About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: L100
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 300
- Department: Bristol Business School
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full-time,
Four years sandwich
- Delivery: Full-time
- Study Abroad: There are opportunities for students to undertake a study year abroad or international placement year.
- Programme leader: Dr Tim Hinks
Introduction
The BA(Hons) Economics degree will provide you with the necessary skills to enter into a wide variety of jobs in the banking, financial, government and international community. You will be able to analyse any economic, financial and business information and provide answers as to what is happening and crucially what is expected to happen in the future. The degree will focus on real-world issues and allow you to use a range of different methods to understand these issues more deeply. There will be a focus on quantitative and qualitative methods, ways of thinking/analysing and economic theory which can be combined to provide the most apt solution to any economic problem. We will improve your communication and presentation skills so you are able to tell coherent stories about complex issues to a variety of audiences. At UWE we draw on cutting edge economic knowledge based on our own research and scholarly activities and apply this to the real world. We offer relevant economics, delivered by relevant economists.
Key Benefits
Practical courses designed for the real world
Our courses are developed and designed with employer input in mind, using guest speakers and real world examples that best illuminate the link between different aspects of economics that allow you to see the bigger picture, all of which will help you to develop attributes essential in the workplace.
Employability
Employability starts from the very first term with the degree offering modules that will enlighten your way of thinking and make you start thinking like an economist. This is crucial for your development towards graduating and finding employment.
Included within the degree are transferable skills which facilitate the transition into higher education and underpin employability, earnings and lifelong learning. You will also have access to employability support through the UWE careers team, placement office, graduate development programme and a series of employer talks.
Placements
We strongly recommend that you spend your third year in a work placement as you will gain valuable work experience that you can promote on your CV and have the chance to put theory into practice in the workplace. As well as earning a salary these placements can result in potential job offers upon graduating.
Alternatively, there are opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Students are selected for a study year abroad through a competitive process. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
Flexibility
Economics is a specialist degree, however, some modules are transferable to alternative programmes at the end of level one should you choose to refocus your career.
Student's view
"You can pop in to talk to the lecturers about issues you might have and they are always happy to help you out."
Mansur, BA(Hons) Economics
Structure
Content
You will study three modules in each semester. The first year provides a foundation for the development of the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for your future as an economics graduate. You will be proficient in the use of Excel and will be able to undertake statistical analysis. In the second year, you will study modules that extend your understanding of economics and increase your depth of knowledge. This will also be where statistical and econometric software packages will be introduced that are readily sort by employers. All students are encouraged to spend their third year on placement and the curriculum in the second year provides support for the process of securing the placement. The final year will include a dissertation or applied project that will be informed by the knowledge gained in the earlier years of study and the ability, through choice of optional modules, to focus on particular areas of interest.
Year 1
Semester One
- Microeconomics
- Understanding Business and Financial Information
- Developing Economic Thinking
Semester Two
- Macroeconomics
- Becoming a Practical Economist
- Statistics and Data Management
Year 2
Semester One
- Applied Microeconomics
- Economic Research Methods
- One Economics option module
Semester Two
- Macroeconomics: Theory and Applications
- Economic Modelling and Estimation
- One Economics option module
Final Year
Semester One
- Project: Work-based, Enterprise or Conceptual
- Two Economics option modules; OR one option module plus credits from Placement year*
Semester Two
- Economic Theory and Policy, including Managing Individual Change
- Two Economics option modules; OR one option module plus credits from Placement year*
Option modules may include:
Year 2:
- Good Business, Bad Business and Sustainability
- Emerging Economies
- Economics of Money and Banking
- Economics of the Family
- International Trade and Multinational Business
Final year:
- The Economics of Developing Countries
- Sustainable Business
- Econometrics
- Economies of International Financial Markets
- Labour Economics
- Monetary Economics
- Happiness Economics
- Behavioural Economics
* Students who complete a Placement year do one fewer option module in their final year.
Teaching and learning
The course is taught through a blend of learning activities which include tutor-led and face-to-face, student-led and independent, online, group projects and students supporting each others' learning.
Lectures, workshops/seminars, group project work, and tutoring account for 12 hours of contact time per week. However, you will be expected to spend at least as much time again in essential independent study: preparation for workshops/seminars study, reviewing lectures, online work, reading and other research activity, as well as in the preparation of assessed work and revision for end of module exams.
Our learning and teaching approaches are student focused with the emphasis on helping you to actively find out things for yourself. You will be expected to work with a mix of theory and practice, academic rigour and a practical approach, so that you can appreciate the relevance and application of concepts learnt. To help in this, you will be expected to gain high quality work experience, ideally through the 40 week Placement but if not, then through short term internships, paid work e.g. as a Student Ambassador or as a Peer Assisted Learning Leader, or through volunteering.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and examinations, all of which aim to assess not only what you know and can do but also develop the graduate attributes that are valued by employers. These attributes include communication and presentation skills, IT and numeracy skills, team work, project and time management skills as well as the intellectual skills of problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and evaluation, creativity and innovation.
Coursework comes in many different forms: essays and reports; business plans and applied research projects; portfolios and weekly notes; assessed group and individual presentations and posters. You will also be required to reflect and comment on your own learning and personal development.
Special Features
Placements
We strongly recommend that you spend your third year in a work placement as you will gain valuable work experience and have the chance to put theory into practice in a real business environment - as well as earning a salary.
The School's placements team will support you in finding a placement, providing guidance on CV writing, applications and interview skills, as well as access to an extensive database of placement opportunities. Whilst working, the Placements office continues to support you and your progress is monitored by both your employer and the Business School. The portfolio you complete whilst working is a valuable resource to support your future employability and evidences your achievements in your placement.
Study Year Abroad
As an alternative to a placement year, there are opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Students are selected for a study year abroad through a competitive process. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
Study facilities
Your learning is supported by the provision of high quality study facilities: an excellent library and a dedicated Business Librarian and online support to help to develop the information literacy skills essential in helping to identify and evaluate resources. We also have flexible learning spaces in the Business School with wireless Internet access and study areas, meeting tables for groups and sofas.
Careers/further study
The strong demand for graduates with this degree makes it an ideal launch pad for a career in banking, finance, management, accountancy, marketing , corporate finance, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government.
Our graduates are employed in a wide range of roles, such as Financial Analyst, Stockbroker and Pricing Analyst. They work across private and public sector organisations including Hargreaves Lansdown (Stockbroker), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Orange, and Bristol NHS Trust.
Further study is also an option open to Business school graduates and in 2010 graduates went on to study Masters courses in areas such as Development Economics, Economics and Finance.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating- includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about how doing a work placement helped Ellen secure a traineeship in the NHS.
Useful links
UWE - careers in economics and statistics
Prospects - careers for economics graduates
Guardian - what can you do with a degree in economics?
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 300
- GCSE: Maths or Statistics and English Language at grade C or above required.
- Specific subjects: None specified.
- Relevant subjects: Business, Management
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths or Statistics and English Language.
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about
entry requirements.
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from students who do not have the entry requirements outlined. The university will consider applications on the basis of evidence of personal, professional and educational experience which indicates an applicant's ability to meet the demands of the degree.
International applicants
A large percentage of our student community is of international origin. We welcome enquiries from international applicants. Further information can be found on our international web pages.
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given above, please read the general information about entry requirements.
How to apply
Please see the general information about applications.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011