BA Economics with Placement Year

at Durham University

Year 1
In the first year, in addition to the compulsory modules, you will be able to choose three further optional modules from a selection of economics modules and have the opportunity to take a module from another department, which could be a foreign language.

Year 2
In the second year, you study compulsory modules investigating core issues in economics, and you will be able to choose three further optional modules from a selection of economics modules, and have the opportunity to take a module from another department, which could be a foreign language. Furthermore you will acquire numerous subject skills which enable you to interpret economic theory and data.

It may be possible to spend the third term of your second year studying economics modules at either the University of Trento or the University of Pisa. Students who choose this option study five Durham modules before going to Italy for the Easter term. The Durham May/June examinations are taken whilst in Italy.

Year 3
All of our degrees offer you the option of spending your third year gaining practical experience on a business placement. Business placements are a great way to develop your employment marketability and to engage with employers early in their recruitment pipeline. A placement requires a minimum of forty weeks of work experience and the placement begins in the summer following completion of the second year, and this then becomes the third year of a four-year degree programme. This allows you to really explore and understand your job and to find out if the career or company is for you.

• You will develop your practical skills, confidence and maturity.
• You can focus on a specific career path - many employers recruit graduates from their placement programme.
• You will be able to contextualise your studies better, be more mature in your attitude to work,
• You may decide to draw on your working experiences and access a more fulfilling dissertation research subject.
• You will gain invaluable job search and graduate research skills by engaging in the competitive placement recruitment process.

A level offer – A*AA including Mathematics.

BTEC Level 3 NationalExtended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – D*DD and Mathematics A level at grade A (or equivalent) is required.

IB Diploma score – 38 with 666 in higher level subjects, including Mathematics.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• For all Single and Joint Honours degrees involving Economics, including Philosophy, Politics and Economics, we require you to obtain a Grade A at A level Mathematics or its equivalent. For students taking the IB we are happy to accept either Higher Level grade 6 or Standard Level grade 7 in Mathematics.
• Applicants are encouraged to avoid studying both Economics and Business Studies A2 levels.
• We do not accept Advanced Higher Statistics as a substitute for AH Mathematics. If you are taking both of these subjects at this level then a further Advanced Higher is necessary.
• If you are studying for the IB Diploma please note that we do not accept Mathematical Studies at standard level instead of standard level Mathematics.
• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study. Please contact our Admissions Manager.
• You are not required to have A level Economics though for anyone taking this subject this will form part of the offer made to you.
• We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking as part of our offer.
• If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Programme offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.
• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
• We are willing to consider applications for deferred entry from those who have well-structured plans for work or travel, for example. We may, however, need to restrict the number of deferred entry offers we make because we have to be careful not to fill too many of next year’s places in advance. However, if you do apply for a deferred place and are unsuccessful, you are welcome to reapply the following year.

The tuition fees shown for students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 96% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 81% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £29,000.