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Economics and Politics

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A

GCSE Mathematics grade 7/A if not taken at A Level; grade 6/B if taken at A Level General Studies not accepted.

Accepted in place of A levels with the following grade equivalencies: D2 = A*; D3 = A; M2 = B. Combinations of A levels and Principle subjects are accepted. NB required subjects must be offered (see A level Section)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

6,6,6 at Higher Level (to include any required subjects) with a minimum of 32 points overall.

BTEC Extended Diploma - Only the following subjects can be considered: Business, Information Technology (Note that the above are not suitable for LG13 unless offering Maths at A Level. Not suitable for language options unless also offering a modern language in an appropriate subject and at appropriate level) BTEC Diploma - Only the following subjects can be considered (in combination with 1 A Level): Business, Information Technology BTEC Subsidiary Diploma - Only the following subjects can be considered (in combination with 2 A Levels): Business, Information Technology

Only the following subjects can be considered: Management and Administration; Accounting; Finance.

Accepted in place of a non-required A level with the equivalent grade.

UCAS Tariff

144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Economics

Politics

**Our BSc Economics and Politics degree brings together two subjects that are intrinsically linked within our society. This joint honours course will prepare you to tackle a wide range of pressing issues, such as the impact of climate change on the economy, the financial crises, trade agreements and income tax.**

Every economic choice is a political choice and they affect large groups of people; such as taxation, interest rates and government spending. Studying economics and politics will teach you how to understand the behaviour of populations and how people respond to economic decisions. You will learn how this knowledge and research can be applied for maximum benefit in areas such as environment, energy, charity, philanthropy, public policy, society and finance.

Working alongside experts in the fields of economics and politics, you will develop the skills required to make informed, responsible decisions and to positively impact society in a diverse range of careers

In your first year you are introduced to the main facets of the discipline: statistics, microeconomics and macroeconomics. You learn about computer-based methods for analysing economic data, and explore topics in applied economics. There are modules on Economic History, along with a Quantitative Methods course for students looking for a higher level of technical skill. In the second year you consolidate the main areas of the subject and begin to explore the many optional modules on offer. You might opt for theoretical or mathematical economics or study more applied topics. The emphasis in your final year shifts towards the application of economic theory and how this impacts on policy-making.

As well as learning the detail of your subject, you will develop the all-round skills needed for a modern working world - critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and creativity. For many students this is a big transition but you can be reassured that right across campus support and help is available if you need it. University is a time for self-discovery and adventure - shape your own experience and discover who you are.

You can apply for a placement year during your second year and undertake a year-long placement during your third year. If you successfully secure a placement you will be moved on to the four-year BSc Economics and Politics with Placement Year degree.

Modules

Please see the course page on our website for a full list and detailed description of modules on offer: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/econ/economics-and-political-science-bsc.aspx.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Birmingham

Department:

Birmingham Business School

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

80%
Economics
72%
Politics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Economics

Teaching and learning

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

85%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
78%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

64%
UK students
36%
International students
61%
Male students
39%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

Politics

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
65%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
42%
Male students
58%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Economics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£26,000
med
Average annual salary
79%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

30%
Business, research and administrative professionals
29%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
13%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

This is a degree in demand, as business increasingly needs workers who can examine and explain complex data. And yet the number of economics graduates fell by nearly 10% last year, which means demand is even greater. As so many economic grads go into banking and finance, it's not surprising that over half of all 2015's economics graduates who did go into work were working in London. And don't think it's just the finance industry that's interested in these graduates - there's a significant number who enter the IT industry to work with data as analysts and consultants. It's quite common for economics graduates to go into jobs such as accountancy and management consultancy which may require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications - so don’t assume you won’t have to take any more exams once you leave uni. And the incentive to take them, of course, is better pay, which will be on top of an already healthy average starting salary of over £30,000 for graduates working in the capital.

Politics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,500
med
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education
61%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Business, research and administrative professionals

The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Economics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£35k

£35k

£46k

£46k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Politics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£29k

£29k

£35k

£35k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here