Economics with a Placement Year BSc (Econ)
London, Bloomsbury
Economics with a Placement Year BSc (Econ) (2024)
This programme combines a rigorous foundation in economic theories and quantitative tools with opportunities to consider real-world problems using evidenced-based economic analysis. Our highly regarded department will support you in your search for a placement. In the event you cannot secure a placement, you will be able to request to switch to the three-year Economics BSc, subject to meeting any progress requirements for that degree.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
Programme starts
September 2023Application deadline
25 Jan 2023UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- A*AA
- Subjects
- Mathematics grade A* required, plus if Economics is offered it must be grade A.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
Contextual offer information
- Grades
- A*AB more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- A* in Mathematics
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
- Points
- 39
- Subjects
- A total of 19 points in three higher level subjects including grade 7 in Mathematics and grade 6 in Economics if offered with no higher level score below 5. The programme will accept either 'Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches' or 'Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 38 more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- A Score 18 in three higher level subjects including 7 in Mathematics and 6 in Economics if offered with no higher level score below 5. The programme will accept either 'Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches' or 'Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades A*AA. To include Mathematics A*, plus grade A in Economics if offered.
A1,A,A at Advanced Highers (or A1,A at Advanced Higher and A,A,A at Higher), to include Mathematics at A1, plus A if Economics being offered at Advanced Higher.
D2,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects, to include Mathematics D2, plus D3 in Economics if offered.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
International applications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
Access and widening participation
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
English language requirements
The English language level for this programme is: Level 2
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Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Course overview
The department's fundamental premise is that students should learn how to do economics themselves, rather than just learn how the academic staff or other economists do it. Alongside credit-bearing modules you can get involved with our optional not-for-credit series of Skills Lab modules that run in each year and help you learn independent study and skills useful for the professional economist.
You can find an updated list of modules for this programme on the department's website.
In the first year you'll take compulsory modules in economics, applied economics, mathematics and statistics, as well as optional modules.
In your second year, principles of model-building, problem-solving and quantitative techniques are emphasised, and you will take compulsory core modules. You will apply for placements in the second year. Support in applying and preparing for placements is available. A placement cannot be guaranteed. If you are not successful in obtaining a placement, having demonstrated efforts to apply, and you meet requirements for L100 you may be switched to the three-year degree.
Assuming you have been successful in securing an approved work placement, your third year will be in an organisation on a minimum 36-week placement. To connect your academic studies with the placement, you will need to demonstrate engagement by submitting reflective learning logs, attending seminars and submitting a draft dissertation proposal.
In your fourth year you can choose from a wide range of optional modules. Most final-year modules introduce you to research papers and current research, including that of staff members, and require you to independently consider how to combine all that you have learnt across the degree to different areas of economics. Placement students will also complete a compulsory undergraduate dissertation linking their experience in the workplace with academic enquiry and embed employability skills in the Advanced Skills Lab module.
What this course will give you
You'll learn from innovative educators, including creators of the CORE curriculum which provides the foundation for your first year, and from our Centre for Teaching and Learning Economics (CTaLE), who are at the forefront of research on teaching techniques, and deliver innovative learning experiences for our students.
Our professors are distinguished economists leading research centres, on Public Policy and Data Analysis Methods; Research Fellows at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and many advising governments and agencies, such as the Office of Budget Responsibility, The Bank of England, and The World Bank.
Academics in the Department of Economics have also won several awards, including the ONS Research Excellence Award, the Jacob Mincer Award, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers Knowledge Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize and the Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker Prize.
You'll benefit from a range of events including the Gorman Lectures, the undergraduate student research conference, Explore Econ, and the activities of the Economist's Society, the undergraduate student publication The Economic Tribune as well as the many UCLU societies.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Econ) (Hons) in Economics with a Placement Year.
Modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
Compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Your learning
Each module is taught differently depending on the content and skills required, but in each, you are expected to read and watch assigned materials (texts, articles, and multimedia) independently, attend lectures and smaller group tutorials, actively participate in group discussions, and where appropriate, work in collaboration with your peers for formative and summative assessments.
The programme includes the opportunity to apply for a placement year in the UK. Support in the search and application process will be provided, but a placement cannot be guaranteed. The placement will be in a role that allows you to combine your economics expertise with work-based learning opportunities.
Assessment
Your progress is monitored throughout the year on a module-by-module basis, which will provide feedback aimed at improving your understanding and technique. You will be assessed by a mix of methods including, written end of year assessments, term-time quizzes, essays, and group projects with written and video outputs and presentations.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.
The foundation of your career
Recent students have obtained placements at the Government Economic Service, economic consultancy, economic research institutes and in economics analysis roles in private companies such as HSBC Global Research and Aviva.
After graduation, about one third of students move onto graduate study in Economics, Data Science, Finance, Computing and Law for example. Students also entered US economics doctoral programmes including at Columbia, Yale and Chicago.
Graduates entering employment go into a range of areas including management, consultancy, accountancy, banking and public policy. Support for your careers and further study journey are provided by the Economics Careers Tutor, in conjunction with UCL Careers, and through various skills development, alumni and employer events run by the Economist's Society and UCLU Societies.
Employability
Many skills can be gained through the study of economics: including finding solutions to real-world problems, combining evidence, mathematical techniques, and quantitative tools to critically analyse questions robustly, and understanding the relevance of context, contemporary and historic, when considering economic and political events. On a placement you apply these skills in a workplace, developing your employability skills, including effective communication and successful team-working.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2023/24) | £9,250 |
| Tuition fees (2023/24) | £32,100 |
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2023/24 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2023/24 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Students on a placement year pay 15% of their corresponding full-time fee.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/funding-your-studies.
Additional costs
Additional costs include the purchase of books and a UCL-approved calculator. A computer is also required for online assessments. When on placement, students are required to pay a proportion of annual fees to UCL. There will be additional costs associated with your placement, such as accommodation, subsistence, purchasing work clothes and getting to and from work. We expect employers to pay at least the minimum wage during the placement year and most will pay more than this.
A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding your studies
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Scholarships
Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme and 2023/24 entry.
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Robins Bursary
Deadline: 3 July 2023Value: £15,660 /yr (3 years)Criteria Based on financial needEligibility: UK
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Next steps
How to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Selection
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
Applicants who have been made an offer will be invited to attend an open day to find out more about the programme from the Admissions Tutor and other academics, ask questions and meet current students.
Please note this programme does not consider applicants who are resitting qualifications. For Further information on UCL’s selection process see: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/how-apply/how-we-assess-your-applicationGot questions? Get in touch
UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.