Business Economics
Entry requirements
A level
Overall: AAB Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Access to HE Diploma
Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 39 at Distinction and 6 at Merit, and A level Mathematics grade B.
Extended Project
Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language at Grade C (4). Additionally, GCSE Mathematics at Grade A (7) (or equivalent) is usually required but applicants with GCSE Maths at Grade B (6) and GCSE Physics or Chemistry at grade A (7) are also encouraged to apply. Applicants with GCSE Maths B (6) and a Level 3 Core Maths qualification at grade B or A-level Economics A-level grade B (achieved or predicted) will also be considered. Applicants must have achieved the required GCSE grades at the time of making their application.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Overall: 34 GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Overall: DDD
Scottish Advanced Higher
Overall: AAB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C. Maths: Scottish National 5 - A. Applicants must have achieved the Scottish national grades at the time of making their application.
Scottish Higher
Overall: AAABB GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C. Maths: Scottish National 5 - A. Applicants must have achieved the Scottish national grades at the time of making their application.
Overall: Pass overall with AAB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Why choose this course**
Our BSc (Hons) Business Economics course combines a broad basis of economics with a specific focus on how businesses operate, and how managers make decisions.
While mathematical techniques remain important, as a business economics student you will usually study less mathematical and econometric intensive modules compared to our other economics courses.
Our teaching is at the forefront of the field and is influenced by real industry insights. All academics within our School of Economics are research-active and some are advisers to world-renowned organisations.
We are ranked 19th in the UK for Economics by the Complete University Guide 2023 and 16th in the UK by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
Our award-winning Professional Training placements prepare students for roles in industry. We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
**What you will study**
Our BSc (Hons) Business Economics course will help you to develop skills that are highly sought after in today’s challenging economic environment.
You’ll gain the tools needed to analyse a wide range of business scenarios and solve increasingly complex problems. You’ll learn how businesses interact, their role within the economy, and the strategic decisions that managers take.
This course will help you to hone skills that are highly valued by employers – from problem-solving and critical thinking to competence in giving written and oral presentations.
Modules
To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.
Extra funding
The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
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.
£29k
£39k
£47k
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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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?
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