German/Economics

German and economics is a combination that pairs one of Europe's most significant languages with one of the most analytically rigorous social sciences, preparing you to understand both the cultural and economic dimensions of the German-speaking world and the global economy more broadly. German is the language of Europe's largest economy and one of the world's most important trading nations, spoken natively by around a hundred million people and used as a business language by many more. Economics provides the theoretical tools to understand how markets, institutions and policies shape economic outcomes, and how to analyse those outcomes with quantitative precision.

At the University of Glasgow, this five-year programme includes a sandwich placement year and develops your German to a high level through the study of a key European language and its culture, ranging from the eighteenth century to contemporary cultural and economic life. Economics is studied alongside this, developing both your theoretical understanding and your quantitative analytical skills. A work placement year provides professional experience in a relevant economic, business or German-speaking context, directly connecting your academic study to professional practice and building the network and experience that employers value.

Graduates who combine German and economics are well placed for careers in finance, international trade, economic consultancy, European organisations, the civil service, investment banking, academic research, journalism and a wide range of roles in the German-speaking business world and in international organisations where both language and economic competence are assets. The combination is genuinely rare and distinctive, and the five-year programme with placement provides an unusually thorough preparation for professional life. Postgraduate study in economics, European affairs or a related field is available for those who want to develop specialist expertise or pursue academic research.