Got a uni question? Find your answer now on The Student Room.

Lancaster University

UCAS Code: GLN1 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,A

AAA including A level Mathematics or Further Mathematics OR AAB including A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics

May occasionally be accepted

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including 6 in Mathematics HL 6 (either analysis and approaches or applications and interpretations)

Considered alongside A level Mathematics grade A

UCAS Tariff

144

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

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time with year in industry | 2025

Subjects

Operational research

Economics

Statistics

BSc Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics, and Economics (MORSE) (Industry) is a coherent degree designed for students who wish to apply their mathematical skills to solve real-world problems in business and industry.

Our programme covers:
- Foundational mathematics topics such as Algebra and Calculus, developing your technical knowledge and mathematical skills.

- Operational research modules demonstrating how to use mathematics to solve real-world problems encountered by governments, industries, and other institutions, using programming languages like Python or R.

- Probability and statistics topics providing you with the ability to understand and address uncertainty in your surroundings.

- Economics modules, equipping you to use models to understand real-world economic phenomena such as economic growth, the causes of economic fluctuations, and the effectiveness of economic policy.

- A year in industry, gaining valuable graduate-level experience and professional skills.

The combination of these highly influential subjects will equip you with in-demand analytical, quantitative reasoning, statistical, optimisation, and programming skills that employers highly value, preparing you for careers like a business analyst, data scientist, operational researcher, or consultant, and opening doors to academic research opportunities.

The structured nature of the programme means that, starting from the second year, you take increasing ownership of your studies, selecting modules based on your evolving interests and strengths.

**Programme overview**
**Year one:** You will gain a strong foundation in four main subjects.

- Mathematics and statistics: You'll study fundamental modules, including Calculus, Further Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, and Statistics, equipping you with essential mathematical and statistical skills.

- Economics: You will take the Economic Principles and Applications module, initiating your journey into business and finance.

- Operational research: you will cover Tools and Techniques for Business Analytics, laying the groundwork for advanced studies in optimisation, simulation, and decision-making

After the first year, a broad range of specialist optional modules will allow you to tailor your programme to align with your interests and steer you towards a specific career path.

**Year Two** You will further develop your knowledge in Algebra, Statistics, Economics, and Operational Research. Optional modules in Operational Research, Game Theory, and Operations Management will be available to choose from.

**Year three:** Spend your third year in a full-time placement, gaining valuable graduate-level experience and professional skills. This hands-on experience will give you a strong advantage in securing employment after your degree.

**Year four:** There is one mandatory module that further advances your knowledge of Statistics, alongside several optional modules on Advanced Statistical Modelling, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Forecasting, and Financial Mathematics.

The University will use all reasonable effort to support you in finding a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all placement roles offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and would continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year. The University offers a range of shorter placement and internship opportunities for which you would be welcome to apply.

The Uni

Course location:

Lancaster University

Department:

Management Science

Read full university profile

What students say

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

86%
Operational research
89%
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.

Operational research

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
91%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
89%
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

92%
Library resources
98%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
87%
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?

32%
UK students
68%
International students
55%
Male students
45%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

Economics

Teaching and learning

69%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
59%
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

86%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
85%
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?

77%
UK students
23%
International students
72%
Male students
28%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
B

Statistics

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

71%
UK students
29%
International students
63%
Male students
37%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

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.

Operational research

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.

£29,500
med
Average annual salary
85%
low
Employed or in further education
70%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Business, research and administrative professionals
24%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
9%
Teaching and educational professionals

Not a very common degree on its own, this is often taken in combination with maths degrees. The skills gained by operational research graduates mean that they are in demand, so have a low unemployment rate and pretty respectable salaries, especially in finance and in London - the average starting salary for OR graduates in the capital was nearly £33,000 last year.

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.

£31,000
med
Average annual salary
89%
med
Employed or in further education
85%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
22%
Business, research and administrative professionals
6%
Other administrative 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.

Statistics

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.

£29,500
med
Average annual salary
87%
med
Employed or in further education
70%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Business, research and administrative professionals
24%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
9%
Teaching and educational professionals

The business and research sectors worry that the UK hasn't got enough people with good statistics skills, and as stats are at the heart of so much of the economy, and we only have a few hundred graduates a year in the discipline, this type of degree can be very useful and versatile. The finance industry is very popular with this group, and they're far more likely to be working in London than most other graduates. And who can blame them — statistics graduates starting work in London were earning an average of nearly £29k just six months after leaving university. There is also demand from the Scottish finance sector in Edinburgh and Glasgow - particularly in banking and insurance. But a good statistician can find work almost anywhere that data can be analysed - which, in an online world, is almost anywhere - and many industries struggle to find enough statisticians to fulfil demand, so stay flexible and you can find a variety of options.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Operational research

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

£31k

£31k

£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.

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.

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

£42k

£42k

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.

Statistics

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

£31k

£31k

£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...

Lower entry requirements
place
Lancaster University | Lancaster
Business Analytics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 128
Higher entry requirements
place
University of Warwick | Coventry
Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics, Economics (MORSE)
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 152-168
Nearby University
place
University of Liverpool | Liverpool
Mathematics and Economics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 128-152

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