Economics MEcon: University of Southampton

Course overview

All people take economic decisions every day and are affected by other people’s decisions at a local, national and global level. Economics is the study of these decisions and actions, and of the way economic processes work.

The MEcon Master in Economics offers an alternative to a three-year undergraduate programme plus a one-year MSc.

The programme aims to equip you with:

• A rigorous and thorough knowledge and understanding of the core areas of economics
• An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the workings of the economy
• The conceptual and analytic tools required of a professional economist
• A thorough grounding in research methods

And to enable you to:

• Develop a range of skills and abilities that will contribute to your effectiveness as a professional economist
• Apply economic analysis to policy problems

Module choices in year one are dependent on whether you have studied economics at A level. The programme structure below outlines the modules that you may typically expect to study, although this may vary depending on demand for the modules and staff availability. Eight modules are studied each year, with four in each semester. During year three you will study a dissertation, equivalent to two modules, which is a piece of independent research on a topic of your choice spread over both semesters. During year four you will study an advanced research project which is comprised of two pieces of work, the first associated with quantitative methods and would be of an empirical nature, and the second piece will be associated with another module you are studying.

Career opportunities

• Banking
• Insurance and reinsurance
• Accountancy
• Market research
• Economist (employers include the Government Economic Service, banks, consultancies and the financial services sector)
• Actuary
• Financial analyst
• NHS administrator
• Money market dealer

Course content

• A core of macroeconomics and microeconomics, both theory and applied, plus econometrics
• Quantitative material at several levels
• Core units for some programmes also available as options in others (eg industrial economics, portfolio theory, managerial decisions, statistical methods of insurance, financial accounting, principles of finance, empirical finance)
• Development economics, international trade, public economics and labour economics as options

Entry requirements

• A levels: AAB
• A level: mathematics at grade B required
• All students must have GCSE English Language grade C or equivalent
• IB: 34 points, 17 at higher level
• Intake: 120
• Average applicants per place: 7

Main University Contact

• Postal Address: University of Southampton
  University Road
  Southampton
  SO17 1BJ
• Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 5000
• Fax: +44 (0)23 8059 3131
• Email: admissns@soton.ac.uk
• Website: http://www.soton.ac.uk/