Economics with Innovation

Economics with innovation sits at the meeting point of economic analysis and the study of how new ideas, technologies and business models change markets, societies and organisations. Economics provides the rigorous analytical framework for understanding how resources are allocated, how markets function, how incentives shape behaviour and how economies grow and sometimes fail. Innovation studies ask how new products, processes and services emerge, how firms and institutions promote or obstruct change, and what determines whether a society is able to adapt to new circumstances and technologies.

Together they address questions that are central to one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century: how to generate and govern transformative change.

At the University of Bristol this four-year, full-time programme reflects the university's commitment to thinking across disciplinary boundaries, encouraging you to bring together economic reasoning, scientific literacy, humanistic insight and entrepreneurial thinking. You will study core economics, including micro and macroeconomic theory, quantitative methods and economic history, alongside material on technology, entrepreneurship, design thinking and the management of innovation. You will develop the analytical and communication skills to work across specialisms and cultures, preparing you for the kind of cross-functional roles that increasingly characterise innovation-driven organisations.

Graduates find careers in economic consultancy, financial services, technology companies, public policy and regulatory bodies, management consultancy, entrepreneurship and start-up ventures, and international development organisations. The combination of economic rigour and innovation thinking is particularly valued in roles that require both quantitative analysis and strategic creativity. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in economics, innovation management, technology policy, finance or business, building on the broad intellectual foundation the degree provides.