Economics

Our BA programme provides you with a broad understanding of economics, and exposes you to a wide range of specialist economics areas. As you progress through your degree, your focus will be on the application of economics to real-world problems.

You'll develop theoretical understanding and quantitative skills to help you become a highly proficient economist, with a focus on the application of economics to real-world problems.

In your first year you'll be introduced to foundational economic principles and theories and develop your core quantitative skills in mathematical and statistical methods for economics. You will then build on your toolkit of theoretical and quantitative skills in your second and final years and apply these to the specialist areas of economics that interest you the most.

You will be able to choose which pathway to specialise in. You'll have the same core and optional modules on the BA Economics and BSc Economics courses in the first and second years, so that you can study modules in both applied and methodological economics.

At the end of your second year you will then decide if you wish to focus on the applied pathway (BA Economics), or switch to the methodological pathway (BSc Economics).

This will determine the set of modules you can choose to study from in your final year, which includes the flagship Economics in Action module. In this core module you will be able to put the knowledge and skills you have learnt over the course of your degree into practice by applying them to projects focussed on contemporary economic problems and policies. These projects are also designed to enhance your employability skills, challenging you to critically appraise, analyse, interpret and communicate economics when it is applied to real-world issues.

This degree comes with the opportunity to do a year-long, paid work placement, starting after your second year with some of the UK's top employers – these have included the Bank of England, HM Treasury, IBM and PwC.

Whichever path you choose, you’ll graduate equipped with the practical skills you need to forge a career as an economist in the public, private or third sector, or other related professions.

Why study this course?

Variety, choice and flexibility: This course allows you to specialise in your area of interest, building from a broad grounding in economic theory and analysis, and guiding you through the pathway of your choice.

Placement opportunities: This degree comes with the opportunity to do a year-long, paid work placement with a leading employer in your second year.

Excellent career prospects: 94% of economics students who graduated in 2020 were in employment or further study 15 months after leaving university (2020-21 Graduate Outcomes Survey, UK undergraduates).