Course overview

Economics and business studies are heavily interrelated, with synergies arising from the study of both subjects. This course delivers relevant aspects of both an economics and a business studies degree in order to make you a more versatile and well-rounded graduate, with an understanding of key aspects from both disciplines. If you feel torn between a traditional business or economics degree, this course offers the best of both worlds and could well be the most appropriate choice for you.

The course will demonstrate how a firm grasp of economic principles can help to make you a better manager, as well as how the logical problem-solving framework that underpins economic analysis can assist in developing a more complete understanding of strategic business management.

Bloomberg Suite

Students can access the same data, analytics and software used by city traders by using one of the terminals located in the University of Portsmouth’s Business School Bloomberg Suite. Bloomberg terminals, used by financial professionals daily to make fast-paced investment, trading and financial decisions will allow students to monitor and analyse real-time financial market data movements and trade virtually.

Created by the Mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, the system is used by over a quarter of million finance professionals globally. Our investment in this resource provides students with an essential business research tool and real-life financial experience helping them to enhance their employability skills in order to “hit the ground running” once they join the workforce.

 

Unlike the three BSc courses (BSc (Hons) Business Economics, BSc (Hons) Economics and BSc (Hons) Economics, Finance and Banking) BA (Hons) Economics and Management is a course with less of a technical and mathematical focus, which teaches core principles of economics alongside relevant units from business and management programmes.

We understand that students can find it difficult to choose which particular degree to study and so we have designed a common first year programme that is shared across a number of different courses. This gives you a broad-based understanding of a range of business subjects. It also allows you to transfer on to one of the other courses with the shared common first year should you find you develop an interest and career ambition in a particular subject area (see Course content Year one for further details).

Your skills will be enhanced during your placement year, which is the most involving type of work experience you can undertake during your studies.

Course content

Year one

This common first year provides you with a broad understanding of how business operates. At the end of Year one you can, should you wish (and in consultation with the Head of Undergraduate Programmes), transfer on to any of the other courses which share the same common first year (although transfer to BA (Hons) European Business is subject to the language competence you will need for the overseas study elements).

The common first year is made up of the following subject areas:

• Business Accounting
• Business Environment
• Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
• Marketing Principles and Practice
• Managing People in Organisations
• Operations and Systems

Courses sharing the common first year:

• BA (Hons) Business and Management
• BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management
• BA (Hons) Business Enterprise Development
• BA (Hons) European Business
• BA (Hons) Finance and Management
• BA (Hons) International Business
• BA (Hons) Marketing

Year two

Year two features compulsory units in:

• Business Economics
• Applied Decision Modelling
• International Economics

There is also an option to study units in Money, Banking and Financial Markets; Economics of Crime and Social Issues; or Econometric Analysis. Additionally, a research methods unit will acquaint you with practices and procedures for undertaking research in the area of business and economics.

Placement year

This degree includes the opportunity to undertake a one-year placement working in a paid full-time role which offers progression and a suitable level of responsibility. You will return to your studies with contemporary business experience which will improve your ability to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking. Our experience has shown that not only does relevant experience help you to obtain graduate employment (often within your placement company), it also improves academic achievement.

With employers now requiring graduates to have the key business competencies and experience alongside a good degree, work experience is more vital than ever. Due to its very nature a placement year is the best and most involving type of work experience you can do during your time at university. As such, a placement will help ensure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The Placements Office will support you during your placement search, the subsequent recruitment processes and when you have secured your placement and are working away from the University. If you’d like to know more about where our placement students are working, please click through to what our students say.

Final year

In your final year you develop your understanding of business and management through the study of units such as Strategic Management, as well a number of option choices. You will also take an independent study project, which will give you the scope to extensively research a selected topic related to economics and/or business.

Career prospects

A good class of economics degree should enable you to obtain a fulfilling and financially rewarding job. It is possible to use this qualification as a basis for a career as an economist in either central government or the private sector. With an economics degree you will also be well placed to enter into the financial and business sector.

Moreover, some of our graduates have been appointed to respected positions within the local government sector, while others have elected to pursue a career in teaching.

Many of our graduates choose to continue with their academic studies. Some go on to register on taught postgraduate courses, while others seek to achieve a higher qualification by means of research.

Facilities and features

The University has substantially invested in modern facilities. You will primarily attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. Our lecture theatres are equipped with the latest multimedia audiovisual equipment and we have a computer drop-in centre equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software.

The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away from Richmond Building. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research.

The Library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks which can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Economics with Business for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).