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Financial Economics with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE grade C or grade 4, or equivalent, in English and mathematics.

UCAS Tariff

48

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About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Other options

6 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Financial economics

Our BSc Financial Economics will provide you with a core set of technically demanding, yet applications-oriented, skills in financial economics and an extensive knowledge of the financial sector. You will acquire the knowledge and skills needed for working in professions requiring economic and financial literacy. You will also gain hands-on experience in academic research and data analysis, as a practical project is an integral part of the degree.

This is a rigorous course that combines an open admissions policy with high standards. Where there are gaps in your previous education we will fill those gaps, but you will also achieve the same standard of training in the core skills of finance and economics as in any other financial economics degree in the UK. The course is fairly demanding in terms of its use of quantitative techniques. If you have not studied maths for some time, we offer an intensive two-week evening preliminary or refresher course prior to the start of the degree.

The course features two routes, which allow you to focus either on the technical or the applied aspects of financial economics.

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

**Highlights**

- Birkbeck was ranked in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Economics and Econometrics research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

- The course offers a well-integrated interdisciplinary core, allowing you to obtain a broad and balanced perspective, while the unique two-pathway structure allows you to tailor your studies and focus on either the technical or the applied aspects of financial economics.

- We have an excellent reputation for the quality of our teaching, providing training for employers such as the Treasury and the Bank of England.

- You will be taught by academics who are professional practitioners in the world of economics and international finance, and who provide specialist advice and in-house training for government departments and City firms and banks.

- We bring together research and teaching across economics and finance, mathematics and statistics in a single department, which creates significant interdisciplinary synergies.

- Goldman Sachs and Birkbeck Diversity Scholarships are available for this course for students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

**Careers and employability**

Graduates can pursue career paths in the financial sector or economics. Possible professions include:

- financial risk analyst

- bank manager

- economist

- statistician.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment methods

Most modules are assessed by course assignments and/or in-class tests and an unseen formal examination in June.

In the final year, there is a 5000-word project.

Tuition fees

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

England
£9,250
per year
International
£17,620
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Birkbeck, University of London

Department:

Birkbeck 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.

74%
Financial economics

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

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
67%
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

68%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
77%
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?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
67%
Male students
33%
Female students
54%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
C

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

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.

£30k

£30k

£37k

£37k

£55k

£55k

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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Lower entry requirements
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Nearby University
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UCAS Points: 112-128
Same University
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BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 96-128

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here