Financial Economics and Management

Financial economics and management brings together three complementary fields of study, combining the analytical rigour of economics, the quantitative tools of financial theory and the strategic and organisational thinking of management. The result is a degree that prepares graduates to understand financial markets and institutions from first principles while also developing the commercial judgement needed to operate within them.

The University of St Andrews offers this four-year full-time programme, which includes a year abroad that deepens both your intellectual development and your international perspective. St Andrews has a distinguished academic tradition and a strong research profile in economics and management, and the programme draws on both. You will study microeconomic and macroeconomic theory alongside financial economics, covering topics such as asset pricing, corporate finance, monetary economics and the behaviour of financial markets.

The management strand introduces you to strategy, organisational behaviour, accounting and the decision-making frameworks that businesses and financial institutions use. The year abroad gives you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in another country, developing independence, adaptability and an understanding of how economic and financial systems vary across national contexts.

The combination of these three disciplines trains rigorous quantitative reasoning alongside the broader commercial and strategic thinking that applied financial roles demand. You will become comfortable with formal economic models while also understanding the institutional and behavioural contexts that shape how markets actually function.

Graduates are well placed for careers in investment management, corporate finance, financial analysis, consultancy, central banking, economic research and a wide range of roles in international financial services. The degree also provides an excellent foundation for postgraduate study in financial economics, finance or management, and for professional qualifications such as CFA or those offered by chartered accounting bodies.