Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Economics

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-A,B,B

For entry to Year 2: ABB including Accounting, Business or Economics AND Maths.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

It is also a requirement of every applicant to have English and Mathematics at a minimum of National 5 Grade C or GCSE Grade C or 4 (or equivalent)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

For entry to Year 2: 34 points including Maths or Economics at Higher Level 5.

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

DMM

in relevant subject (Accountancy, Business, Economics, Finance preferred) for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: DDM in relevant subject (Accountancy, Business, Economics, Finance preferred).

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B

plus AABB at Highers (including Maths) for entry to Year 2.

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNC (Accounting or Business preferred) with B in graded unit for entry to Year 1.

Scottish HND

Pass

For Year 2 entry: HND (Accounting or Business) with BB in graded units.

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B

We will consider T Levels as suitable for entry to our degree programmes, however, certain subject requirements may be required for entry to specific programmes. Where this is not evident as part of the T Level studies, we may ask for additional qualifications.

UCAS Tariff

96-128

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Economics

**Economics at the Edinburgh Business School**

At Heriot-Watt University, the study of Economics is conducted in the Edinburgh Business School and is underpinned by the work of globally active researchers. This flexible degree focuses on making a difference in the real world and has the 3rd highest level of Student Satisfaction in the UK (NSS2019).

**Ask the big questions**

Economics is the study of how individuals, firms and governments make choices, and how these choices determine the way in which resources are distributed across society. It helps us understand and improve decision-making for ourselves, organisations and societies, and it throws light on issues as diverse as the environment, unemployment, inflation, poverty, globalisation and trade. This degree will give you the skills to investigate, analyse and answer such questions.

**Real-world focus**

Your learning will be underpinned by the knowledge of highly respected economists who design and teach our courses with a global outlook and real-world focus, stemming directly from their research into global economic issues. Study begins at an introductory level so you do not need to have previous knowledge of economics in order to study the programme.

**Rankings and employability**

Edinburgh Business School was ranked as the Number 1 place in Scotland, and 3rd in the United Kingdom, to study Economics in the Guardian University League Tables 2018, behind only Oxford and Cambridge. It also achieved the highest level of overall student satisfaction in Scotland, and 3rd highest in the UK, in the National Student Survey 2019.

Economics is a subject in demand and UniStats2019 found that 90% of our recent Economics graduates from Heriot-Watt University were in work or further study 6 months after graduating.

Our flexible degree structure lets you tailor your studies and follow your own particular area of interest. It will equip you with a wide range of quantitative, analytical and communication skills to prepare you for career paths business, management, marketing, banking, finance, policy analysis, civil service, academia and more.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,744
per year
International
£19,744
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Edinburgh Campus

Department:

Economics

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.

82%
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

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
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

81%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
81%
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?

85%
UK students
15%
International students
74%
Male students
26%
Female students
85%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
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.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
75%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

35%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
23%
Business, research and administrative professionals
9%
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.

£21k

£21k

£32k

£32k

£37k

£37k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh
Economics (Accelerated)
MA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-144
Lower entry requirements
University of Glasgow | Glasgow
Film & Television Studies/Music
MA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 40
Nearby University
University of Glasgow | Glasgow
Economics/History
MA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: -
Same University
Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh
Economics and Finance
MA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-128

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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