Economics and Politics

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 11.4 k Foreign:$ 20.8 k  
149 place StudyQA ranking:6413 Duration:36 months

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About

Economics and politics are closely linked throughout society. Our BA Economics and Politics programme reflects this connection, exploring multiple perspectives while also helping you develop your own viewpoint. You’ll have the opportunity to cover diverse topics such as world economy, macro and microeconomics, corporate finance, international relations and development economics. In years two and three you can adjust the balance of subjects to broaden your experience or focus in on your major area of interest. 

Students on this programme learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials (politics), workshops (economics), informal but scheduled one-on-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing.

All of these are supported by a state of the art virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars, tutorials, and workshops are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and workshops can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with tutors.

Workshops also allow hands-on experience of the kind of work professional economists perform. This emphasis on small-group teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the quantity of formal sessions.

In fact, the degree programme is designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as students move from their first to their final year. Small-group teaching and one-on-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the programme) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a capstone dissertation—supported by one-on-one supervision—that makes up a third of final year credits.

In this way the degree programme systematically transforms the student from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by “drop-in” surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin in the week before the start of the programme and continue at key times throughout each year of the programme.

Students can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting edge research.

Content

Year 1

In the first year, in addition to the three economics compulsory modules, you take a further two compulsory modules entitled Ideas and Ideologies, and Democratic Political Systems and choose one further optional module from a selection covering International Security and International Organisation, Global Regions in International Relations, and Theory and History in International Relations.

Year 2

In the second year, you study two compulsory modules in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics plus one module chosen from a selection that includes:

  • Behavioural and Experimental Economics
  • Business Competition
  • Corporate Finance
  • Economic Data Analysis
  • Economics of Social Policy
  • European Economics
  • Intermediate Methods for Economics and Finance.

In addition three modules must be chosen from the range of second-year Politics modules, which includes:

  • Democracy and Democratic Theory
  • Foundations of Western Political Thought
  • The Politics of Pacific Asia
  • Middle East in the International System
  • International Relations Theory
  • International Organisations
  • Global Political Economy.
  • Islam, State and Government
  • Class, Nation and British Politics

Year 3

In the third year, you study a compulsory double Dissertation module that can be in either economics or politics. In addition you choose four optional modules from a selection that includes:

  • Advanced Microeconomics
  • Advanced Macroeconomics
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Development Economics
  • Environmental Economics and Policy
  • Financial Theory and Corporate Policy
  • History of Economic Thought
  • Industrial Organisation
  • International Economics
  • Labour Economics
  • Monetary Economics 
  • Public Economics
  • Security Investment Analysis
  • Chinain Global Political Economy
  • The American Presidency
  • The Politics of the Middle East’s Oil Monarchies 
  • British Political Thought since 1850
  • The Ethics of Violence in International Relations
  • Islam and Politics in the Modern World
  • Theories of Liberty
  • The Political Economy of the European Union
  • Elections and British Politics
  • Israel: Politics and Society
  • Power and Political Space in Jewish Politics

Note that in the second and third years it is possible for you to take a minimum of five and a maximum of seven modules in each subject.

Study Abroad

Students can apply for a one-year study placement in one of the following institutions: the University of California and Boston College in the USA, British Columbia in Canada, the University of Hong Kong, and the National University of Singapore. In some cases courses are offered in English, while in others teaching is in the local language. We have an ERASMUS/Year Abroad Co-ordinator who will help you prepare for your year abroad, and who will maintain contact with you while you are away.

Subject requirements, level and grade

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

  • For all Single and Joint Honours degrees involving Economics, including Philosophy, Politics and Economics, we require you to obtain a Grade A at A-level Mathematics or its equivalent. For applicants studying the International Baccalaureate, the requirement is 38 points to include 666 in the Higher Level subjects. We require either grade 6 in Higher Level mathematics, or grade 7 in Standard Level mathematics (excluding Maths Studies).
  • If an applicant is taking Mathematics and Further Mathematics, a further two subjects must be taken at A2-level. Applicants are encouraged to avoid studying both Economics and Business Studies A2-levels
  • We do not accept Advanced Higher Statistics as a substitute for AH Mathematics. If you are taking both of these subjects at this level then a further two Advanced Highers are necessary.
  • If you are studying for the IB Diploma please note that we do not accept Mathematical Studies at standard level instead of standard level Mathematics.
  • We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.
  • Grade A in at least one social science or humanities subject is required at both A-level and GCSE
  • You are not required to have A-Level Economics, however for anyone taking this subject this will form part of the offer made to you
  • We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking as part of our offer
  • If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Centre offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes
  • We are willing to consider applications for deferred entry from those who have well-structured plans for work or travel, for example. We may, however, need to restrict the number of deferred entry offers we make because we have to be careful not to fill too many of next year’s places in advance. However, if you do apply for a deferred place and are unsuccessful, you are welcome to reapply the following year.

Preferred Tests:

a. IELTS: 6.5 (no component under 6.0)

b. TOEFL iBT (internet based test): 92 (no component under 23)

c. Cambridge Proficiency (CPE): Grade C

d. Cambridge Advanced (CAE): Grade A

e. Cambridge IGCSE First Language English at Grade C or above [not normally acceptable for students who require a Tier 4 student visa]

f. Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language at Grade B or above [not normally acceptable for students who require a Tier 4 student visa]

g. GCSE English Language at grade C or above

h. Pearson Test of English (overall score 62 (with no score less than 56 in each component))

Alternative accepted tests when those listed in a.-h. above are unavailable to the applicant (if the applicant requires a Tier 4 visa to study, advice on the suitability of these alternatives must be sought from the Student Recruitment and Admissions Office):

i. Certificate of Attainment (Edexcel)

j. GCE A-levels (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, CCEA, OCR, WJEC) at grade C or above in an essay based, humanities or social science subject from the following list: History, Philosophy, Government and Politics, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Religious Studies, Economics, Business Studies, Law and Sociology. Modern or Classical Languages are not acceptable in meeting this requirement.

k. International Baccalaureate with a minimum of grade 5 in Standard Level English or a minimum of grade 5 if taken at Higher Level.

l. NEAB (JMB) Test in English (Overseas)

m. Singapore Integrated Programme (SIPCAL) at grade C or above in an essay based, humanities or social science subject from the following list: History, Philosophy, Government and Politics, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Religious Studies, Economics, Business Studies, Law and Sociology. Modern or Classical Languages are not acceptable in meeting this requirement.

n. Singapore Polytechnic Diploma and Advanced Diplomas at GPA 3.0 or above

o. WAEC and NECO Grade B3 or above from Nigeria and Ghana

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