Economics and Accounting

Economics and accounting address complementary dimensions of the financial world. Economics provides the theoretical and empirical frameworks for understanding how markets work, how policy affects behaviour, and how resources are allocated across the economy as a whole. Accounting is concerned with the recording, analysis, and communication of financial information within organisations, giving decision-makers the data they need to plan, control, and evaluate performance.

Studying the two together, as the University of Bristol's programme is designed to do, produces graduates who understand both the macro picture and the micro detail: how the broader economy shapes the conditions in which businesses operate, and how financial statements reflect the real activities and choices of organisations within that economy.

At Bristol, this three-year, full-time degree offers a fully integrated curriculum rather than simply placing two separate courses side by side. You will study microeconomics and macroeconomics alongside financial accounting, management accounting, and corporate finance, developing a coherent understanding of the connections between them. The economics content builds your capacity for quantitative analysis, model-building, and the rigorous evaluation of evidence.

The accounting content develops your financial literacy and your ability to read, prepare, and interpret financial information in the way that employers in the professions and the corporate world expect. Bristol's Economics and Accounting department is part of a research-intensive university with strong links to the financial services sector.

Graduates of this combination are well positioned for careers in accountancy (including routes towards professional qualifications with bodies such as ICAEW, ACCA, or CIMA), investment banking, financial analysis, management consultancy, and economic research and policy. The breadth of the degree means it is also a strong foundation for postgraduate study in economics, finance, accounting, or business. The analytical rigour Bristol's programme demands is valued by employers across all of these fields.