Overview
On our four-year BA Business Economics (including foundation year), we work with you to develop your subject-specific knowledge, and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year to prepare you for a further three years of undergraduate study at Essex.
You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.
Our BA Business Economics provides you with the theoretical and practical skills you need to understand and implement economic decisions made by businesses, managers and financial specialists.
This course is collaboration between our Department of Economics and Essex Business School, allowing you to gain an overview of economics that is relevant to business and introducing you to a wide range of skills within economics, management and organisations and finance.
You explore a wide range of topics across both departments, including:
- Microeconomics and macroeconomics
- Modern economics for the world of business
- Ethics in business
- Business strategy
Our Department of Economics is top 5 in the UK for research, with over 90% of our research rated as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014). Your education is inspired and informed by this pioneering research, so that you graduate with a strong training in economics.
This course is jointly taught by Essex Business School, ranked in the UK’s top 25 for research excellence (REF 2014). They champion responsible management and ethical business practices whilst giving you the tools for a successful career in business.
Our expert staff
Study and work alongside some of the most prominent economists and computer scientists.
Our economics researchers are at the forefront of their field and have even received MBEs, with students coming from across the globe to study, research or work with us. Our Department of Economics is a richly diverse home to staff and students from all over the world who have a strong sense of belonging and want to think, learn and change the world together.
Many of our researchers also provide consultancy services to businesses in London and other major financial centres, helping us to develop research for today’s society as well as informing our teaching for the future.
Within Essex Business School, our highly qualified and enthusiastic team blend strong academic backgrounds with industry experience. Our academics have a wide-range of research interests. Their teaching is informed by research to ensure your education is always up-to-date with the fast-changing world of business.
Specialist facilities
By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you.
Take advantage of our extensive learning resources to assist you in your studies:
- extensive software for quantitative analysis is available in all computer labs across the university
- access to a variety of economics databases and multiple copies of textbooks and e-books in the Albert Sloman Library
- a state-of-the-art trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs, giving you hands-on experience of dealing in stocks and securities
- modern lecture theatres
- study pods and innovation booths for group working
- networking opportunities with visiting businesses
Your future
Many employers want economists with critical thinking skills and business knowledge, who can tackle large data sets, understand the impact of economics on business and find a solution to real world problems. Our course helps you to become more employable and takes you closer to that dream job or postgraduate course when you graduate.
Our students are in demand from a wide range of employers in a host of occupations, including financial analysis, management, accountancy, management and marketing.
Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:
- Bank of England
- AVIVA
- Citigroup
- Deloitte
- Ernst and Young
- Morgan Stanley
- John Lewis
- Santander
We also work with the University’s Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Why we’re great.
- We equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed at Essex and beyond.
- Guarantee your place on your chosen course if you successfully complete your foundation year at Essex.
- Small class sizes allow you to work closely with your teachers and classmates.
Structure
Course structure
We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists.
Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.
Teaching and learning disclaimer
Following the impact of the pandemic, we made changes to our teaching and assessment to ensure our current students could continue with their studies uninterrupted and safely. These changes included courses being taught through blended delivery, normally including some face-to-face teaching, online provision, or a combination of both across the year.
The teaching and assessment methods listed show what is currently approved for 2022 entry; changes may be necessary if, by the beginning of this course, we need to adapt the way we’re delivering them due to the external environment, and to allow you to continue to receive the best education possible safely and seamlessly.
Teaching
- Teaching includes a combination of lectures, seminars and computer-based lab sessions
- Modules delivered by experts in the field
Assessment
- Assessed through traditional methods of end-of-year exams and multiple choice questions in class tests and essays
- Plus more innovative and creative assessments include laboratory work, poster presentations, real-business case problems and group presentations
