Economics and Politics (including Year Abroad)

Description

How and why do governments try to regulate markets? Why is Central Bank independent? What explains the fluctuations of stock markets and exchange rates? How important is the economy for the outcome of elections? What is globalisation and how does it impact our daily lives?

Our BA Economics and Politics (including Year Abroad) can give you an insight into these questions and many more. You spend your third year abroad. Economic and political events dominate domestic and international news, and impact on our day-to-day lives, as well as shaping the future. Our course explores all major areas of economics and political science, including macro- and microeconomics, political systems and political ideas, and the use of modern research techniques.

Your first year combines a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of politics and economics with the flexibility to study optional courses in specific areas of interest. In your second and final years, we develop further the ideas of economics, political theory and your understanding of political analysis, whilst still letting you concentrate on areas that you have developed a particular interest in, for example international development, globalisation, international trade, international money and finance or European Union economics and politics.

Detailed Course Facts

• GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
• GBP 11950 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

The special characteristics of our course are flexibility and choice. In your first year, you have 60 credits of compulsory modules and 60 credits of optional modules. For BA Economics and Politics (Including Year Abroad) your optional modules can be chosen from across the faculty in first year and from within our Department of Government or Department of Economics in your second and final year. There is a great deal of choice for these optional modules due to the extensive range of modules offered by our departments.
With a small number of exceptions, if you successfully complete the first year of your BA, then you are qualified to enter the second year of that course and a range of other courses: for example, if you take economics, politics, philosophy and sociology, then you have a choice of at least nine possible single or joint honours courses at the end of your first year. This means you can change your course, providing you have taken the appropriate pre-requisites and places are available.
During your second year you will have 60 credits of compulsory modules and you will take a further 60 credits of optional modules. You spend your third year abroad. In your final year you will have 30 credits of compulsory modules and 90 credits of optional modules, although 30 credits can be taken in the form of a dissertation in either economics or politics.
We operate a credit framework for our awards, which is based on principles widely used across the UK university sector. Each module has a credit rating attached and our four-year course consists of 420 credits (120 credits in your first year, 60 credits in your third year abroad, and 240 credits across your second and final years).
Please note that module information on our course finder provides a guide to course content and may be subject to review on an annual basis.

Year 1

Introduction to Politics;
Introduction to Economics;
one economics or social science option; and
one social science option

Year 2

Microeconomics;
either Macroeconomics or one politics option; and
either Mathematical Methods in Economics and Introduction to Econometric Methods or Political Analysis

Year 3

Year abroad

Year 4

Political Economy;
two half-year options in economics or Macroeconomics (if not taken in your second year);
Economics Project or economics option; and
one politics option or project

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

• A-levels: AAB-ABB
• GCSE Mathematics: C
• GCSE English: C
• IB: 33-32 points, including a 4 in Standard Level Mathematics (we consider IB certificates at the Higher level on a case-by-case basis)
• Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of between 6-12 level three credits at distinction and the remainder at merit (or above).

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each component (or equivalent). Different requirements apply for second year entry.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Essex.

Funding

For up-to-date information on funding opportunities at the University of Essex please visit: www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance.