Course description

Key highlights

• This course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• CIMA accreditation means the course gives you additional awards and/or exemptions towards professional body memberships
• Live consultancy projects with employers are your chance to solve real problems for real businesses
• Our Financial Markets Lab allows you to experience the pace and excitement of the trading floor
• An optional placement year or summer internships are available
• Opportunities to go on international study trips add an extra dimension to your studies

How you will learn

Real world learning is at the heart of this programme, with the focus on solving genuine business problems as well as engaging with external experts to discuss economic concepts. You’ll learn through a compelling combination of:

• interactive lectures
• expert speakers
• problem-solving seminars
• group work
• group discussion
• workshops
• case study analysis
• computer lab work
• practical analysis

At the start of the course, you will benefit from substantial direction from our teaching team. As your studies progress, you are expected to work more independently, taking greater responsibility for your own learning – but always with the support and advice of your tutors.

Examples of projects

As the culmination of the course, the Applied Economics Project module enables you to apply your research and statistical skills to a theme of your choice. Recent projects have seen our students exploring the role of sanctions in the economic performance of Russia; examining the potential economic impact of large sporting events; looking into contemporary issues relating to migration; and investigating the UK's housing market, international trade and productivity.

Showcasing your skills

You could showcase your know-how and raise your professional profile in prestigious competitions. Our students have scooped major awards at the University Trading Challenge, pitting their wits against fellow undergraduate and postgraduate students from leading institutions countrywide. The competition comprises a simulated trading market which tests students’ abilities to strategise, analyse and present their ideas to a panel of traders and bankers in the City of London. There are opportunities to enter other competitions such as the IBM University Business Challenge and the CIMA Global Business Challenge too.

How you are assessed

You’ll be assessed in a number of ways, including:

• computer-based assessments
• business reports
• applied economics projects to showcase your analytical and quantitative skills
• data retrieval and quantitative analytics using Bloomberg
• computer-based analysis harnessing Excel and SPSS
• poster presentations and reports to assess your research and consultancy skills

Who you will meet

At Derby you’ll discover a friendly and supportive learning community, with small classes where you will receive plenty of one-to-one advice.

You will be taught by an enthusiastic team who are experienced in all aspects of economics and whose research will enrich your learning. They are supported by industry experts, including our Visiting Professor of Banking, Professor Trevor Williams who is Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank PLC.

The teaching team includes:

Dr Sayantan Ghosh Dastidar - Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Economics, Sayantan conducts research into areas such as international trade, economic development and public policy. He has published on various aspects of trade, economic growth and public expenditure in India.

Melanie Powell - As well as teaching on this course, Melanie leads our MSc International Business and Finance and our MSc International Business and HRM. She is widely published and the joint author of a leading Economics textbook, published by Pearson Education and used extensively in universities. Her research focuses on applied economics, behavioural economics and financial market behaviour. As a teacher, she is committed to giving students a new way of looking at the world which nurtures their confidence, decision-making skills and a lifelong fascination with economics. She is the co-author of the University’s monthly Economic Bulletin.

Dr Eugene Michaels - Eugene leads our suite of International Business programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His focus is on encouraging students to apply economic reasoning and critical thinking. His academic interests are centred on behavioural economics and their implications for personal financial wellbeing (particularly pensions) and the application of behavioural insights to macroeconomic and business policymaking. He is the co-author of the University’s monthly Economic Bulletin.

Dr Weiwei Yang - Senior Lecturer inEconomics and Finance, Weiwei teaches various modules on the course. Her research interests lie in areas such as banking efficiency, market competition, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. Her teaching philosophy is to inspire students to move from passive to active learning.

Dr Daphne Athanasouli - Senior Lecturer in Economics and Business, Daphne has research interests which span applied economics, public economics, corruption, business performance, management practices and e-government. She gained valuable consulting and research experience at the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Dr Doyin Babajide – Lecturer in Economics, currently lead the Introductory Microeconomics module and Current Debates in Applied Economic Theory.

Dr Mehdi Hasan – Lecturer in Economics and Programme Leader for International Business and International Business and Finance.

Dr Ghulam Mustafa – Lecturer in Economics. He leads and teaches a module in Econometrics, which is about understanding empirical research and how we can use applied econometric techniques to understand economic issues.

Dr Sharanya Basu Roy - Lecturer in Economics

Dr Yiling Zha – Lecturer in Economics