External degree project in mathematics
Doing a degree project outside academia or at a department other than the Department of Mathematics, either at Uppsala University or another higher education institution, is a good choice if you do not plan to continue to doctoral studies in mathematics. It gives you experience of how mathematics is used in professional contexts or applied in other disciplines. You also get the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and make valuable connections that may lead to future employment.
How does it work?
How does it work?
Find an area and project that interests you. If you do this well in advance, you will increase your chances of finding a project and you can also adapt your course choices to ensure you have what you need. Use your department's contacts or find something on your own. Read about degree project event and other tips below.
The fact that a project is advertised or proposed as a degree project does not automatically mean that it is a suitable degree project at the right level and scope. You must first check with the programme coordinator who can suggest a subject reviewer who is formally responsible for it and who must give the go-ahead before the thesis can begin and who also assesses when it is ready for presentation.
When you do an external degree project, you have a supervisor from the company/organisation/authority/department where the project is carried out and a subject reviewer and examiner from the department.
Thesis contract
A thesis contract might be needed in some cases in order to stipulate who owns the results and for confidential information. If you need help with the contract, please contact the student adviser or the programme coordinator, who have access to the relevant contract documents.
Options regarding who owns the results of the thesis:
- the student (but the company is allowed to use it for their purposes),
- both the student and the company,
- the company withholds the results but renumerates the student etc.
In any case, the student should be able to use the results for the examination.
Confidential information
While working on your thesis you might gain access to information or produce results that the company or authority has legal right to keep
secret. In this case you will be asked not to transfer this information to any third party, except to the department if needed for the purpose of examination.
Open access
A fundamental principle at the university is that openness should apply as far as possible. Ideally, degree projects should be public.
Our advice is to inform the company or authority that the standard practice is open access publication, and that they have the possibility to request the exclusion of certain information from the thesis, provided that this does not compromise scientific integrity (e.g. reproducibility and accuracy).
Previous examples include situations where a company has wished to anonymize specific measurement units or categories in tables. This was deemed acceptable, as it did not affect the mathematical validity of the work.
Avoiding delays
If your external theses requires data from a company or authority, you should be prepared to encounter the following issues that have occurred at least once in the past:
- the data is not in a format that allows for the intended analysis,
- the data is not made available in time due to internal restrictions within the company,
- the data cannot leave the company premises, and the company takes considerable time to provide the student with access to a computer.
To avoid delays, we strongly recommend that you have a “Plan B”! Make sure that there is some freely available or simulated data that you can use as an alternative if necessary.
Who does what?
An external supervisor from a company, organisation, government agency, or another department within Uppsala University. Helps you choose a project, reads drafts, provides feedback, and so on.
A subject reviewer from the Department of Mathematics assesses whether the project is suitable within mathematics at the chosen level and decides when the work is ready for presentation.
An examiner appointed by the Department of Mathematics and responsible for grading the degree project.
Previous external degree projects
See reports from previous projects to get an idea of their scope and level.
- external degree projects in mathematics at Master´s level
- external degree projects in mathematics at Bachelor´s level
In DiVA, only degree projects carried out outside Uppsala University are classified as external. This means that degree projects completed at other departments within Uppsala University, rather than at the Department of Mathematics, are not included in the search results accessed through the links above.
Upcoming Event
Degree Project Matchmaking Event - Spring 2027
- When: not yet set
- Where:
- For Whom: all mathematics students, all cohorts
The department will provide sandwiches. Registration will open once the date has been set.
See who is coming
We have found it difficult to attract more than a few companies and organisations to these events. Many larger companies instead refer students to their websites, where they advertise degree projects. You should therefore see these events as an additional opportunity to find a project, rather than a substitute for searching on your own.
Company | Project proposal or area of activity | Prior knowledge | Contact | Coming to the event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
Previous Degree Project Offers
Degree project offers given at previous matchmaking events or advertised to our students in Studium:
Company/Org. | Project proposal or area of activity | Prior knowledge | Contact | Time of annoncement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TRATON | See pdf pdf, 126 kB. | Master level | 2026, October | |
| Department of information technology - UU | 2026, October | |||
| Länsföräkringar | Building a model that can automatically tag insurance claims regarding damage to or loss of possessions that require manual review, as they could potentially involve fraud. | None defined. Can serve as a degree project for both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. | 2026, October | |
| Ericsson | many degree project possibilities | Bachelor's or Master's students in mathematics | Employer Branding Specialist | 2025 |
Many potential leads for projects that could be carried out within the framework of a degree project, but nothing clearly defined at this stage. | Mathematics/ Statistics | and Hanna Börjeson | 2025 | |
Two degree project proposals:
Own project ideas are also welcome | Master's students in mathematics | Joar Lind | 2025 | |
Several possible thesis projects concerning the development and modelling of prediction models linked to survival and prostate cancer | Bachelor's or Master's level Statistical knowledge and who can or want to learn programming in R | Marcus Westerberg | 2025 | |
| DEKRA Counsulting AB | Life cycle assessment (LCA) for extending the service life of high-value mechanical equipment - Stockholm (ad only in Swedish - just autotranslate) | They contacted us and wanted to reach out to our mathematics students. "Suitable for those who enjoy mathematical modelling and want to contribute to sustainability." | 2025 | |
| ordo one | You are enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's programme in mathematics and have taken a course in financial mathematics | Jonas Hansbo | 2024 | |
Quantum compartment | Master level | William Norman | 2024 | |
| VakeWorks AB | VakeWorks vision is to use systems research and thinking from an algorithms-machines-lives-planet perspective, to create regenerative and resilient living systems that are economically profitable and beneficial to society and the planet. Read aboutdegree project opportunities at VakeWorks AB. | Mathematics and some familiarity with computer programming. Interest in living systems theory (universal algebra should suffice). | Raazesh Sainudiin "You can propose meeting times IRL or Online with me based on my calender (scroll down via my contact link)" | 2023 |
| Stockholm Environmental Institute
| Identify risks and inform immediate action geographically on the beef supply chain in Brazil. The work has the potential to be extended to other products and countries. More information on the project opportunities at Stockholm Environmental Institute. | Graph analysis, Supply network mapping and interest in sustainability applying to agricultural supply chains | Vivian Ribeiro vivian.ribeiro@sei.org | 2023 |
| Truesec | Cyber security |
| Gabriele Bocca | 2023 |
| Kambi | Betting company |
| Djalal Mirmohades | 2023 |
Contact
- If you need help choosing a project, finding an supervisor or subject reviewer, or if you have other questions, you are welcome to contact us:
- Study advisor for the Master´s Programme
- Programme Coordinator for the Master´s Programme