Economics with a Professional Placement Year

Economics is everywhere. From the decision about how much to give to charity to global efforts to tackle climate change, economists are contributing their insights to the public discourse. As an economics student, you will learn to apply cutting-edge mathematical and statistical tools to understanding, and predicting, the behaviour of individuals, firms, markets and countries. These techniques will enable you to not only explain the world around you, but also to quantify how target groups are likely to respond to, for example, the introduction of a new policy or a change in the behaviour of competitors.

Formal economic analysis is, however, only one dimension of the skills you will develop as a Cardiff economist. The world is a complicated place, and no analysis can hope to account for every eventuality. You will learn to make evidence-based decisions about how to simplify reality to make your analysis meaningful, and to defend your decisions convincingly. You will also learn how to communicate both the complexity and nuance of your analysis to a range of specialist and non-specialist audiences both verbally and in written form.

This programme incorporates a one-year professional placement. Supported by our Placements Team, you will gain real-world workplace experience, seeing first-hand how economics training provides unique, valuable insights to employers and how the skills you are developing equip you for life after university.

Cardiff Business School is focused on generating Public Value. For economists, this translates to working ethically and with integrity, but also feeling confident applying economics to understand and help address society’s grand challenges. Over your three years with us, you will develop a deep understanding of the most pressing issues facing society and will be equipped with the tools to help to do something about them.

As an economics graduate, you will be highly sought after in many different occupations because of the uniquely diverse skillset you will develop. Cardiff graduates also go on to have successful careers in government, finance, banking, accountancy and consultancy, or to continue their studies at postgraduate level.

Distinctive Features of the Programme

• A Public Value ethos: engage with the grand challenges facing society, thinking about how economics can contribute to solving them.

• Learn from the best: benefit from the expertise of a large, diverse faculty bringing unique insights from their own research into the classroom.

• Tailor your studies: all final-year modules are optional so you can choose the ones that best fit your interests and aspirations.