Degrees Offered

• BSc (Econ) Single Honours Economics (UCAS Code: L100)
• BSc (Econ) Major Honours Economics with Finance (UCAS Code: L1N3)
• BSc (Econ) Major Honours Economics with French (UCAS Code: L1R1)
• BSc (Econ) Major Honours Economics with Spanish (UCAS Code: L1R4)
• BSc (Econ) Joint Honours Economics and Accounting (UCAS Code: LN14)

Contact Information

For entrance requirements:
E: admissions@qub.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)28 9097 3838

For course information:
Dr Graham Brownlow
Queen’s University Management School
T: +44 (0)28 9097 4200
E: s.smith@qub.ac.uk
W: http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt 

Entrance Requirements

BSc (Econ) Single Honours

• A-level: ABB + GCSE Mathematics grade A.
  
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 + if not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade A in Mathematics.
  

BSc (Econ) Major Honours with a Minor in Finance

• A-level: ABB + GCSE Mathematics grade B.
  
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 + if not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade B in Mathematics.
  

BSc (Econ) Major Honours with a Minor in a Modern Language

• A-level: ABB + GCSE Mathematics grade B.
  For French option: normally A-level French grade B or AS-level French grade B.
  For Spanish option: normally A-level Spanish grade B or AS-level Spanish grade B or GCSE Spanish grade B or evidence of linguistic ability in another language.

• Irish Leaving Certificate: B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 + if not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade B in Mathematics.
  For French option: Higher Level grade B1 in French.
  For Spanish option: normally Higher Level grade B2 in Spanish or Ordinary Level grade B in Spanish or evidence of linguistic ability in another language.

Note: if the language is studied at a higher level then the grade required at that level must be achieved.

BSc (Econ) Joint Honours in Economics and Accounting

• A-level: ABB or BBB + B (AS-level) including A-level Mathematics.
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: B2B2B2B2B2B2/AB2B2B2B2 including Higher Level grade B2 in Mathematics.

For students whose first language is not English
An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component component or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information on other acceptable English Language qualifications is available here

If you are an international student and you do not meet the entrance requirements, you should consider a preparation course at INTO Queen's University Belfast, which will prepare you for successful study on this degree course. INTO Queen's University Belfast is based on the University campus and offers a range of courses including:
International Foundation in Business, Humanities and Social Science
International Diploma in Management and Finance

The Subject

Economics is concerned with how people make choices in conditions of resource scarcity and the results of these choices for society. Many of the world's most pressing issues such as global warming, underdevelopment, rising inequality, inflation and financial instability are economic in nature. In understanding these problems, economists make use of a wide variety of analytical techniques borrowed from numerous other fields including history, philosophy, mathematics and statistics.

Course Content

Students may study Economics as a single discipline or in conjunction with another subject such as accounting, finance, a modern language or another social science or arts subject. Irrespective of programme choice, the degree provides a thorough grounding in micro- and macroeconomics and equips students with the quantitative skills necessary to support their studies. This develops an understanding of the economic issues confronting our society and provides an insight into possible solutions.

The programmes are based on three years of study and six modules are taken each year - three modules per semester. (Note: the range of modules is subject to the acceptance of final programme review.) All BSc (Econ) students will take the following:

Year 1
Applied Economics
Financial Institutions and Markets
Market Theory
Mathematics for Economists
Principles of Economics
Statistics

Year 2
Economic Growth Theory
Economic Policy
Game Theory with Economic Applications
Industrial Organisation
Introductory Econometrics
Managerial Economics

Year 3
Students will take modules in International Economics and Applied Econometrics. The remaining modules may be chosen from a variety of specialisms.

Click here for more information on modules

Learning and Teaching

Queen’s University Management School is one of the largest Schools in the University with more than 1300 full-time undergraduate students and 300 plus postgraduate students.  The School has been delivering high quality programmes for more than 40 years and was one of the first schools in the UK to introduce undergraduate management education.  Since then, QUMS has been developing and enhancing its teaching portfolio for both local and international students and boasts students from more than 20 different nationalities. 

In recent years, the School has benefited from significant investment resulting in many new academic appointments and state-of-the-art facilities including computer teaching labs with specilaised software and a Trading Room in Riddel Hall.  In addition, the new McClay library houses an excellent selection of Management and related texts and there are extensive IT facilities throughout the campus. 

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential.  In line with this, one of QUMS’ primary objectives is to deliver innovative learning and teaching programmes that provide students with the competences and skills to make a positive contribution to business, economic and civic life.

On the BSc Economics with Finance programme we achieve these goals by providing a range of learning environments which enable our students to engage with subject experts both academic staff and industry guest speakers, develop skills and attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world-class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this degree programme are:

• Lectures: these introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading.  As the module progresses this information becomes more complex.  Lectures, which are normally delivered in large groups to all year-group peers, also provide opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on key issues as well as gain feedback and advice on assessments.  Additional lectures are also delivered by employer representatives and staff from a range of organisations are involved in the delivery of workshops and more practical sessions. In addition to the academic content of the lectures and workshops, this enables employers to impart their valuable experience to QUMS Economics with Finance students, introduces important local employers to our students and allows our students to meet and engage with potential future employers.
• Seminars/tutorials: a significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 15-20 students). These sessions are designed to explore, in more depth, the information that has been presented in the lectures.  This provides students with the opportunity to engage closely with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of their peers. During these classes, students will be expected to present their work to academic staff and their peers.
• Computer-Based and Other Practical Sessions: these provide students with the opportunity to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts.
• E-Learning technologies:information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online.  A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, interactive support materials, podcasts and web-based learning activities.
• Self-directed study:  this is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Work placements: The BSc Economics with Finance programme does not have a compulsory placement year. However, the School actively supports any student who wishes to avail of an optional placement year, normally between the second and final year of the degree programme.  The School has a dedicated Placement Office which facilitates students in sourcing and securing appropriate placements which will augment their classroom-based learning experience.  In addition, the School encourages students to seek other work-based and/or educational related experiences, whether that is through the summer placement programme (a 3-4 month internship in a local organisation working on a very specific project), Erasmus programmes with other European Universities, or studying abroad in universities with which the School and/or University has an existing relationship.
• Student Support Systems: QUMS has an active and co-ordinated student support system to assist students in making the transition from school to university. This includes:
• assigning each student an Adviser of Studies to assist with the choice of modules at the beginning of each academic year;
• assigning each student a Personal Tutor (an academic member of staff) when they begin the degree programme.  The Personal Tutoring System includes individual scheduled appointments with personal tutors, small group tutor meetings (4-5 students) and e-mail contact to discuss academic matters, academic performance, skills development, careers and/or prospective placements and issues related to University policies and practices.  Students meet their Personal Tutor at induction and during the first and second year of study they are expected to meet with their Personal Tutor at least once per semester.
• A Peer Mentoring Scheme whereby students in second and third year of their degree programme volunteer to mentor Level 1 students. Developing the programme themselves, with support from academic staff in QUMS, the mentors organise informal meetings, regular contact and a series of events ranging from ice-breaker type events to employer-led sessions with the Level 1 students.
• a formalised induction for all undergraduate students.  For Level 1 students, this includes several half-day sessions the week before the programme begins to allow students to familiarise themselves with the campus and the degree programme.  During Level 1 there are a number of follow-up sessions throughout the year. Topics such as academic writing, referencing, plagiarism, communication skills, examination preparation and managing time effectively are all covered in these practical sessions.
• Personal Development Planning to encourage students to engage in independent learning.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment (general):  The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module.  Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction. Modules are typically assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and a final written unseen examination. Continuous assessment consists of: class tests, computer-generated practical experiments where students have to manipulate economic and more specific finance-related data, case study research and analysis of a particular economic issue, and small group project and presentations whereby groups of three/four students work on a particular economics and finance related task to provide possible solutions.

Feedback (general):  As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers.  University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted. 
• Face to face comment.  This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comment.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid.  In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time. 
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work. 

Careers

Those pursuing a career in Economics with Finance should enjoy working with numbers and dealing with a range of information which might be incomplete or provide conflicting advice as they attempt to understand and provide solutions to economics and finance-related problems to a range of stakeholders such as the banking industry, investors, policy-makers, industry etc.  They should also be effective communicators and work well with people.

Many of the skills that students will acquire during their studies at Queen’s will be of great value in a range of different career and life situations. Core transferable skills include the ability to learn independently, problem solve, understand and interpret very sophisticated economic and financial information and work productively as part of a team.

Graduate Careers and Achievements

Students graduating with a degree in Economics with Finance from Queens’ are well placed to secure a range of employment opportunities in a wide range of positions in the public and private sectors. In recent years, students have secured positions in economic analysis and appraisal with a range of government and other public sector organisations, specialist careers in investment and corporate banking, economic appraisal, as well as more generalist positions in economic and financial consulting.

You should also take a look at www.prospects.ac.uk for further information concerning the types of jobs that attract BSc Economics with Finance graduates.

Further study is also an option open to BSc Economics with Finance graduates. Students can choose from a wide range of Masters programmes as well as a comprehensive list of research topics, see: http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt

Other Career-related information: Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 20 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers.  Queen’s students will be advised and guided about career choice and, through the Degree Plus initiative, will have an opportunity to seek accreditation for skills development and experience gained through the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer.  See Queen’s University Belfast fullEmployability Statementfor further information.

Degree Plus and other related initiatives:  Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s.  Students are encouraged to plan and build their own, personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports. 

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students).  Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts.  As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.

Overall, these initiatives, and Degree Plusin particular, reward the energy, drive, determination and enthusiasm shown by students engaging in activities over-and-above the requirements of their academic studies.  These qualities are amongst those valued highly by graduate employers.

Special Features

Placements: there are opportunities for students to avail of summer and year-long placements with a variety of organisations including HM Treasury and major consultancy firms. Study USA, formerly the Business Education Initiative (BEI) scheme provides funded opportunities for study at a US university.

Prizes:
• McKane Medal and Scholarship for proficiency in Economics is awarded to the best final Honours BSc (Econ) student
• KPMG Prize is awarded to the graduate with the highest performance in the BSc (Business Economics) degree
• Shaw Memorial Prizes are awarded to the two best performing second year students in the BSc (Econ) and BSc (Business Economics) degrees

Exemptions: Joint Economics and Accounting students are eligible for exemptions from some professional accountancy examinations.