Economics

Economics with a Year in Industry - BSc (Hons)

UCAS code L102

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2017

Overview

Economics at Kent is  ranked in the top ten in the UK. Our economists are internationally recognised for their research and are also exciting and innovative teachers who place a particular emphasis on making economics relevant to the real world.

The School of Economics provides outstanding academic support. Each student has a dedicated academic adviser and we also run a peer mentoring scheme where experienced final-year students offer advice and support to new students.

We are an international community with academic staff and students from many countries so you develop a global perspective on your subject.

Our degree programme

In your first year, you learn how economists think and become familiar with the tools they use for analysing real economic problems. You can also study modules on the European economy in the 20th century, as well as strategy and games.

In your second and final years, you study macroeconomics, microeconomics and quantitative economics. Optional modules cover areas such as international finance, industrial and monetary economics, and the economics of money and banking. Our wide range of modules means you can tailor your degree to support your particular career ambitions; for example, you can choose modules that prepare you for life as a professional economist.

Year in industry

This programme includes a year in industry. In previous years students have worked at:

  • Bank of England
  • Government Economic Service (GES)
  • Deloitte
  • Ernst & Young
  • PwC
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

You don’t have to make a decision on taking a year in industry before you enrol at Kent, but certain conditions apply.

Year abroad

We also offer four-year European Economics programmes, where you spend a year at one of our partner universities in France, Germany, Spain or Greece.  For more details, see European Economics, European Economics (French), European Economics (German), European Economics (Spanish).

Extra activities

You may wish to join the following student-run societies:

  • the Economics Society, which organises lecturers and conferences, as well as social events
  • Kent Investment Society, which focuses on the financial markets. It is made up of analysts, head analysts and committee members, who each cover a particular financial market. In previous years, the Society has organised an annual virtual trading competition.

The School of Economics also hosts events that you are welcome to attend. These include:

  • public lectures and seminars
  • employability workshops
  • networking events.

Professional network

Many of our staff advise UK, European and international organisations. These include:

  • the Treasury (UK)
  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (UK)
  • Department for International Development (DFID)
  • Bank of England
  • European Commission
  • European Central Bank
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
  • European Central Bank (ECB)
  • United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

These links mean we can bring real-life examples and scenarios into our teaching, ensuring it is up to date and relevant.

Independent rankings

Economics at Kent was ranked 8th in The Guardian University Guide 2017. In the National Student Survey 2016, 92% of Economics students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.

For graduate prospects, Economics at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide. Of Economics students who graduated from Kent in 2015, 92% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE).

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Year in industry

Students can opt to take a year in industry with any of our single honours programmes, or the Economics and Management joint honours programme. The year in industry is not available on other joint programmes in Economics or the four-year European Economics programmes.

The year in industry is taken between the second (Stage 2) and third years (Stage 3) of the degree and contributes towards your final degree classification. The placement must be with a suitable employer, but the reference to 'in industry' is intended to cover employers in any service sector as well as in manufacturing.

Students are responsible for finding their placements, but the School offers structured support for the application process in the form of a non-contributory module, 'Preparing for a Placement'.

Students must have passed Stage 2 of their degree before they can embark on the year in industry.

Teaching and assessment

All of our modules are taught by a combination of lectures and small group sessions, which include seminars, computing practicals, problem sets, debates and role-play games. On average, you have a total of 12-14 hours of lecture, seminar and other formal contact time per week.

The School of Economics is committed to making sure that you leave Kent with much more than just a degree in Economics. We put great emphasis on the development of transferable skills, including numeracy, analytical problem solving, data analysis, and written and oral communication, as well as subject-specific skills for further study at postgraduate level.

Some modules are assessed by continuous assessment of coursework throughout the year and an end-of-year exam in the final term. A number of modules at each stage are assessed solely through coursework.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • provide structured developmental work experience in the industry
  • provide experience on working on a specified project in the industry
  • learn how to apply economic and business principles and analysis to a range of issues, problems and policies (this will not necessarily apply to all placement students)
  • develop appropriate skills relevant to the specific industry of placement
  • develop management, communication, decision-making, creative, team-working and reliability skills
  • develop skills of reflecting on and evaluating your own work and being able to communicate this reflection and evaluation
  • provide a well-developed structure to support your year in the industry.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You develop knowledge and understanding of:

  • the working of a successful company
  • practical experience of business, management and financial aspects of an industry (not necessarily all)
  • applied aspects of economic analysis
  • the main concepts, principles, theories, models and methods of modern economic analysis and their application in different areas of economics
  • the analytical skills that allow students to formulate and consider a range of economic problems and issues
  • the mathematical, statistical and computing methods used in economics
  • economic data and methods used to analyse such data
  • economic analysis of policy.
  • specific problems, issues and policies in a range of areas in economics
  • key concepts affecting decision-making
  • critical discussion of economic problems, issues and policies in politics and media
  • an economic topic chosen by the student and submitted as a supervised final year project
  • the study of other social science subjects in the first year.

Intellectual skills

You develop the ability to:

  • abstract the essential features of a complex system.
  • think about what are the important variables and fixed parameters in solving a problem.
  • analysis complex issues using deductive and inductive reasoning.
  • organise and use information to analyse complex issues.
  • review critically alternative explanations and analyses of a problem.

Subject-specific skills

You develop the following subject-specific skills:

  • analytical skills in economics that can be applied to business problems
  • ability to apply economic principles and analysis to a range of issues, problems and policies
  • ability to abstract the essential features of a business/economic issue, problem or system
  • ability to use and present numerical information
  • ability to carry out economic/econometric analysis of business/economic data.

Transferable skills

You develop the following transferable skills:

  • effective communication of analysis and ideas both orally and in written form
  • ability to assemble, analyse, use and present data
  • understanding and ability to use economic, mathematical and quantitative methods to analyse business issues and problems
  • ability to analyse and make decisions using economic concepts, eg opportunity cost and strategic behaviour
  • development of skills associated with the chosen/specific industry
  • independence in initiating and executing work
  • ability to think critically about proposed analyses and solutions to a problem or issue
  • become responsible for managing own performance.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our Economics graduates have developed careers in accountancy, banking and finance, journalism, management consultancy and business. Recent graduates have gone on to work for:

  • Deloitte
  • the Government Economic Service
  • HMRC
  • Citibank
  • KPMG
  • PwC
  • Bank of America
  • Schroders
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Barclays.

Help finding a job

Employers are always keen to employ graduates with knowledge of the work environment and some students receive job offers from the company where they spent their year in industry.

The School of Economics supports and advises you in deciding what to do after your Economics degree. We offer:

  • one-to-one advice from a member of our employability team
  • employability workshops
  • talks from alumni and outside employers.

The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Career-enhancing skills

Alongside a thorough understanding of economic issues, you develop key transferable skills that will appeal to employers. These include the ability to:

  • think critically
  • communicate your ideas and opinions succintly
  • work independently
  • use your initiative and be proactive
  • work as part of a team and independently
  • manage your time and plan effectively
  • problem solve.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Independent rankings

For graduate prospects, Economics at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2017. Of Economics students who graduated from Kent in 2015, 92% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE).

According to Which? University (2017), the average starting salary for graduates of this degree is £24,000.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice. 

It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

New GCSE grades

If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

ABB from 3 full A levels, or BBB if A level Mathematics is included

GCSE

Mathematics at grade B

Access to HE Diploma

The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. 

If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

BTEC National Diploma at DD or BTEC Extended Diploma at DDD plus A level Mathematics at grade B

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 15 points at HL, including Mathematics SL or HL at 4, or Mathematical Studies at 5

International students

The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.

If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.

Meet our staff in your country

For more advise about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events. 

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme. 

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

The 2017/18 tuition fees for this programme are:

UK/EU Overseas
Full-time

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

UK/EU fee paying students

The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.

In accordance with changes announced by the UK Government, we are increasing our 2017/18 regulated full-time tuition fees for new and returning UK/EU fee paying undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses will also rise from £4,500 to £4,625. This was subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. This fee will ensure the continued provision of high-quality education.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for Year Abroad/Industry

As a guide only, UK/EU/International students on an approved year abroad for the full 2017/18 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status. 

Please note that for 2017/18 entrants the University will increase the standard year in industry fee for home/EU/international students to £1,350.

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

The Government has confirmed that EU students applying for university places in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will still have access to student funding support for the duration of their course.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.