Economics

Economics is the study of how individuals, organisations, and societies make choices under conditions of scarcity, and of how those choices aggregate into the patterns of production, distribution, and exchange that shape material life. It uses the basic tools of economic analysis to gain insight into a range of contemporary issues across society, from the pricing decisions of firms and the labour market choices of workers to the fiscal and monetary policies of governments and the dynamics of international trade. Those tools, including microeconomic and macroeconomic theory alongside the statistical and mathematical methods of econometrics, give you a genuinely powerful framework for understanding the world.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year full-time programme develops that framework with rigour, engaging with real economic problems alongside the theoretical foundations. You will study micro and macroeconomics, quantitative methods, econometrics, and applied policy, and you will have the opportunity to explore how economic analysis illuminates contemporary issues in areas such as environmental economics, development, and labour markets. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement, giving you professional and international experience that places your academic learning in real-world context and significantly strengthens your career readiness.

Graduates from economics programmes go on to careers in banking, financial analysis, consultancy, government, international organisations, economic research, and commercial management across virtually every sector of the economy. The analytical and quantitative skills that economics develops are among the most transferable in higher education. Further study at postgraduate level in economics, finance, public policy, or data science is available for those who wish to specialise or pursue research careers.