate they should focus on enabling students to see the problem from different perspectives. In undergraduate courses, one can note the presence of different study units from different departments which provide the means of promoting multidisciplinary knowledge. This is beneficial and is to be further implemented.

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4. Discussion 4.1 In depth examination of advantages and disadvantages of following a course in science 4.1.1 Advantages The industry, government and scientists should work together to increase and promote opportunities related to science, especially in areas which are crucial to international development.

Partnering with international companies and with international programs worldwide related to science, provides important means by which job opportunities are created. Undergraduates are encouraged to pursue their studies in such areas as they are guaranteed a job. This advice would also contribute to human development.

Increasing the opportunity to have training and experience in a particular occupation during the course, enables the students and future scientists, to be aware of what their career entails and they would be able to apply the theory learnt at University to practice in the workplace.

Such an experience allows for certain values to be attained such as humility, self-confidence, patience and the ability to work within a team with different scientific backgrounds - all values which are sought for when employing scientist.

Although employment does not seem to be a problem, since almost all of the graduates find a job, having a variety of opportunities where one can work including; teaching positions in colleges and universities, positions in pharmaceutical industries and promotions to supervisory and managerial positions, encourage prospective students to enroll in scientific studies.

Support of scientific and technical research from the government, allow the private market to be able to carry out certain types of research, which without the government intervention, this would not be able to occur. Such research would not only be beneficial at the individual level where jobs are created but it will also have an impact on the economy and the society as a whole.

4.1.2 Disadvantages Following a B.Sc. Course at the University, graduates may choose to apply for a job or else further their studies, locally or abroad. Physics graduates who opt to study further to attain a Ph.D. in the subject may be subject to potential employment difficulties, as permanent research positions are not commonly available. Temporary postdoctoral positions also exist however are not readily available. Ph.D. graduates must be able to exhibit skills and

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knowledge in other areas, apart from their specialization, hence this may be a potential problem in future employment.

In the department of Statistics and Operations research, graduates who exhibit interest in the subject are encouraged to further their studies, at M.Sc. and Ph.D. level.

In the Mathematics branch, graduates may find that employment opportunities are limited.

This may be linked to the fact that employers think that employing a mathematician is strange or extravagant, however this is on the decline. A major disadvantage encountered by mathematics graduates is that only large companies mostly offer opportunities for such graduates, which is still being established in Malta. Currently the challenge in Malta is to keep offering courses which touch on mathematical applications, such as for computer programming. Graduates are at times not familiar with installing software or operating systems, such as Linux, thus this may result in a major disadvantage.

Opportunities are offered by companies such as Baxter and Amino, however various skills, which cannot be taught through a university course are considered an asset, such as the ability to be practical, work in a team environment, self-confidence in knowledge, humility, meticulousness, diligence, enthusiasm and believing in one's competencies. At Amino, opportunities for Maltese scientists are still relatively limited as currently lab analyst and technologists’ positions are occupied by three Italian and only one Maltese scientist.

4.2

Department of Statistics and Operations Research

Prof. Lino Sant The Department of Statistics and OR was instituted by UoM in the late mid-1990’s subsequent to a request by government that the university starts “producing” graduates specifically in statistics. The initiative to cater for needs of statistical skills at a higher level was instigated by dealings of local government officials with Eurostat. The emphasis was to be on mathematical statistics. However teaching and nurturing the valid application of sophisticated statistical techniques to various problems within other disciplines was strongly within the remit.

I was a member of the Maths department at the time and was asked by university authorities to start a new department from scratch within the Faculty of Science. The problem at the time was that there were no Ph.D.’s in probability or statistics except for myself. So a department had to start operating with the task of upgrading the new recruits whom I took on as M.Sc. students, besides supplying B.Sc. students with academically demanding study units.

There were five major areas which I felt should form the fundamental areas around which the new B.Sc. and future M.Sc. course would revolve: • Probability

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• • • •

Statistics Optimization within the Probability and Statistics framework Operations Research Mathematical Finance (including actuarial science).

The programme of undergraduate studies offered was developed over time with the help and contribution of a number of academics. These days former students, who have obtained their Ph.D.’s or are to do so soon and who have contributed enormously over the last years, form the backbone of the department. The foundations on which further studies could be launched, enabling the department to reach onto higher levels, were established quite a few years ago.

Former students, who have continued their studies abroad, send us the same message: the training they received here gave them a really good platform when they started their studies overseas.

Our general philosophy stood mostly solid on the following pillars: ● pedagogy should be based on a healthy interplay between theory and practice ● the mathematical basis of all topics within probability, statistics and OR reigns supreme ● computational methods for the implementation of relevant techniques were to be essential in the development of each study unit Within a year on inception, the Statistics and OR department was expected to provide postgraduate courses. This tall task was met with difficulty. Nevertheless, since the late 1990’s we have had a stream of M.Sc. graduates. M.Sc. graduate courses fork into 4 specialities: ● Probability ● Statistics ● OR ● Finance and Insurance These specialities were chosen to reflect the way things were developing in international academic waters and hopefully to anticipate future, as well as satisfy current, needs from the local labour force arising within the scientific, administrative, productive and commercial sectors of our economy and providers of services.

Multivariate analysis, classification and clustering, generalized linear models, Bayesian and time series statistical techniques figured prominently in our postgraduate dissertations. In all cases the theoretical exposition, which usually is directed towards fairly recent topics, was mostly backed by an application from local contexts.

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Stochastic processes, and their application, figure prominently amongst our past M.Sc. output. Problems involving stochastic differential equations, stochastic optimal control and stochastic modelling with particular applications to finance and insurance have also been the subject of study in our past dissertations. Postgraduate students can also choose topics in OR. There is a huge unsatisfied demand for OR expertise especially in the manufacturing and energy generating and distribution industries as well as in transport. In fact stochastic optimization should be another area which has plenty of potential for development both from the theoretical and practical aspects.

Postgraduate studies have been in the past undertaken by ex-students with suitable qualifications for 2 main purposes: 1. Improving their career prospects by adding a postgrad qualification to their CV 2. Upgrading and updating their statistical and/or OR knowledge to postgraduate level for love of the subject and/or keeping future prospects for an academic career alive and kicking.

There might be other motives for B.Sc. graduates to take up further studies. The needs for statistical, stochastic and OR modelling skills are evident in many areas. With more companies indulging in exercises using big data and data science techniques, the urgency of having someone who really understands the mathematical and statistical underpinnings will emerge. There have been severe and widespread problems with the gentle introduction and shepherding new recruits into big industry. This happened largely because persons at high levels of management feel threatened by the mathematical skills of persons who are supposed to be their subordinates. The employment scene has been slowly acquiring an identity which fits a 21st century milieu. Hopefully the momentum acquired has accumulated within what should be a critical mass. The gaming industries as well as the banking and finance industries testify strongly to this.

Finally the aesthetic aspect of the sciences, as an active and inventive struggle towards better explanation of the intellectual and physical world we live in, should not be forgotten. Let us hope that there will always be a number of persons, not so numerous to be sure but actively present, with their exceptional talents, flair and favourable personal circumstance suitable to entertain, enhance and enjoy probability, statistics and OR as superb intellectual efforts that humans have invented for their own uses and enjoyment. Such persons would always be welcome to study at the highest levels and appreciate how the interrelation between probability, statistics and stochastic processes is a colossal feat of the intellect grappling with uncertainty. Maybe they will add something new to the legacy of human knowledge in this respect through their research.

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4.3

Department of Mathematics

Dr. Peter Borg The Department of Mathematics offers Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programmes in all areas of expertise of its members. The areas of expertise and research mainly are graph theory and combinatorics, analysis, topology, theoretical physics, and mathematical biology. Each member of the department offers a postgraduate taught course in his/her area of expertise.

An M.Sc. student is required to produce an essay under the supervision of a department member, and pursue four postgraduate courses that normally are closest to the essay topic. The weight the essay carries is the same as that of each of the four courses.

A Ph.D. student with an M.Sc. degree is required to produce a dissertation of original research under the supervision of a department member (and may have co-supervision, even from academics in other universities). A Ph.D. student without a master's degree is required to complete two postgraduate taught courses successfully in addition to producing a dissertation of original research.

Despite the fact that an undergraduate mathematics student in the Faculty of Science pursues another principal subject, the current undergraduate mathematics programme should enable the student to pursue not only any postgraduate mathematics degree locally or abroad (as I can testify from my personal experience), but also studies of a mathematical nature and hence in a wide spectrum of disciplines, such as computer science, statistics, operations research, actuarial science, finance, economics/econometrics, physics, and engineering.

Our department has several postgraduate students, particularly Ph.D. students, and their performance has been satisfactory. We are aware that mathematics graduates who opted to further their studies abroad are also faring well. I believe we should encourage such students to maintain contact with our department as this could yield a fruitful exchange of ideas and bolster the collaboration we already have with researchers in a large number of countries (such as the US, the UK and several other European countries, and Israel).

Due to the versatility acquired from our mathematics programme and the fact that our B.Sc. degree involves two principal subjects, our mathematics graduates have found employment and opportunities in various fields, such as lecturing, betting, statistics, finance, insurance, and telecommunications, to mention but a few.

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4.4

Collection of opinions obtained Discussion with the Students

from

the

Policy

Forum

(04.03.16):

Currently students from the Chemistry department feel that not enough hands-on experience is being tackled in their course, yet they understand that if the practical sessions are to increase, there would be too much workload for the students. Students suggested that placements should be implemented. Yet, following the discussion with the Chemistry department it was pointed out that placements are provided by the faculty for single honours students which take place in summer. For those double honours students who wish to attend are free to do so. Such opportunity should be promoted more since not all chemistry students know about this option.

It has been pointed out that during site visits it is commented that the course doesn’t prepare you enough for the working challenges and that more practically oriented foreigners are chosen in favour.

It was also mentioned that Biology and Chemistry students cannot go to Erasmus as this is extremely limiting as abroad one learns a lot of application.

Another suggestion was that the lab sessions shouldn’t be just a single separate unit but synced with their respective units as is done abroad.

Currently students from the Statistics department feel that they could be better prepared for jobs when it comes to software. The main statistical software that is used is SPSS, which is nowadays being superseded by packages such as R in the industry. Some employers also ask for SQL, which is never dealt with in the course. Excel is also commonly used and it is given some importance in the course, which is a good aspect. The department of statistics is currently working on improving the theory and adding more Bayesian statistics, which has become more important nowadays.

The current situation for the Mathematics Department is that Maths is in the core of many subjects yet only large companies opt to invest in mathematicians. Hence it is suggested that postgraduate studies are to be carried out. Students from this department feel that the problem solving skill is transmitted through the undergraduate course.

The opportunities of Biology students is similar to that of chemistry since companies employ scientist from different areas of study and form a research group in industry . Students feel that the biology single honours course gives good hands-on experience which is an eye opener to transmit knowledge in a better way.

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Students were asked to comment regarding their current course or whether they would like to change it.

It was suggested that some combinations of subjects are not provided for the double honours course such as Physics and Biology. This might be of a disadvantage for those wishing to work in an interdisciplinary field such as biomechanics. The problem which arised from this suggestion was that one will require Physics and Biology at an Advanced level, together with Intermediate passes in Mathematics to supplement Physics and Chemistry to supplement Biology. According to current MATSEC regulations this cannot be done as one cannot choose four sciences. Therefore, topics similar to Maths for Chemists as in the case of Chemistry, should be introduced if these new combinations would be offered as to not limit opportunities.

Also even though students choose double honours, there is little overlap between the two, it’s as if they are studying two separate courses. Ideally there would be some kind of relation, a special course for double honours rather than treating the subjects as two separate entities. Computational physics was named as an example which improves this idea, showing that work is being done by the faculty to improve this.

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5. Data Analysis To investigate what the students of the faculty felt about their future studies and job opportunities, a questionnaire was circulated with students following a course in the Faculty of Science. The following is the analysis of the data obtained from the questions asked, having a total number of 136 students participating in the questionnaire. Please note that SOR stands for Statistics and Operations Research.

Question 1: Which course are you following?

The pie chart below illustrates the spread of courses which the respondents are following. As can be observed below, the double honours course from where most respondents come from is that of Biology and Chemistry with 33 counts out of 136, followed by Mathematics and Statistics and Operations Research having 17 occurrences. Additionally, the single-honours course with the most respondents was that of Biology with 30 occurrences as opposed to Chemistry and Physics having 10 and 2 counts respectively. Note that Statistics and Mathematics are not offered as single-honour degrees.

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Question 2: How much time are you willing to spend on your postgraduate studies?

The students were asked to choose how much time they are willing to dedicate on following a postgraduate degree. The pie chart below shows that most of the respondents would consider spending 2 to 3 years in pursuing a postgraduate degree with 64 counts out of 136. A minority do not consider continuing a postgraduate degree with only 3 occurrences.

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Question 3: Do you intend to further your studies even up to a Ph.D. level?

Following the previous question, the respondents were asked if whether they are also keen on pursuing a Ph.D. in their respective fields. The bar chart below depicts that the majority are willing to further up their studies to a Ph.D. level having 93 responses.

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Question 4: Do you intend to work abroad?

In this question the students were asked whether they would opt to work abroad, if given the opportunity. The bar chart shows that out of the 136 students that have answered the question, only 33 students answered with “No�. This implies that students are generally willing to pursue a career abroad.

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Question 5: What encourages you to work abroad?

In this question the respondents were asked to name those reasons as to why they might opt to work abroad. Note that each student could have answered to more than one answer from the provided list. As can be observed from the pie chart below, the most popular reason was for better job opportunities with 89 occurrences out of 229.

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Question 6: What discourages you to work abroad?

Similar to the previous question, now the students were asked to choose those reasons which they think would hinder them from ever working abroad. The following pie chart illustrates the most popular answer, it being that of living away from family and friends with 107 occurrences out of 168.

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Question 7: Do you think it’s difficult to find a job after completing your degree?

As can be observed in the bar chart below, the majority of the respondents believe that ‘Yes’, it is difficult to find a job after completion of their respective course, while the minority feel that it will not be difficult to secure a job after completing their course.

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Question 8: Which skills do you think you should work on more in order to be successful in what you do?

In this question the respondents were asked to select those skills which they think they should improve on, in order to better themselves. From the pie chart below, the most popular answer was that of ‘applying knowledge to practice', while the least popular answer was the ‘ability to work in a team’.

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Question 9: Which factors do you consider as being beneficial to employment?

In this question, the respondents were asked to choose those factors which they think are ideal in preparation to start a career. The highest percentage recorded from the sample was that of 38.19%, which corresponds to ‘internship opportunities’. The lowest percentage was that of 14.96% which corresponds to ‘opportunities studying abroad (e.g. Erasmus+)’.

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Question 10: Year of Study In this question the respondents were asked to specify the year of study they are currently in.

As can be observed below, out of the 132 that answered the question, 41 of them are currently in their second year. The minority were postgraduate students with only 11 occurrences.

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Question 11: What sector of studies would you like to further your studies in?

The students were asked to give an indication on which subject they would like to continue studying. Obviously, when observing the results in the pie chart below, one has to view them in light of question 1, where the majority of the respondents are following a degree in Biology and/or Biology and Chemistry. Hence, one would expect that the most favorite subject which the respondents would like to pursue is Biology with 51 counts. In contrast, the least desirable subject seems to be Geosciences. However, again, one has to keep in mind that there were not many participants following Physics and/or Physics plus another option.

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Conclusion to questionnaire and added suggestions It has been observed that the majority of the respondents are willing to further their studies after graduating from the B.Sc course they are currently following. However there is a small part of those taking the questionnaire don’t know whether they want to continue with their studies or find employment. This suggests that many students need to be more informed in order to be able to make their decision. It would help to have more information available to students about the options one has after graduating.

The above analysis also showed that in general, students want to work abroad at some point in their life, mainly because of better job opportunities and for a different experience than that offered locally.

It resulted that many of the students think that it is difficult for them to find a job after completing their degree. A substantial amount of the respondents also didn’t know if it was difficult or not. This shows that although there are various job opportunities for science students with a Bachelor’s degree, it may be that the students are not well informed about these various job opportunities and only know of the most commonly heard-of jobs. This may result in the students creating limitations for themselves as they will not know about certain jobs and thus will never try to grab an opportunity in such a job.

Students also have the urge to be able to put knowledge into practice. In fact, when asked which skill they think they should work on to be more successful, this was the option most voted for. Moreover the option ‘internship opportunities’ was also the one mostly chosen when asked about which factor is mostly beneficial to employment. All this is proof that students are thriving to see a relation between the theory learnt and the actual work involved in the jobs offered by the industry.

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6. Conclusions From the above, it can be concluded that there are ample opportunities available for students graduating from a B.Sc. course when it comes to furthering their studies and even for finding a job. Although the decision whether or not one should continue studying is subjective, further research in a particular field is recommended in order to be exposed to more job opportunities and better salaries. The dilemma of still not having adequate job experience if one decides to further his/her studies instead of starting their career should be solved by creating opportunities, through assignments, thesis and internships during the undergraduate and masters course where the students are exposed to the actual work, projects and challenges faced by the employees of the industry.

Constant updates should be done in the curriculum especially, in which are the programing languages mostly used in the industry so that they are given importance in the Statistics course. Also, with regards to Chemistry, apart from experiments which cover the principles, there should also be other experiments more similar to those done in the labs of companies.

As S-Cubed, we will pass on the recommendations to the respective individuals within the faculty, so that improvements can be made.

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Questionnaire Science: A Lifetime of Opportunities Which course are you following?  Biology  Chemistry  Biology and Chemistry  Maths and SOR  Maths and Physics  Maths and Chemistry  Maths and Biology  Maths and Other  SOR and Chemistry  SOR and Biology  SOR and Other  Physics  Chemistry and Physics  Physics and SOR  Physics and Other  Geosciences How much time are you willing to spend on your postgraduate studies?  1 year  2-3 years  4-5 years  more than 5 years  I do not consider continuing on to do postgraduate studies  I don’t know Do you intend to further your studies even up to a Ph.D. level?  Yes  No Do you intend to work abroad?  Yes  No What encourages you to work abroad?  Better job opportunities  To gain a different experience from that offered locally  Better salaries  Other __________________

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What discourages you from working abroad?  Living away from family and friends  Starting a new life abroad  Being more self-sufficient and responsible at a young age  Other __________________ Do you think it's difficult to find a job after completing your degree?  Yes  No  I don’t know Which skills do you think you should work on more in order to be successful in what you do?  Critical thinking  Communication  Applying knowledge into practice  Ability to work in a team  Being open to further studying and research  Other __________________ Which factors do you consider as being beneficial to employment?  Getting good grades  Involvement in extracurricular activities  Internship opportunities  Opportunities studying abroad (e.g. Erasmus+)  Other ___________________ Year of study  1st  2nd  3rd  4th  Postgraduate What sector of studies would you like to further your studies in?  Mathematics  Biology  Chemistry  Physics  Geosciences  SOR  None

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