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Philosophy and Economics

  • Bachelor of Science (with Honours)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-Time
  • September 2027
  • Undergraduate
Clifton Campus
More about University of Bristol

Course options

2025-20262026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

Combine two historically interlinked disciplines and develop a broad set of analytical, conceptual and practical skills on this joint honours degree.

Economics at Bristol is taught in a technically rigorous way. You will build strong analytical and quantitative foundations through mandatory units in microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematics, statistics and econometrics: the statistical methods economists use to analyse data and estimate economic models. Teaching draws on the latest developments in the discipline and on our cutting-edge research, which ranks in the top ten in the UK for economics and econometrics (THE analysis of REF 2021).

Your study of economics is complemented by training in philosophy, which develops skills in textual analysis, logical reasoning, written and verbal communication, collaborative problem-solving and critical thinking. You will be taught by specialists within one of the largest and most prestigious philosophy departments in the UK.

A wide range of optional units across both subjects allows you to tailor the degree to your interests and career ambitions. You might explore topics such as political philosophy, environmental economics, ethics, international trade, virtue and wellbeing, or behavioural economics.

In your final year, you may also complete an extended philosophy essay project on a topic of your choice, supervised by an academic with relevant expertise. This gives you the opportunity to pursue an area of philosophical interest in depth and further strengthen your research and reasoning skills.

Graduates of this programme go on to successful careers in a wide variety of fields. Bristol economics graduates earn 10% more than other UK economics graduates 15 months after graduation, with typical salaries between £31,000 and £44,000 that year (discoveruni.gov.uk, graduates from 2022-23).

Recent Philosophy and Economics graduates have taken up roles such as Data Scientist, Operations Manager, Investment Consultant, Business Tax Analyst, Journalist, Pricing Actuary and Paralegal, working in organisations including the Department for Transport, PwC, Barclays Investment Bank, Aon, Coutts, Zurich Insurance, Deloitte, Kraft Heinz, RBS International, EY, Goldman Sachs and RSM.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Clifton Campus

Study options

  • Bachelor of Science (with Honours) • Full-Time • 3 Years

Start dates

  • September 2027

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
VL51
Institution code:
B78
Campus name:
Clifton Campus
Points of Entry:
Year 1

University of Bristol has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
VL51
Institution code:
B78
Campus name:
Clifton Campus

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level
AAA

Standard offer: AAA including Mathematics.

Contextual offer: ABB including Mathematics.

Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

Scottish Higher
AAAAB

Higher: AAAAB.

Access to HE Diploma
Distinction: 30 Merit: 15

Access to HE Diploma in Engineering, Science, or Computing (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include: at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above; and at least 15 credits from Mathematics units, of which at least 12 (including algebra, calculus and trigonometry) must be at Distinction.

OR Access to HE Diploma in Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, Psychology, Law or History (or similar titles), with the 45 graded Level 3 credits including at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above PLUS A in A-level Mathematics.

Mature students can contact mature-students@bristol.ac.uk to check the suitability of their Access course.

Scottish Advanced Higher
AA

Advanced Higher: AA including Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Offer: 36

Standard offer: 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, including Mathematics with either 6 at Higher Level (either Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretations) or 7 at Standard Level (Analysis and Approaches).

Contextual offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level, including Mathematics with either 5 at Higher Level (either Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretations) or 7 at Standard Level (Analysis and Approaches).

Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales or the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

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

DDD in any Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma, AND A in Maths at A-level (or equivalent).

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B, and M3 is C.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2027/philosophy/bsc-philosophy-and-economics/#entry-requirements

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We accept a wide variety of qualifications and welcome applications from students of all backgrounds. We consider a large range of contextual factors when making application decisions.

If you receive and accept an offer from the University of Bristol, and you meet the terms of your offer in full, you will be accepted.

Learn more on the University of Bristol website

International entry requirements

The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for undergraduate study. If you studied at a school, college or university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualification equivalences, scholarships and details of our education representatives in your country/region. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international/countries/

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Republic of Ireland & InternationalTBC

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Fees are subject to annual review and are liable to rise each year. Home fees will be set in line with UK government policy and updated as per their guidance, while international fees increase annually in line with expected inflation rises. Visit bristol.ac.uk/ug-fees-funding for further information, including estimated fees for subsequent years and typical total costs.

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