Studying Economics gives you the opportunity to analyse some of today's profound problems, such as poverty and economic growth, developing economies, environmental protection, and financial and monetary crises. You also consider the dilemmas facing households, firms and governments, such as the provision of education, roles of labour markets and regulation of markets.
As a Kent Economics student, you develop the skills to analyse and discuss these crucial areas and are challenged to contribute and defend your own theories and solutions.
The School of Economics is ranked highly among UK universities for graduate prospects. 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 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.
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 in professional economics, 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.
This programme includes an opportunity to spend a year working in industry between Stages 2 and 3. This greatly enhances your CV and gives you the opportunity to apply your academic skills in a practical context. In previous years students have worked at:
We also offer a four-year Economics with a Year Abroad programme, where you spend a year at one of our partner universities in France, Germany, Greece, Japan or Spain. For more details, see Economics with a Year Abroad.
You may wish to join the following student-run societies:
The School of Economics also hosts events that you are welcome to attend. These include:
Many of our staff advise UK, European and international organisations. These include:
These links mean we can bring real-life examples and scenarios into our teaching, ensuring it is up to date and relevant.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
Please note that meeting this typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee an offer being made.Please also see our general entry requirements.
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
BBB from three full A levels excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking
Mathematics grade B / 6. However, those who hold GCSE Mathematics at grade 5 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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.
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and National Extended Diploma qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case by case basis. Applicants must also have one or more accompanying A levels.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL, including Mathematics 4 at SL or HL, or Mathematical Studies 5
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.
However, please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
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.
Duration: 4 years full-time
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.
All our single honours degree programmes, with the exception of Economics with a Year Abroad, offer a Year in Industry. Our joint honours programmes with Management and Politics also offer this option.
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.
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £9,250.
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.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
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.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
The programme aims to:
You gain a knowledge and understanding of:
You gain the following intellectual skills:
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
You gain the following transferable skills:
In The Guardian University Guide 2020, over 88% of final-year Economics students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.
Of Economics graduates who responded to the most recent national survey of graduate destinations, over 92% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE, 2017).
Our Economics graduates have developed careers in accountancy, banking and finance, journalism, management consultancy and business. Recent graduates have gone on to work for:
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:
The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:
Alongside a thorough understanding of economic issues, you develop key transferable skills that will appeal to employers. These include the ability to:
You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.
This course page is for the 2020/21 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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