From tackling the gender pay gap to informing policy decisions on the impact of global warming, studying economics at Aston will develop business-critical skills that are transferable across whatever career path you choose.

Our four year BSc in Economics has been created with industry specialists to ensure that you develop the right skillset needed for modern business.

The course addresses current issues and learning gaps in the study of economics with a focus on applying theory to solving real-world issues. Everything you learn will be applied to a real-world context, even down to the way that you are assessed, where you will communicate complex economic theories to non-specialists.

What you’ll learn

You will learn about economic theories and build on your analytical and mathematical skills in order to understand how economics is used to solve a breadth of issues in business and wider society.

You’ll learn about the principles of micro and macroeconomics, mathematics and statistics in economics, econometrics and competition policy, as well select modules to tailor your learning to your areas of interest.

Through case studies, real-world examples and challenges, you’ll explore economics in an applied context and your placement year gives you an opportunity to develop your employability skills.

Your first year is designed to give you a broad knowledge of economics in a business and management setting, which not only helps to appeal to employers, but it also gives you the opportunity to better understand the areas aligned to economics that interest you most. You will then go on to select the modules that best suit your interests and growing range of skills.

Our close links to industry and our focus on delivering practical business experiences provides a blend of learning experience to equip you for your future career.

Learning and teaching

As an economics student at Aston, you will experience various approaches to teaching, which combines a range of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, in-class games, case studies, computer simulation exercises and computer labs to practice exam questions.

Traditional teaching is supported by our virtual learning environment, which is used to host a range of electronic supporting materials. For example, all business students undertake the Business Game module and compete in teams in a computer simulation exercise that culminates in a presentation to a panel of internal employers.

Aston University has subscriptions to both the Financial Times and The Economist, which you can benefit from whilst studying here.

Our economics teaching team include experienced practitioners and well-respected authors on the subject. The largest employer of economists in the UK is the Government Economic Service (GES). Currently, our teaching staff include two GES assessors, which gives you a unique opportunity to learn from people making hiring decisions for one of the most prestigious professional bodies. Our teaching team also includes the authors of one of the best-selling economics textbooks and winners of  national teaching awards.

Assessment

You will have a wide range of assessments from the first to third year, including traditional style exams and coursework, combined with more modern techniques such as poster reports, online assessments and group video projects, the highest quality of which are nominated for the Royal Economic Society undergraduate competition.

Personal development

Our economics degree is designed to give you a range of transferable and practical skills to succeed within your chosen career. We make extensive use of group working and presentations to prepare you for the reality of working life. This experience will develop your team working and negotiating skills.

This course will provide you with theoretical knowledge and skills to apply to real-world situations, beneficial to a broad range of career paths. You will develop analytical and problem-solving skills enabling you to provide logical solutions to challenging business problems.

Your communication skills will develop throughout this course through assignments that ask for economic theories to be written and communicated to a non-specialist audience, which will support your transferable skills.

The integrated placement year gives you practical work experience that is invaluable in developing an appreciation of issues which cannot be replicated in the lecture room.

Placement year

The Aston placement year forms an integral part of your educational journey and is compulsory for all home students. International/EU students can request permission to opt out of the placement year, but we strongly recommend that it is completed where possible.

During your placement year, you will develop your learning, showcase your skills and accelerate your employability through real work experience.

Economics graduates are employed in a variety of businesses including banks, consultancies, insurance and accountancy firms, charitable and not-for-profit organisations, and government departments.

Aston economics graduates are some of the most employable in the UK (5th in the UK for Career Prospects, Economics. The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019).

Recent graduates

Our recent graduates have been successful in securing roles such as:

• Trade Capture Analyst
• Technology Consulting Graduate Scheme
• Graduate Tax Scheme
• Transfer Pricing Analyst.