BAEcon Economics and Politics / Course details

The BA Economics and Politics course will help you discover what drives economic systems while providing you with the skills to model and quantify these systems.

Under expert guidance, you will gain skills that are relevant for a professional economist and sought by a wide range of employers.

Taught by leading experts from one of the largest economics department in the UK, you'll benefit from research-led teaching that covers a breadth of themes.

You will delve into econometrics, operational research, and mathematical economics, management, business, development, microeconomics, and macroeconomics.

Our Politics department is one of the largest groupings in the UK, making this course sought after for exploring comparative politics, international politics and political theory.

• World-leading research and teaching in economics has been at the heart of higher education in Manchester since the early days of the University.
• William Stanley Jevons (1835-1882), who helped build the foundations of modern economics, was one of the first professors at Manchester.
• Three winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics have worked at Manchester. Sir John Hicks (1904-1989) wrote his most important works on welfare economics during his time here. Sir Arthur Lewis (1915-1991) was awarded the Prize in 1979 for his pioneering work in the field of development economics and, Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel Prize winner 2001) has led the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Manchester.
• We are proud to be acknowledged across the world as a leading centre for economic research, scholarship and research-led teaching in all areas of the discipline, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, financial economics, environmental and resource economics, development economics and industrial/business economics.

Study abroad  

You can apply in Year 1 to spend a semester abroad in Year 2. If you are successful, you will put together a package of course units at your host university in consultation with your Academic Exchange Advisor in Manchester.

Professional experience opportunity

You have the option of boosting your employability through a paid professional placement year. You may apply in your first or second year, extending your course to four years. You will complete your placement in your third year.

Your degree title will be extended to include 'with Professional Experience', giving you the added advantage of relevant work experience when entering the competitive graduate jobs market.

Course units feature formal lectures supported by smaller tutorials or seminars where you explore the contents of lectures and recommended reading in greater depth.

Tutorials and seminars are key to improving your written and oral communication skills through group discussions, essay-writing, and presentations.

Students are assigned an Academic Advisor who takes a friendly interest in your progress and can advise you on selecting course units and career opportunities.

The range of methods is designed to promote in-depth learning and understanding, including:

• essays, coursework and other mid-term evaluations;
• dissertations;
• presentations;
• group projects; and
• exams.