BA/BSc (Hons) Economics

Throughout the course, we’ll challenge you to think about choices people make and how those decisions affect every aspect of our lives. You’ll explore everything from employment to distribution of wealth and government spending to international trade.  

Businesses and governments rely on economists to help them examine issues, identify trends and deal with uncertainty.  

We’ve designed the first year of this course to explore the principles of economics including micro and macro economics, critical thinking and the study of the global business environment.

In your second year, you’ll choose between the BA (Hons) and the BSc (Hons) route. This will influence whether you focus on the statistical or policy side of economics. On one hand, the BA (Hons) option examines social and economic issues using a mix of discussion and statistics. On the other, the BSc (Hons) emphasises advanced statistics and forecasting techniques for analysing these challenges.

Beyond the core modules, you can tailor your learning to your interests and career goals and you’ll be able to pick from a range of options.  

In your final year, you’ll put your data handling skills to the test, for your dissertation, on a topic of your choice.

Manchester: A Global City

• Manchester is home to many global and national HQs of some of the biggest names in business, from biopharmaceuticals to banking, and logistics to television. This puts us in the perfect place to offer an education rooted in the real world – with relevant skills, useful experience and valuable connections to support your every ambition. You'll study in a city with a wide range of employers and a demand for ambitious graduates.

Future You

• By studying economics, you'll have a wide range of career paths open to you. Some of our graduates have gone on to undertake roles with organisations like Deloitte, HMRC, HM Treasury, the NHS, Experian, PwC, and the Government Economic Service.  
• You might also like to consider postgraduate study or research in a specialised area like finance, applied economics or business analytics.

Features and benefits

• Triple Accredited - our business school holds the globally recognised trio of accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA placing us among the best business schools in the world.
• Enhance your Employability - through activities including internships, volunteering or learning a new language. With our award winning ‘Rise at Manchester Met’ programme you can gain extra academic credits towards your degree.
• Study your Way – enrol on the three-year course and then decide if a placement or overseas study is right for you once you have started your studies.
• Choose your Degree – after year one, you decide whether you want to achieve a BA or BSc. The BSc route is a brilliant option if you want to specialise in quantitative economics. If you stay on the BA route you will use both discursive and statistical method to explore a broad range of social and economic challenges. 

Year 1

• Please note that all students will apply directly to the BA (Hons) Economics. After studying BA (Hons) Economics in the first year, you can choose to continue on the BA (Hons) Economics, or transfer to BSc (Hons) Economics through the second and third year of study.
• Transferring to BSc (Hons) Economics is subject to satisfactory progress and meeting the prerequisites set out for the core units on these programmes. Students can also choose to do an optional overseas or placement year.
• During your first year you will study eight 15 credit core units. Please note that the following list of units is indicative and may be subject to change.

Core modules

• Introduction to Macro-Economic Principles
• Foundational Global Economic History
• Global Economic History
• Ethics and Rhetoric of Economics
• Critical Thinking in Economics
• Mathematical Economics I (BA)
• Introduction to Micro-Economic Principles
• Introduction to Statistics

In Year 2, you start to specialise with the option of choosing the quantitative analysis unit if you wish to progress to the BSc or BSc (Hons) Economics and Finance. 

Please note that the following list of modules is indicative and may be subject to change:

Core modules

• Introduction to Econometrics PPD (BSc)
• Mathematical Economics II (BSc)
• Applied Quantitative Analysis PPD (BA)
• Intermediate Statistics for Economists (BA)
• Research in Current Issues II (BA and BSc)
• Intermediate Micro-Economics (BA and BSc)
• Intermediate Macro-Economics (BA and BSc)
• Current Issues in Economics I - PPD (BA and BSc)

In Year 3, you can complete the BA (Hons) Economics or transfer to BSc (Hons) Economics, which has a stronger focus on applied statistical knowledge and quantitative skills. 
During this year, you will study a variety of units. Please note that the following list of modules is indicative and may be subject to change: 

Core modules

• Dissertation Project - Quantitative - (BSc)
• Dissertation Project - Qualitative - (BA)
• Advanced Macro-Economics (BA and BSc)
• Advanced Micro-Economics (BA and BSc)
• Econometrics I PPD - (BSc)
• Econometrics II: Time-Series Analysis and Forecasting (BSc)
• Economic Policy Challenges (BA)
• Economic Policy Institutions (BA)
• International Business and Global Change (BA)

Career prospects

• Many organisations have already seen the value of having an economist on board. Upon completion of this course, you can go into roles within the public and private sector.

Examples of graduate roles include:  

• Assistant Economist – HMRC  
• Cyber Security Specialist - UKHSA
• Oxford Economic Consultancy  
• Economic Consultant – Lichfields  
• Analyst – BNY Mellon
• Associate Project Manager – BNY Mellon  
• Graduate Consultant – Atkins Realis  
• Pricing Analyst – Nationwide Vehicle Contracts 
• Financial Controlling – Muller