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Economics

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:30

Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject specific modules.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

33

With three Higher Level subjects at 655.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,C

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,C

T Level

M

Each application will be considered on its individual merits. Where the T Level subject area does not directly match the degree programme being applied for, the personal statement and reference will be particularly important in demonstrating interest, enthusiasm and suitability for the subject.

UCAS Tariff

120-136

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

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Economics

Study economics for a constantly changing world. This degree offers you formal and rigorous training in economic theory with real-world applications, It will help you develop your own perspective on the economy to stand out from the crowd.

**Why study BA Economics at Goldsmiths**
- This degree is unique because it presents a pluralist view of the economy. We provide formal and rigorous training in economics and its many schools of thought, giving you a wider variety of perspectives than you will find elsewhere.

- We’ll help you develop your own perspective on the economy, which will make you stand out from the crowd. You’ll learn to evaluate arguments and evidence from different sources, as well as use different theories and concepts together with quantitative methods, to formulate and address questions about crucial real-world problems.

- You’ll learn in small groups and will be assigned a personal tutor for the three years of your undergraduate degree. Your tutor will meet regularly with you, follow your progress, and will be your first point of contact in our programme. See what our students say about the small-group teaching environment.

- This degree will give you crucial skills for today’s competitive labour market. In recent surveys, employers said that on top of economics graduates’ analytical skills, graduates need a more pluralistic approach to economics. They would also welcome more awareness of economic history, of real-world contexts, and of the limitations of current economic models. They want economists to be able to better communicate their findings to non-specialists. Our degree provides exactly this mix of skills.

- London is the economic, political and financial hub of the UK. Here you will have access to today’s best business leaders, economists, and policy practitioners.

- You’ll explore economic analysis, finance and accounting, maths and statistics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, quantitative methods, economic history, and communication and presentation skills. Also, you will be given a wide choice of modules in economics as well as across departments, so that you can explore your own interests and develop your niche of expertise.

- You can participate in project-based group work to solve real-world problems together with students from other disciplines, where each will bring their own skills and worldview.

- Our graduates start careers in a wide range of jobs in consultancy, finance, data analysis, and government. Recent employers include Lloyds Bank, Deloitte, KPMG, CapGemini, Public Health England, Civil Service Fast Stream, Department for Transport. They also go on to postgraduate studies at top institutions in the UK and abroad. Institutions include Cambridge, LSE, New York University, King’s College London and Imperial College.

- We have a dedicated member of staff who supports and guides students with employability, preparing for job search and mentoring activities.

- Through the new Turing Scheme, you can spend half of your third year at a university in Europe. You'll attend modules, experience a different culture and academic environment, and you'll have the option of learning or improving a foreign language.

- You'll be part of the Institute of Management Studies, which is highly interdisciplinary and has academics researching not only in Economics and Political Economy, but also in Consumer Theory, Management, Business Psychology, Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The Goldsmiths research community that you will come in contact with is in fact even larger and includes leading experts from Sociology, Psychology, Computing, Media Studies, History, Politics, Design and other departments teaching optional modules for the BA Economics degree.

Modules

Year 1 (credit level 4)
In your first year, you'll take the following compulsory modules:
Introductory Economics
Economic Reasoning 1
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Economy
Mathematics for Economics and Business
Identity, Agency & Environment 1
Identity, Agency & Environment 2

Year 2 (credit level 5)
In your second year, you'll study the following compulsory modules.
Intermediate Microeconomics
Intermediate Macroeconomics
Quantitative Economics
Applied Quantitative Economics
History of Economic Ideas
Economic History
My Career Strategy
or
Goldsmiths’ Social Change Module

In addition, you will choose an optional module. Options include: Accounting and Finance, Development Economics, Money, Banking and the Financial System, Entrepreneurial Behaviour, and many more.

Year 3 (credit level 6)
In your final year, you take three compulsory modules.
International Economics
Public Economics
Communications and Presentation Skills

You'll then take at least one, and up to three of the following modules.
Manias, Bubbles, Crises and Market Failure
Individual and Institutional Economic Behaviour
Gender, Race and Economic Relations

Depending on how many modules you have already selected, you can then choose modules from the Institute of Management Studies or other relevant options in other departments. Choices include: From National Statistics to Big Data, Behavioural Economics, Gender, Race and Economic Relations, and many more.

Choosing your Stream:
The unique feature of this degree is the choice between the different streams that you can take over your three years. These streams explore links between Economics and related disciplines, and different streams offer modules from the following subject areas: Management, Entrepreneurship, Computing, Psychology, History, Sociology, Media, Anthropology and the Arts.

Goldsmiths’ excellent reputation in all of these subject areas means you’re getting a unique educational experience and each year will provide you with a new level of learning that combines what you have learned previously in economics and in the interdisciplinary streams.

More specifically, in your first year you choose two ‘taster’ modules from two different streams to be taken in the second term of year one. These two modules will help you decide which of the streams you like best and wish to continue with for the next two years.

However, the programme continues to be flexible, as you are able to choose more economics modules from choices offered if you wish, or change streams up until the start of the third year, provided you have taken modules shared between the relevant streams. This means you do not need to worry about making the ‘wrong’ decision in your first year, as you do not choose your third year modules until the second term of your second year.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, examinations, group work and projects.

The Uni


Course location:

Goldsmiths, University of London

Department:

Institute of Management Studies (IMS)

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.

66%
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

63%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
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

67%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
55%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
64%
Male students
36%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Welfare professionals
12%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
11%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

£22k

£22k

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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Course location and department:

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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