What role does mathematics play in the teaching and research of some or all of the ‘disciplines’ of mathematics education, science education and the social sciences? This question was that to which I was asked to respond at the Academy of Science of South Africa’s workshop on the mathematical sciences, held in September 2016. As suggested by the title, my focus here is on mathematics education, which is my field of expertise. An underlying interest or concern of participants in the workshop was what was offered in undergraduate mathematics at university, and how this did (or did not) support the ever-widening role mathematics is playing across disciplines. In addition, there were questions about the place and nature of undergraduate mathematics in the preparation for numerous diverse careers.