Is there much maths involved?
As mentioned above the only maths you need is the ability to divide speed by 60 to determine how much time/distance you have to sort out a problem with crossing traffic at the same level. You will find most ATCOs use this figure of 60 to divide into miles when driving long distances to see if they are "on schedule."
I would also add the ability to divide by 300 to determine if aircraft are going to be above or below an ideal descent profile. e.g. an aircraft at 10 mile final at 3,000 feet is on an ideal descent profile whereas an aircraft at 6,000 feet at 10 miles from touchdown is going to cause everyone a few problems, specially your college instructors.
