Economics and Politics

The BSc Economics and Politics degree at Aberystwyth University offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges from two departments that have strong reputation for teaching and research. The combination of Economics and Politics will allow you to develop a solid understanding of global markets and how they are affected by pandemics, natural disasters and how political systems respond and shape that response to them.

Why study Economics and Politics at Aberystwyth University? Economics is the study of how individuals firms, markets, governments and other institutions combine to produce and distribute goods and services in order to achieve desired outcomes for society, and how effective they are in doing so. The application of economic theory has also evolved to explore contemporary issues such as the causes and impact that pandemics such as COVID-19 has on society at domestic and international levels, the subsequent financial crisis and the proposed solutions to ameliorate the impacts upon trade, globalisation, corruption and ultimately climate change.

Politics explores how society tackles challenges. Politics stands at a fascinating but difficult historical juncture, one that as political beings, we all need to understand, explain and, in part shape. The politics element of this degree offers you the opportunity to study the concepts, practices, policies, histories and regions that make up politics as a discipline and to explore the ways in which, all these factors influence their economics.

What will I learn? The holistic approach of economics in your first year explores the foundational elements that allow you to discover and understand the fundamental principles of business, these include the mechanisms by which management is discharged in various industry, the impact of the business environment and macro-environmental elements (such as Brexit, COVID-19) have on management. Finally, the contemporary economic concepts, models and frameworks are introduced allowing you to explain impacts to customers and markets. Within Politics, you will be immersed in political theory, key political ideas and how they are applied to international and domestic politics. You will also explore key political issues facing the world and economics will compliment and expand your understanding of the wider social and financial consequences of such issues.

In your second and third years you will undertake core economics concepts that include organisational behaviour and theory, impacts of market structures and pricing strategies, the effective development and utilisation of industry specific techniques for operation management, such as econometrics in addition to macroeconomic behaviour and systems. To solidify your understanding, you will have the opportunity to apply the theories identified above into an independent research project allowing you to explore the analytical skills associated with economics and politics excellence. Within politics, you will be given the opportunity to delve deeper into political themes such as nationalism, devolution, global inequality and multiculturalism.

Employability Your Economics and Politics degree will provide an excellent foundation for a professional career within business, financial or political settings. Aberystwyth Business School offers a dedicated consultancy employability module where students apply as consultants within industry.