Undergraduate Prospectus 2009

Why should you study for a degree in Economics?

Economics helps us answer questions such as should Britain join the Euro? Should we raise taxes to reduce pollution? You will be taught how to reason analytically in solving economic problems by critically appraising economic theory and using quantitative techniques.

What degrees programmes do we offer?

You have the choice whether to take a single honours programme in Economics or a joint honours degree, combining Economics with either Politics or International Development.

What is Economics?

Economic theory is divided into two branches:

• Microeconomics: economic decision making at the level of the individual, household and firm.
• Macroeconomics: analyses the factors influencing economic aggregates e.g. inflation, unemployment, consumption.

As well as the core economics units (see diagram) there are many optional units you can take, for example, labour economics, international trade, money and finance, environmental economics, econometrics and the economics of incentives.

What is Politics?

Politics as an academic discipline is concerned with theory and practice in the exercise of power in societies, and the resolution of conflict about power and policy.

What is International Development?

International Development embraces the study of economics, politics and sociology of developing countries. Students will acquire a good interdisciplinary understanding of international development issues.

The placement year

A distinctive feature of the undergraduate programmes at Bath is the opportunity to take a work placement.

There are many advantages to taking a sandwich programme. Firstly, it provides an invaluable opportunity to gain work experience prior to graduation and therefore to improve your curriculum vitae. A recent survey by the National Council for Work Experience indicated that 40% of graduates believed that work experience was the most important factor in gaining permanent employment after graduation and that 62% of employers used placements as a means to recruit staff. Secondly, job-related skills become useful in the final year of your programme. Many employers provide job related training (e.g. IT courses). Thirdly, final year dissertations frequently arise from work undertaken during placement.

We select placements carefully to give practical experience in the use of economics and regularly place students with prestigious companies and organisations, including the Bank of England, HM Treasury, HSBC, J P Morgan, PricewaterhouseCoopers and BP plc. Placements, which are most often paid, are chosen in consultation with the Placements Officer, though each student must satisfy the requirements of each employer’s selection process. Students are assigned a tutor who visits the workplace. A placement conference is held at the University and students are required to submit placement reports. For further information on the placement year see page 4.

Career opportunities

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/intro.html

Bath economic graduates are very successful in today’s competitive labour market, pursuing a range of careers in both the private and public sectors. Please consult our webpage for details of our First Destination Statistics.

Occasionally these programme structures may be reviewed leading to slight alterations. We advise that you consult the departmental website for the latest information