Economics BSc (Econ) (Hons)

Economics is about more than maths. When you study economics you get a set of tools that allows you to understand how the world works. And when you understand how something works, you can change it.

Using real topical data from organisations such as HSBC, Barclays, the Bank of England and the UK Government's annual budget, you’ll learn how to analyse and interpret numerical data to understand social issues. These are skills that will help you not only as an economist, but in a variety of roles where data analysis drives decision making.

You'll learn all the core economic theory you need to be an economist using real, topical data from organisations such as HSBC, Barclays, the Bank of England and the UK Government's annual budget. You'll also learn a set of skills that you can use in roles beyond finance.

You'll Learn:

• how to use data to communicate a variety of challenging financial, ethical and social issues
• how to present an argument
• how economics influences decision making in a wide range of scenarios, from people's behaviour, to environmental sustainability, to investments and government policy making

After your second or third year you can apply this knowledge on an optional paid placement. Previous students have worked at places like the Office for National Statistics, Amazon, or the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Course Highlights:

• Benefit from expert teaching that's informed by our academics' close relationships with organisations such as the Bank of England and the Office for National Statistics
• Gain a Bloomberg Certificate (a trading platform that's used by 250,000 financial service professionals) in our dedicated Bloomberg Suite
• Be employment-ready by using the same software (EViews and STATA) and the same financial databases (Eikon and S&P Global IQ) as professional economists
• Understand how economics affects society through our specialist research expertise in behavioural economics and environmental resource economics
• See economics from a different angle by spending a year abroad at a partner university in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe or the Far East
• Get support to set up your own business from our Entrepreneurs in Residence Programme
• Learn a foreign language as part of your degree

What You'll Study:

• Year 1:
• Core modules
• Introduction to Finance, Accounting and Banking - 20 credits
• Discover the basic theory and practices of accounting and finance, retail banking and central banking. This module gives you a foundation for future studies in corporate financial management, monetary policy, investment analysis, international banking, financial economics, banking and financial markets.
• Issues In Economics - 20 credits
• Examine contemporary issues and current affairs in economics.
• Macroeconomics - 20 credits
• Explore key concepts in the structure and performance of the economy, and learn to define and use macroeconomic frameworks.
• Mathematics for Economics - 20 credits
• Get a foundation in the use of mathematical techniques in the context of economics, and develop the basic mathematical skills and competencies you need to complete of core economic and financial theory modules later in your studies.
• Microeconomics - 20 credits
• Explore the key concepts in the operation of a market economy.
• Statistics for Economics - 20 credits
• Explore theories related to statistics, such as presenting and summarising data, as well as probability theory and hypothesis testing.
• Year 2:
• Core modules
• Data and Research Methods for Economics - 20 credits
• Develop and enhance your appreciation of sources and methods used by economists.
• Econometric Methods - 20 credits
• Receive an introduction to the analysis of economic data using the technique of least squares regression.
• Intermediate Macroeconomics - 20 credits
• Gain an understanding of key macroeconomic variables and their evolution over time.
• Intermediate Microeconomics - 20 credits
• Develop an intermediate level understanding of key concepts of microeconomic theory.
• Optional modules
• Behavioural Economics and Game Theory - 20 credits
• Develop the necessary intellectual framework and analytical tools to analyse strategic interaction in economics.
• Corporate Financial Management - 20 credits
• Learn an introduction to core financial management principles and get engaged in formative individual problem-solving activities and emphasising collaborative learning activities appropriate to the modern workplace environment.
• Economics of Money, Banking And Financial Markets - 20 credits
• Develop an understanding of the structure, conduct and performance of banking and financial markets.
• International Economics - 20 credits
• Grow an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of conventional trade models.
• Investment Analysis - 20 credits
• Explore the major issues in financial management, viz., a source of finance, investment appraisal, capital structure, cost of capital, financial planning, working capital management and dividend policy.
• Managerial and Decision Economics - 20 credits
• Grow your knowledge of the main principles and theories relevant to the study of managerial and decision economics.
• Modern Foreign Language (Institute-Wide Language Programme) - 20 credits
• Study 1 of 8 modern languages on the University's free Institution-Wide Language Programme.
• Psychology and Altruism in Economics and Finance - 20 credits
• Learn about basic concepts of psychology and of its interaction with the study of economics and finance, and explore altruism as a force for good in its manifestation as not-for-profit and charitable organisations.
• Year 3:
• Core modules
• Advanced Economics - 20 credits
• Develop key analytical skills in microeconomics and macroeconomics to an advanced level.
• Econometric Analysis - 20 credits
• Explore techniques for the analysis of cross-section data, time series data and panel data.
• Economics Research Project - 40 credits
• Study a specialist field of applied economics and finance.
• Optional modules
• Advanced Corporate Financial Management - 20 credits
• Build on the underlying corporate financial management principles that you explored in year 2, and learn about the strategic financial management issues faced by modern businesses.
• Behavioural Finance and the Psychology of Investment - 20 credits
• Get an understanding of relevant theories from psychology and behavioural sciences.
• Crime, Conflict and Terrorism - 20 credits
• Explore the study of crime and issues surrounding security.
• Development Economics - 20 credits
• Explore the strengths and weaknesses of conventional development economics models.
• Economics and Finance of Sport - 20 credits
• Explore the economics and finance of the professional sports industry and discover topics like competitive balance in sporting contests, demand for live events, cross subsidisation between leagues, match outcome forecasting, financial sustainability, return on investment, streams of income, corruption, and governance.
• Energy and Environmental Economics - 20 credits
• Delve into key topics in energy economic analysis and environmental issues as you examine energy-environment interactions and highlight the role energy plays in ensuring sustainable development.
• Financial Economics - 20 credits
• Gain understanding of investment and theoretically derived methods in the process of investment decision making.
• International Banking And Financial Instruments - 20 credits
• Learn about futures, forwards, swaps, and options markets.
• Market Economics and Business Strategy - 20 credits
• Grow your understanding of the main principles and theories relevant to the study of business strategy, market competition and relevant policies. Develop your understanding of public policy towards private firms and organisations as well as a critical awareness of the main economics instruments used for competition policy.
• Public Policies and Labour Markets - 20 credits
• Discover the core themes of public sector economics and to the economics of labour markets.