Land Economy

Land Economy is intellectually challenging – encompassing law and economics, with aspects of the environment, business finance and resource management – and offers many excellent career opportunities.

A challenging combination

Law, economics, and their relationship to the built and natural environments are central to Land Economy, along with other areas such as business regulation, the financial aspects of real estate and international development.

The multidisciplinary nature of the course is particularly relevant in the twenty-first century where the environment, law and economics and the control of scarce resources affect the daily lives of people around the world.

Teaching and resources

Our lecturers are specialists in their own field and include lawyers, economists, planners and experts in environmental policy, finance and quantitative methods. Many are involved in research projects of national and international concern.

The Department has a comprehensive library and an extensive range of computing facilities, including an intranet store of wide-ranging teaching, careers and other useful information.

Additional course costs

All students are required to have a University approved calculator (c£35), and students are encouraged to purchase their own copies of the core textbook for several papers. A number of optional field trips are offered, which may involve minor travel expenses for students wishing to take part. Please request details from the Department.

Professional training

This degree differs from similar courses (such as Town Planning) offered elsewhere because it’s not wholly vocational, and the emphasis is on intellectual and academic content which appeals greatly to employers.The degree is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and allows graduates to progress directly to the Assessment of Professional Competence to become a full member of the RICS. It can also give partial exemption from the academic requirements of the Bar Council and Law Society for those intending to be lawyers. An appropriate combination of papers is required in each case.

Exceptional employment prospects

The Department has one of the strongest records for graduate employment across the University; a reflection of its focus on topics relevant to real-world problems, and its emphasis on the development of a broad range of skills.

Our graduates go on to become lawyers, economists, civil servants, and to work for national and international agencies. Many go into financial or business careers and others enter public service with local or national organisations, or proceed to further study and research.

Teaching in the Department is a mix of lectures, seminars, project work, field trips and supervisions. In a typical week, you can expect 10-15 hours of lectures and two or three supervisions.

Assessment is by written examinations and through coursework and projects, as well as a dissertation in Year 3 (Part II).

Year 1 (Part IA)

Part IA provides the framework for later specialisation. You acquire a thorough grounding in the core disciplines of law and economics and are introduced to the multidisciplinary nature of the degree through four compulsory papers:

• Economics
• The Public Sector: Institutional and Legal Frameworks
• Quantitative and Legal Methods for Land Economists
• Land Economy, Development and Sustainability

During your first year, you develop a sound numerical base, computer literacy, and skills in oral presentation and report preparation.

Year 2 (Part IB)

In Part IB, you can continue studying a broad range of law, environment and economics or choose to specialise more closely in one of the three disciplines.

You take five papers, including at least one paper from a choice of two on law, and select your other four papers from a choice of six. Current options include:

• Environmental Economics and Law
• Fundamentals of Finance and Investment
• The Built Environment
• Land and Urban Economics
• The Law of Real Property: Principles, Policy, and Economic Implications

Year 3 (Part II)

Part II continues the work of the second year, with further opportunity for breadth or depth.

You’re required to take four papers chosen from a wide range of options which currently includes:

• Law and Economics
• Landlord and Tenant Law
• Planning Policy and Practice
• Land, Food and Ecosystem Services
• Land Policy and Development Economics
• Advanced Techniques in Finance and Investment for Real Estate

You also write a 10,000-word dissertation on any aspect of the Department’s work of your choosing.

Dissertation topics have covered all the research interests of Departmental staff (including many with an international focus) and this is the opportunity to specialise in a topic that particularly interests you.

The choice is very broad and in the past students have written on, for example:

• the economics of gentrification
• Aboriginal land claims in Australia
• catastrophic risk management in capital markets
• the social perception of population density
• the future prospects of virtual currencies
• the upgrading of slums in Brazil
• road traffic and house prices
• financial institutions in sub-Saharan Africa
• the affordable housing legacy of the London Olympics

• All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
• The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
• IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
• Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
• Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.

Admission assessment

All applicants for Land Economy are required to take a written assessment at interview, if interviewed.

Assessment format

• Thinking Skills Assessment (Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; 90 minutes)

You do not need to register or be registered in advance for the assessment at interview – the Colleges provide details of arrangements in the letters inviting applicants to interview.

Please note that your performance in the assessment at interview will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

• Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).