Financial Economics with Foundation Year
Birkbeck, University of London
UCAS Code: L112 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Birkbeck, University of London
UCAS Code: L112 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE grade C or grade 4, or equivalent, in English and mathematics.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
Our BSc Financial Economics will provide you with a core set of technically demanding, yet applications-oriented, skills in financial economics and an extensive knowledge of the financial sector. You will acquire the knowledge and skills needed for working in professions requiring economic and financial literacy and gain hands-on experience in academic research and data analysis.
This is a rigorous course that combines an open admissions policy with high standards. Where there are gaps in your previous education we will fill those gaps, but you will also achieve the same standard of training in the core skills of finance and economics as in any other financial economics degree in the UK. The course is fairly demanding in terms of its use of quantitative techniques. If you have not studied maths for some time, we offer an intensive two-week evening preliminary or refresher course prior to the start of the degree.
The course features two routes, which allow you to focus either on the technical or the applied aspects of financial economics.
If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.
**This course has an evening timetable with lectures, seminars and classes taking place in the evening.**
**Highlights**
- Birkbeck was ranked in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Economics and Econometrics research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
- The course offers a well-integrated interdisciplinary core, allowing you to obtain a broad and balanced perspective, while the unique two-pathway structure allows you to tailor your studies and focus on either the technical or the applied aspects of financial economics.
- We have an excellent reputation for the quality of our teaching, providing training for employers such as the Treasury and the Bank of England.
- You will be taught by academics who are professional practitioners in the world of economics and international finance, and who provide specialist advice and in-house training for government departments and City firms and banks.
- We bring together research and teaching across economics and finance, mathematics and statistics in a single department, which creates significant interdisciplinary synergies.
- Goldman Sachs and Birkbeck Diversity Scholarships are available for this course for students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
**Careers and employability**
Graduates can pursue career paths in the financial sector or economics. Possible professions include:
- financial risk analyst
- bank manager
- economist
- statistician.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Modules
For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.
Assessment methods
Most modules are assessed by course assignments and/or in-class tests and an unseen formal examination in June.
In the final year, there is a 5000-word project.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck Business School
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Economics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Economics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a degree in demand, as business increasingly needs workers who can examine and explain complex data. And yet the number of economics graduates fell by nearly 10% last year, which means demand is even greater. As so many economic grads go into banking and finance, it's not surprising that over half of all 2015's economics graduates who did go into work were working in London. And don't think it's just the finance industry that's interested in these graduates - there's a significant number who enter the IT industry to work with data as analysts and consultants. It's quite common for economics graduates to go into jobs such as accountancy and management consultancy which may require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications - so don’t assume you won’t have to take any more exams once you leave uni. And the incentive to take them, of course, is better pay, which will be on top of an already healthy average starting salary of over £30,000 for graduates working in the capital.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Economics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£30k
£33k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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