Skip to main content

Economics MSc

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

This course is eligible for Master's loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

16 September 2024

6 January 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Places available (subject to change)

40

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. You’ll learn using industry-standard software in our Trading Room to ensure you’re well prepared to start your graduate career. Our tutors' real-world industry experience will then help you develop these skills into practical application.
  2. Study at the Times Higher Education Business School of the Year 2023.
  3. Study at an AACSB International accredited Business School. Globally, less than 6% of institutions offering business degrees achieve this accreditation. 

We aspire to help you in developing your knowledge and understanding of core economic theories and principles, in order to apply these to policy making and resource allocation scenarios. If you aspire to develop a career in economics, business, government, finance or media and the voluntary sector, our course will help prepare you for a wide variety of careers that require advanced economic analytical skills.

  • This conversion course is ideal if you’ve not previously studied economics but want to develop the knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in business and finance.
  • The course covers the fundamentals of how economies operate around the world, and enables you to make sense of the numbers behind the markets.
  • You’ll have the opportunity to practice live share dealing in our Trading Room.
  • You’ll have the opportunity to develop your analytical skills through the study of econometrics and deepen your understanding of the global economy.

Course detail

Core modules:

Principles of Economics

Economics relates to every aspect of our lives. Studying this subject will equip you with an understanding of the world around us and how it functions. This module aims to develop your ability to examine how decisions are taken at individual, firm and national levels. The module will focus on real life applications of economic theories and concepts to help you critically analyse major economic issues facing the world today.

The Context of International Business

This module is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of the major issues that businesses are confronted with when operating in international markets. Given the complex and inter-related nature of the international business environment, it is important for you to understand, for example, how the social, economic, political, legal and financial factors have influenced, and continue to influence international business. You can also develop your intellectual capacities by applying the international business theory and techniques to complex business scenarios. In addition, you will have the opportunity to explore the ethical issues in international business.

Financial Markets and Institutions

This module aims to introduce you to the key elements of Financial Markets and Institutions, covering the financial system, markets, central banking regulation and financial crises. You'll have an opportunity to learn the methods used in empirical finance to better understand decision making and developments in world financial markets, institutions and banking.

The Global Professional

In today’s highly mobile and interconnected world of business, you will undoubtedly find yourself working with culturally diverse teams, partnerships and customer bases. It is therefore essential that you are able to offer future employers, colleagues and other stakeholders an adaptable interculturally aware and responsive approach. In the light of that, this module fosters transferable skills fundamental to global employability. Your professional and personal development will be guided through the application of the eight CIPD Behaviours, University of Huddersfield’s target Graduate Attributes, and key Intercultural Effectiveness skills and mindsets. As you develop professionally through your subject studies you will increase consciousness of your individual cultural make-up and the impact of this on behaviour, relationships and worldview in order to navigate beyond the borders of your own culture. You will develop a conscious approach to effective global practice, responding positively to difference, and constructing strategies to deal with intercultural workplace encounters.

Quantitative Economic Methods

This module will introduce you to the main methods of quantitative measurement used in the subject of Economics and other business disciplines. As part of this module you will consider a range of features of quantitative economic analysis, from data collection to the analysis and reporting of the results of statistical procedures. As a result of this study you will be empowered to devise, operationalise, justify and critique a programme of quantitative investigation for an audience of economists or business professionals.

Your course provides you the option to select from 3 modules which may include:

Leading Managing and Developing People

This module explores the links between people management practices and positive organisational outcomes and how these are achieved in different types of organisational contexts. Focusing on leadership, flexibility and change management, the aim being to help students become effective strategic managers as well as effective HR specialists, managing others fairly and effectively and increasing levels of engagement, commitment and performance.

Global Business and Human Rights

As more and new corporate and trading actors emerge onto the global commercial scene, questions as to the relationship between business and human rights increasingly raise profound and intriguing problems of law and policy. This module, alert to historic developments, and drawing on principles of international law, investigates how national, regional and international initiatives to regulate the ever-changing dynamics of financial and cultural globalisation, are affecting respect for human rights in contemporary society.

Managing Big Data

With many industries generating huge volumes of data almost continuously the challenge for these industries is understanding how this data can be utilised for developing organisational value. This module introduces the field of Big Data, sources, management and visualisaiton. The module will evaluate and consider a range of features in the area, and provide opportunity to work with multiple online and offline data sets, investigate ethical issues around the data and explore different data collection strategies. Experience in these areas gives a holistic overview of organisational challenges and an informed perspective in decision making through the utilisation of big data.

Final Project

An opportunity to pursue an area that interests you or which you are passionate about comes in your choice of project. You have a choice of three routes: Research Route, Consultancy Route and New Venture Creation Route (subject to tutor approval).

Research Route

Quantitative Economic Methods

This module will introduce you to the main methods of quantitative measurement used in the subject of Economics and other business disciplines. As part of this module you will consider a range of features of quantitative economic analysis, from data collection to the analysis and reporting of the results of statistical procedures. As a result of this study you will be empowered to devise, operationalise, justify and critique a programme of quantitative investigation for an audience of economists or business professionals.

Individual Research Project

The Individual Research Project provides an opportunity to pursue your own interests and engage more deeply with your subject by completing an in-depth piece of research work using relevant research methods. Working autonomously, but under the guidance of a supervisor, you will make choices about the most appropriate methods and then conduct your own research project. Through the Individual Research Project, you will have the opportunity to greatly enhance your own knowledge and skills. The research will be presented in written format using academic conventions recognised in your field.

Consultancy Route

Consultancy Skills

This module prepares you for the Group Consultancy Project. It introduces the theory underpinning the process of consultancy in organisations. The module will analyse various models of consultancy and you will be given an opportunity to explore different stages in the consultancy cycle including: the purpose of consultancy in business context, project scoping and contracting, information gathering, analysis and report, action planning, implementation, review and exiting.

Group Consultancy Project

The Group Consultancy Project provides you with the opportunity to engage in a ‘real world’ live client brief. You will work in small teams and will be expected to engage in the process of scoping the project with the business client, undertake the necessary information gathering, analysing the information and make recommendations to the client. As part of this module, you will also need to evaluate how principles of ethics, sustainability and responsibility influence your professional decision making.

New Venture Creation

Launch a venture

The module provides you with the opportunity to take the practical steps to initiate a new venture or facilitate growth and innovation in an existing venture. The focus is on developing an understanding of business practicalities through action, reflection and case study. The module encourages you to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes for practice, recognising that you may be at different stages and working on different issues at the same time. Supervision and action learning sets provide flexible support to enable self directed learning to facilitate start up and business development initiatives with existing businesses.

New Venture Creation

The module will encourage you to develop your entrepreneurial mind-set, and help you understand the challenges and opportunities of starting and running a new venture. Your entrepreneurial skills and abilities will be guided through the application of different entrepreneurial tools and techniques – as well as practical exercises - that should enable you to assess your own entrepreneurial readiness, while preparing for the risky, uncertain and challenging environment of creating new ventures.

Additional information

Exposure to various activities at the University of Huddersfield will enrich your knowledge and skills. An intensive induction pre-course workshop, which will be held in September and January, provides you with an in-depth insight into your course; helps promote an interactive environment between fellow students and meet with your tutors.

Tutors are experts in their field and with many having practical experience in industry and the professions which helps combine your academic knowledge with practical application. Many aspects of teaching and assessment are grounded in real life situations.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally:

  • An Honours degree (2:2 or above) in any subject or an equivalent professional qualification.
  • Applicants with other professional qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis.
  • In exceptional cases students with no appropriate qualifications but relevant work experience, who can demonstrate ability to benefit from postgraduate study, will be considered on an individual basis. Candidates’ suitability will be assessed in line with the University’s Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning procedures.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

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.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

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. 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. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If 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

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 an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. 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 non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes 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), 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 or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. 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, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. 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.

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 in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

You may also be interested in...

Accounting and Finance MSc

Whether you’re planning a career with a major accountancy firm in the UK or internationally, this course helps prepare you by developing your critical understanding of the internationalisation of accounting and specific aspects of corporate finance.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Postgraduate


Fintech MSc

Current business organisations require strong financial awareness and a grasp of technology. This innovative course provides you with the professional skills to help you design, build, and innovate in the modern finance, banking, and commerce sectors. It is ideal for a career in innovative small, medium, and large enterprises, such as financial start-ups, firms offering technology solutions, analytics or large and established financial institutions. The course also prepares you for further study at the postgraduate level for a future academic career through the innovative prism of Financial Technologies.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Postgraduate