Economics (Industry)

This course provides you with the analytic skills and intellectual toolbox to help answer these pressing economics questions and many more and the possibility of directly applying them through a paid placement in industry. You will learn how to interpret data, understand (and quantify) the decisions made by individuals, organisations, and governments and evaluate economic policies.

Course overview
The course begins by introducing the foundational principles of economic theory it then seeks to connect these analytical skills with insights from other social sciences.

You will cover the fundamentals of economic theory and practice, and as your degree progresses and you discover more about both the subject and about yourself, you have the opportunity to flex this course in ways that speak to your changing interests and strengths.

Our degree weaves theory and evidence into policy analysis with a valuable paid industry placement where you’ll experience economics in action. This allows you to understand fundamental issues and topical concerns. We aim to give you a broader appreciation of key issues in society, by combining economic analysis with insights from the other social sciences. Therefore, in your first year, you will also choose at least one subject from the social science subjects: politics, international relations, history, or sociology, and another subject from a wide range of options. You will continue with your study of social science throughout your degree.

In the second year, you will progress to topics such as micro and macroeconomics, and quantitative methods, which provide many of the analytical tools used in economics, along with some economics options and one full unit from the social sciences.

Your third year is spent in industry. You’ll be supported in securing a placement, with past students joining companies such as IBM, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft, PwC and the Bank of England. Most placements are in the UK but there are some options overseas.

Your final year sees you choosing six modules in economics and two in the social sciences. We offer a wide range of economics modules, from Public Economics to International Trade, Health Economics to Sports Economics, so you can tailor your studies to suit your aspirations.

Key facts
You do not need an A level in Economics or Mathematics to enrol in BA Economics (Industry).

Throughout your degree, we’ll supply training in CV writing, interview assessment centres and telephone interviews. We are proud of our aspiring economists and aim to nurture the potential in every one of them.

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 that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all placement roles offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of 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 will 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.

Programme outcomes
BA Economics (Industry) offers a grounding in the fundamentals of economics. The most powerful aspect of economics is that it teaches a way of thinking that can be applied to a specific field. You need specific knowledge and skills if you want to be a government economist advising on tax or social/welfare costs. The same is true for a career in finance. You need specific finance models – how much to invest here, or advise clients to invest there. But the mode of thinking is the same for both: it is the critical, disciplined way of thinking that you will get from an Economics degree at Lancaster University.