Business Economics BSc(Hons)

Start date

18 September 2023

Duration

4 years inc. placement year. Offered as a 4 year degree only, exception if you fail to find or complete a placement

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About the course

Reasons to study

You will also have the opportunity to use the University’s Trading room which enables you to use advanced technology to analyse economic, business and financial data in real time.
You'll have the opportunity to undertake a work placement, providing real-world experience of a range of industry settings. Our previous graduates have gone on to work at DRAX, NHS, KPMG and Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
Study at an AACSB International accredited Business School. Globally, less than 6% of institutions offering business degrees achieve this accreditation.

Why Business Economics?

Businesses are hungry for people who understand the core principles of economics. This specialist expertise can help businesses grow, develop and succeed. Our Business Economics BSc(Hons) aims to give you a good grounding in the key concepts of the subject, getting you ready to apply economics in the business arena.

The course focuses on key areas such as Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Business. Macroeconomics gives you the chance to explore how high-level factors such as incomes, inflation and consumption affect each other. Microeconomics looks at how individual businesses and even households behave, and how to develop models to analyse them in even greater detail. Business studies are aimed at analysing how economic issues are relevant in the business context, but also how business start-up and small enterprise develop, and how culture affects business and management

How will you learn?

You'll learn through practical application and delivered lectures, workshops, seminars and group work sessions.

Here at Huddersfield, you’ll be taught by an academic team with a diverse range of academic and professional experience. This ensures that what you’re taught, and how you’re taught, reflects what you need to know now, as well as giving you the resources to understand future trends and practices. Your tutors will help you prepare to thrive in the ever-changing world of business economics.
You'll have the opportunity to develop a deep knowledge of how businesses operate and how managers make decisions, subject to resource constraints and competing economic objectives.
In your third year we’ll give you the opportunity to take a placement year that could see you working in a business and gaining real world experience.
Throughout the course you'll have the opportunity to study mathematics and statistics for social sciences, and econometrics. The quantitative modules will equip you with the tools used by professional economists to evaluate the impact of economic policies and analyse contemporary economic, financial and business phenomena.
During your studies you'll have the opportunity to learn how to use Industry standard databases, such as Datastream, alongside sector leading software packages such as Stata, R and Eviews.
You should come away from the course being able to understand and respond to situations in the business world, using a framework that you’ve established during your study of economics.

We don’t expect you to be fully versed in business or economics before your course begins, as we aim to build up your understanding from first principles. We’ll also be looking at how mathematic tools can be used to analyse economic decisions. So any mathematics is very much applied rather than pure.

What subjects will you cover?

You’ll explore subjects such as an Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Creativity and Innovation for Business, Leadership, International Economics and Applied Business Economics, Industrial Economics and Decision Science.

Course detail

Year One

Core modules:

Introduction to Macroeconomics

This module helps to develop an understanding of the basic concepts in macroeconomics and provides you with the foundations to develop macroeconomic theory in year two. You’ll have the opportunity to develop and apply analytical skills to understand and explain various macroeconomic events such as such as unemployment, recessions and inflation.

Introduction to Microeconomics

This module enables you to develop an understanding of microeconomic concepts and theories through a critical consideration of current economic issues, problems and institutions that affect everyday life. You’ll have the opportunity to apply microeconomic concepts and theories in a range of contexts and to appreciate their value and limitations in explaining real world events.

Statistics for Social Sciences

This module will introduce you to statistical methods necessary for the study of applied economics and social sciences. You’ll be introduced to modern economic theory and this will be linked to applied content. Statistical and quantitative techniques will be used to gain a greater understanding of economic data and applied economics and help you develop an understanding of how these might be applied to real world data, as well as giving you the skills and experience to carry out data analyses that are often required in the economics profession.

Mathematics for Social Sciences

This module introduces you to the mathematical methods necessary for the study of applied economics and social science. The main techniques applicable to the study of modern economic theory will be introduced and where appropriate linked to applied content and will be used to develop your understanding of economic theory. This module provides you with the opportunity to use quantitative techniques and gain an understanding of how these might be useful in theoretical and applied economics, as well as learning something about their limitations.

Understanding Business Analytics

In this module you'll understand the importance of data and how managing this data can help organisations to make decisions. This will be achieved through the analysis and identification of various data management techniques and how these methods are used to support organisational innovation and growth. You'll critically apply various data analytical approaches and look at the various concepts and current prevailing ideas in data management. In addition, you'll investigate some of the key legislative, operational, and strategic issues which support the collection and usage of data within a digital business environment. This will be underpinned by looking at both internal and external data sets such as, data.gov.uk and the World Bank.

Option modules:

Choose one from a list which may include:

Introduction to Financial Services

This module introduces you to the key areas in the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about different financial products and evaluate the needs of different clients and the relative benefits of those diverse financial products.

Two options from a variety of modern foreign language modules can be chosen from the available range and entry levels appropriate to the student’s prior experience and knowledge. We currently offer French, German and Spanish.

Year Two

Core modules:

Intermediate Macroeconomics

The main purpose of this module is to develop a deeper understanding of modern macroeconomics. It will develop your analytical and policymaking skills and enhance your ability to analyse the implications of macroeconomic issues for government, business, and financial decision-making.

Intermediate Microeconomics

This module provides you with an understanding of the fundamental concepts and techniques of intermediate microeconomic analysis. This module looks at the application of microeconomic theory and how it is relative to real issues and problems, such as the decisions that individuals and households make and organisations and their strategic behaviours and market failures.

Econometrics

This module will help you to gain an understanding of important econometrics concepts used in the analysis of applied economics. It will encompass techniques and materials which will build on those introduced in the pre-requisite modules and apply the statistical techniques to real world economic problems. You’ll gain an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of such econometric techniques in order to understand the usefulness and limitations of quantitative methods in economics. The module is aimed at giving you important marketable skills such as data mining and forecasting.

International Economics and Globalisation

The purpose of this module will be to familiarise you with different perspectives on international trade and international finance. We will cover both “old” and “new” trade theories as well as selected trade policy issues. Our goal is to enable you to analyse those economic issues that result from a country’s interaction with the outside world i.e. trade with other countries, international factor movements, trade and balance of payments imbalances, exchange rate vitality, debts and currency crisis.

Applied Business Economics

In this module you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to integrate economic theory, mathematical methods, statistical techniques and data to study current economic issues in the business context. You’ll also learn how businesses operate and how managers make decisions and learn the different theoretical approaches to the analysis of public policy and business problems and what methods might be appropriately applied to the analysis of economics and business data.

Option modules:

Choose one from a list which may include:

Business Creation and Development

In this module, you'll explore the theory and practices that inform and enable business start-up and small enterprise development. You'll follow the entrepreneurial journey in four phases; creativity and conceptualising the business; understanding context; opportunity spotting and scoping; and business model development. You'll use case studies to explore entrepreneurial practices in a variety of contexts. You'll experiment with opportunity spotting and the formulation of a business model, which will help you understand the practice and theory of new venture creation, from ideation to creating a business enterprise.

Leadership: Theory and Practice

The module is designed to provide you with an understanding of the challenges faced by those involved in leading organisations. You will learn models, theories, and research in the area of leadership, before looking at how leadership is enacted or applied. Approaches to understanding and improving leadership will be introduced and developed over the course of the programme of study.

Year 3 - optional placement year

The course offers a one-year (48 weeks) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad.

Final Year

Core modules:

Applied Econometrics

This module builds on the knowledge obtained in the second year Econometrics module and develops skills needed to apply econometric techniques to real world data. By the end of this course you should have a more comprehensive understanding of central methods used in econometric analysis and be able to demonstrate knowledge of the potential problems with such approaches and potential remedies to apply. The module is aimed at giving you the skills to carry out advanced empirical analyses that are often required by public and private institutions in the professional environment, such as policy counterfactual and scenario analyses.

Undergraduate Dissertation

This module is an opportunity for you to conduct a research project in an area of business and management that relates to your personal and professional interests. You'll work one-to-one with an experienced supervisor who will help you develop and implement your research ideas. This module will not only deepen your knowledge of a particular business and management topic, but also help you build your practical research and report-writing skills.

Decision Science

This module offers explanations of both the theories individuals would like to adopt to make better decisions, and the theories that explain how those around us behave. The focus will be on some fundamental principles developed in decision theory, as well as on violations of these principles derived from psychological literature, namely, behavioural economics. The module develops crucial insights into the decision-making process in social and business contexts.

Climate Economics and Finance

This module offers opportunities to explore climate change issues and form the necessary quantitative skills required to evaluate the impact of climate change on the economy and business organisations. The module will also focus on the responses and policies to mitigate the effects of climate change. You'll be required to understand the role of financial and economic instruments in designing appropriate climate change tools and policies.

Option modules:

Choose one from a list which may include:

Industrial Economics

This module considers the strategic decisions taken by firms relating to key competitive variables such as pricing; advertising; research and development; mergers and acquisitions. You’ll develop an understanding on how an organisations decision making is affected by industry structure and also the implications. You’ll also explore the impact of regulatory regimes on this decision-making.

Marketing for Small Business

Marketing is important, entrepreneurship is vital, and 95% of businesses anywhere in the world are small. When large organisations seek to improve performance – they often turn to the young dynamic small businesses as their role model. We weave these themes together into what can be called entrepreneurial marketing

Managing Across Cultures

In this module, you'll explore how culture affects business and management. You'll learn the essential knowledge and theories in cross-cultural management, which will enable you to compare cultures systematically. You'll also investigate the latest developments in cross cultural research, which will develop your capability in understanding and analysing cross cultural scenarios. You are encouraged to develop an open-minded approach to cultural differences and an understanding of culture’s influence on business and management.

Advances in Leadership

The module is designed to offer you an advanced course in leadership. Building on the themes from the second-year module ‘Leadership: Theory and Practice’, this module invites you to engage with critical and contemporary perspectives and debates shaping the current academic field of leadership studies. We will consider the challenges of leading effectively and ethically in complex 21st century organisational settings.

Teaching and Assessment

On average 17%* of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors (either face to face or online) in lectures, seminars, workshops etc. Study and assessments will be based on your choice of modules. Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.

Feedback (either written and/or verbal) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

*based on 20/21 programme specifications

Further information

The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Each year you study modules to the value of 120 credits, adding up to 360 credits in total for a bachelor’s qualification. These credits can come from a combination of core, compulsory and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.

If you achieve 120 credits for the current stage you are at, you may progress to the next stage of your course, subject to any professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

Teaching excellence

Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2022). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 20 since 2008 (2022 data).
We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Global Professional Award

At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive the Level 5 in Leadership and Management Award from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), meaning you’ll graduate from the University of Huddersfield with an internationally recognised professional qualification, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees

Entry requirements

To find out if you’re eligible to start this course in September 2023 and get more information on how to apply, please see our Clearing pages or call our Clearing Helpline on 0333 987 9000 01484 472777.

If you’re interested in studying this course in September 2024, please view the 2024-25 course information.

What our students have to say

The University of Huddersfield offers a diverse and vibrant student environment, located on one central town centre campus site. Huddersfield Business School provides you with a modern, professional environment to learn and develop, located right next to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal it's in a leafy and picturesque location at the heart of the campus.

Watch our profile video to hear Amandeep describe why he chose the University of Huddersfield.

Placements

The course offers an optional one-year (48 weeks) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad.

Our Placement Office works with national and international employers to ensure excellent work experience opportunities are available to you on placement courses as well as giving advice in areas such as interview skills and preparing CVs and covering letters.

Previous placement providers have included Bewley's Tea and Coffee UK (The Roastery), CLS (Conveyancing Liability Solutions), Cummins Turbo Technologies, Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH), Government Economic Service, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Kiddies Kingdom, Kirklees Council Transport Services, LiFE Residential, Lloyds Banking Group, NHS England, PwC and Thornton and Ross.

The placement year is a valuable tool that can enhance your employability and help you to develop as an individual. It is acknowledged that graduates with industry experience are generally much more attractive to employers.

You can find more information on placements here.

A placement with Enterprise has made me more confident and developed my skills, which I can utilise in the final year of my degree. Having industry experience, coupled with theory from my academic studies, has strengthened my position in the competitive graduate job market.

Amandeep Flora, Management Trainee at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Facilities

The Street where the café is located.

Professional software providing financial analysis

Your Career

Previous graduates from this subject area have gone in to roles such as Associate Resource, Finance Officer, Audit Associate, Assistant Management Accountant and Commercial Finance Analyst with companies such as KPMG, DRAX, Cranford Group and public sector organisations including the NHS, the Government Economic Service and Kirklees Council. **

* Percentage of graduates from this subject who are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 19/20, UK domiciled graduates).

**Source: LinkedIn

85% Graduates employed*

Professional links and accreditations

Huddersfield Business School is an accredited member of AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Less than 6% of business schools worldwide have obtained this prestigious accreditation.

AACSB-accredited schools have successfully undergone a rigorous review process conducted by their peers in the business education community, ensuring that they have the resources, credentials, and commitment needed to provide students with a first-rate, future-focused business education. As a result, AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates who are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than other non-accredited schools.

Career support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

So while you’re here (and even after you graduate) the Careers and Employability Service offer professional help, support and guidance, including industry-supported workshops, careers fairs and one-to-one guidance sessions. Find out more about the service

Further study

Progression to a postgraduate course is dependent on successful completion of your undergraduate studies, there may also be minimum qualification requirements such as a first class or higher second (2.1) degree. Please check the course details to confirm this.

Inspiring Graduate

An undergraduate degree from the University of Huddersfield could be the start of an exciting career in your chosen field. Our graduates go on to succeed in a whole range of exciting careers. Hereâs just one example.

As a graduate of the University of Huddersfield you'll become a member of our alumni community, allowing you to stay in touch and continue to access university services.

During my time studying economics at Huddersfield, there were many things I learnt which have helped me today. The core modules of Macro and Microeconomics have enabled to me apply economic theory to the issues our economy faces today whilst modules such as Econometrics has built my analytical skills.

Aadam Pandor, BSc(Hons) Economics

Career support

As a graduate of the University of Huddersfield you'll become a member of our alumni community, allowing you to stay in touch and continue to access university services.

During my time studying economics at Huddersfield, there were many things I learnt which have helped me today. The core modules of Macro and Microeconomics have enabled to me apply economic theory to the issues our economy faces today whilst modules such as Econometrics has built my analytical skills.

Aadam Pandor, BSc(Hons) Economics

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Within Huddersfield Business School, there are numerous student support services that you can access to ensure that you make the most of your time with us. In terms of academic support, we have highly qualified Academic Skills Tutors who are able to provide support to those of you who require help in improving your academic skills in areas such as academic writing, presentation techniques, referencing etc. We also offer additional support to our International students by giving free language support sessions to our Final Year/Top-Up and Postgraduate students and co-ordinate the ‘Bud In Hud ‘ programme which provides opportunities for both International and Home students to meet and socialise in an informal setting.

We also have a team of Student Guidance and Support Officers within the School who can provide support and advice to you with any non-academic issues such as health issues, financial problems or personal issues, you may be facing which are having an effect on your ability to study to the best of your abilities. Drop in sessions are always available so you can pop in and have a confidential chat about how we can help and what support is available to you.

Our support services are here to ensure that you are able to achieve your academic, professional and personal potential during your time with Huddersfield Business School.

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

The full-time undergraduate tuition fee for 2023/24 entry will be £9250.

Tuition fees will cover the cost of your study at the University as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision and examinations. For more information about funding, fees and finance for UK students, including what your tuition fee covers, please see Fees and finance.

If you are an EU or international student coming to study at the University of Huddersfield, please visit the International Fees and Finance pages for full details of tuition fees and support available.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

The full-time undergraduate tuition fee for 2023/24 entry will be £9250.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

Equal opportunities

Undergraduate

View more courses

Start date

Duration

About the course

Reasons to study

Why Business Economics?

How will you learn?

What subjects will you cover?

Course detail

Introduction to Macroeconomics

Introduction to Microeconomics

Statistics for Social Sciences

Mathematics for Social Sciences

Understanding Business Analytics

Introduction to Financial Services

Intermediate Macroeconomics

Intermediate Microeconomics

Econometrics

International Economics and Globalisation

Applied Business Economics

Business Creation and Development

Leadership: Theory and Practice

Applied Econometrics

Undergraduate Dissertation

Decision Science

Climate Economics and Finance

Industrial Economics

Marketing for Small Business

Managing Across Cultures

Advances in Leadership

Entry requirements

What our students have to say

Placements

Facilities

Your Career

Career support

Student support

Fees and Finance

Fees and Finance

Important information

Changes to a course you have applied for

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules

Major changes

Termination of course

Equal opportunities

Data protection

Students’ Union membership

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