BAEcon Development Studies and Data Analytics

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• Development Studies
• Social Sciences

AAA, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):

Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

We accept native language A Levels providing they are taken in the same sitting as your other subjects. We will not accept thecombination of Mathematics, Further Mathematics and a native language.

We accept the Level 3 Diploma in Financial Studies (DipFS) as equivalent to an A-level if taken alongside two full A-levels from the list of acceptable subjects above

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

ABB, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):

Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

We accept native language A Levels providing they are taken in the same sitting as your other subjects. We will not accept thecombination of Mathematics, Further Mathematics and a native language.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Contextual offers are available for applicants who:

• live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
• live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
• have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

BBB, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):

Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

We accept native language A Levels providing they are taken in the same sitting as your other subjects. We will not accept thecombination of Mathematics, Further Mathematics and a native language.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:

• have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
• have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

36 points overall. 6,6,6 in Higher Level subjects

Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade C or 4 in GCSE/iGCSE English Language and Grade B or 6 in GCSE/iGCSE Mathematics. GCSE/iGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/iGCSE English Language.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of  our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications  or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the admissions team in your academic School for clarification.

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries.For detailed information please refer to our country-specific requirements and requirements for foundation years .

For general requirementsnot listed abovesee accepted entry qualifications from your country .

Still need help? Email us at socialsciences@manchester.ac.uk .

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

• GCSE/iGCSE English Language grade C.
• IELTS 6.5 overall with no lower than 6 in any component.
• TOEFL (IBT) 90 overall with a minimum of 20 in each subset.
• iGCSE English (Second Language) grade B.
• An acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of  our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications  or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.

If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page .

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (common European Framework (CEFR B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

In addition, our academic Schools/Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found  here .

Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

Unavoidable additional costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum will be made clear to you at the point of application.

Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary , are available to eligible home/EU students.

Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.

You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.

If you have followed a non-standard educational route and have been, for example, educated at home, your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course to which you applied.

You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the academic entry requirements as specified for the course.

We will also require a reference which should be written by somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education.

Please refer to UCAS for further information: UCAS reference guidelines .

Applicants classed as international students who are studying Foundation Year Programmes, will be considered on the basis they have completed their High School education in full.

Please see our list of approved UK foundation programmes and entry requirements for more information. We also accept a number of qualifications from around the globe. For further information please see our country-specific information pages.

If you still need help, please email us socialsciences@manchester.ac.uk .

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation. Deferred entry is granted on the discretion of admissions staff, and is normally granted for one year only.

NB Some English Language test results, such as IELTS of TOEFL, are only valid from two years from the test date.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you can apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.

In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may refer back to previous applications or registrations at the University.

If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should include additional evidence of your suitability for the course.

If you are applying through clearing you will need to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing places will be subject to availability.

Year 1 gives you a broad introduction to Economics and Social Sciences. This will help you decide what to study in Years 2 and 3.

In Year 1, you would take 120 credits overall made up of:

• 40 credits of Economics;
• 20 credits of either Introductory or Advanced Mathematics/Statistics (depending on your A-level qualifications or equivalent);
• 10 credits of an introductory unit in Social Sciences;
• 40 credits from a list of Social Sciences optionalunits;
• Remaining 10 credits from Economics or Social Sciences, or Study Skills.

At the end of your Year 1, you would have an option to switch to a different pathway.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

In Year 2 you study your chosen pathway in depth and take 120 credits over the year.

Single pathway

If you specialise in one pathway, you can take a maximum of 80 credits in that single pathway and up to 40 credits from other pathways from the BA(Econ).

Joint pathway

If you specialise on a joint pathway, you also take a maximum of 80 credits in any one pathway, but you have the freedom to split these between the two disciplines depending on what you would like to study.

To specialise in Development Studies, you will be taking compulsoryunits in Development Economics, as well as a 20-credit optional Social Sciencesunit on a topic of development, such as the Politics of Development or Political and Economic Anthropology (the list is subject to change). You will also be taking compulsoryunits inData Analyticswhich include survey designs and statistical models.

Free choice units

You can also take up to 20 credits from across the University. For example:

• Study a language and improve your career prospects.
• Go beyond the boundaries of your degree with University College for Interdisciplinary Learning
• Expand your business and entrepreneurship skills with Business and Management for all Programmes

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

In Year 3 you take 120 credits depending on your chosen pathway.

Single pathway

If you choose to specialise in a single pathway such as Development Studies, you can take a minimum of 80 credits in that single area and up to 40 credits from other pathways from the BA (Econ).

Joint pathway

If you specialise on a joint pathway, you will choose a selection of modules in each of the two pathways to fulfil your credit requirements. You will also have an option to do a Development Studies Dissertation where you will be working with a supervisor from either Economics, Politics or Sociology to develop your own thesis.

Free choice units

You can also take up to 20 credits from across the University. For example:

• Study a language and improve your career prospects.
• Go beyond the boundaries of your degree with University College for Interdisciplinary Learning .
• Expand your business and entrepreneurship skills with Business and Management for all Programmes .

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

If completing a year abroad, you will take the Year 3 course content in Year 4.

If you are selected to take up the Professional Experience opportunity in Year 3, then you will take Year 3 course content in Year 4.

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.

For more information, please email dass@manchester.ac.uk .