BSc Economics and Politics (Including Year Abroad)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Essex

Program Overview

If you’re curious about how governments make economic decisions — and how those decisions shape everyday life, elections, global markets, and even wars — this degree is the perfect fit. The BSc Economics and Politics (Including Year Abroad) at the University of Essex combines two powerful subjects to help you understand how money, power, policy, and people interact. It’s ideal for students who enjoy debating current affairs, analysing real-world problems, and want to study both the theory and the impact of political and economic decisions.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1 – Understanding the Basics of Power and Economy

Your first year builds a strong foundation in both disciplines. In Introduction to Quantitative Economics, you’ll explore how individuals, businesses, and governments make financial decisions through microeconomics and macroeconomics. At the same time, Introduction to Politics and Political Systems helps you understand how governments work, what ideologies shape them, and how political decisions are made. You’ll also develop practical skills through Research Design and Statistical Methods, where you learn how to work with real data and interpret political and economic trends.

Year 2 – Linking Global Economics with Political Decisions

In your second year, you start to see the world through a global lens. Modules like Globalisation and International Development explore why some nations thrive while others fall behind, and how international trade and aid affect politics. You’ll also study European Union Politics and Economics, looking at how EU institutions make decisions, manage economies, and deal with crises like Brexit or inflation. Advanced Statistical Methods for Economics and Politics sharpens your data and analytical skills even further.

Year 3 – Year Abroad

Instead of staying on campus, you spend this year studying at one of Essex’s partner universities around the world — in Europe, North America, Asia, or beyond. You’ll experience a different political system, new cultural perspectives, and see how economics is taught and applied internationally. This not only boosts your independence and confidence but also makes your CV stand out to future employers.

Year 4 – Specialisation and Independent Research

In your final year, you return to Essex and choose modules that match your interests and career goals. Whether it's Political Economy, Public Policy, International Trade, Development Economics, or Comparative Politics, you’ll dive deeper into topics you’re passionate about. You’ll also work on a major research project or dissertation, applying both economics and politics to a real-world issue — for example, taxation and inequality, climate policy, elections and the economy, or public welfare systems.

Focus Areas

"Micro and macroeconomics, political systems and ideologies, globalisation and development, European Union politics and economics, quantitative data analysis and policy evaluation."

Learning Outcomes

"Students learn to analyse how economic and political systems affect each other, apply statistical tools to real-world data, understand how policy is made, debate global issues, and develop international awareness through a year abroad."

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

This course isn’t tied to one profession like Law or Medicine — but it prepares you for careers where analytical thinking, policy understanding, and quantitative skills matter. Graduates are well-suited for government, economics, banking, consultancy, political analysis, NGOs, international organisations, or further study.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

This degree isn’t tied to a single profession like Law or Medicine, but it equips you with highly respected skills in policy analysis, economic reasoning, statistics, research, and public decision-making — ideal for careers in government, finance, think tanks, NGOs, and international organisations.

Reputation & Rankings

Essex ranks 7th in the UK for Economics and 21st for Politics (Guardian University Guide 2025).
The Department of Government at Essex is one of the most research-active in the UK and internationally recognised.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

What makes this course exciting is that it’s not just theory — you actually get to apply what you learn. From your first year, you’ll work with real political data, economic models, and digital tools that professionals use in government, finance, and research. Essex gives you access to specialised labs, Bloomberg-style datasets, political research tools, and real-world internship opportunities. And because this degree includes a Year Abroad, you’ll experience how economics and politics actually work in a completely different country.

To make it easy, here’s what hands-on learning looks like for this programme:

You’ll learn by doing, not just by reading:

You’ll work in computer labs equipped with specialist economic and political analysis software for data processing, statistics, and modelling.
Courses like Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis train you to run your own investigations using real-world economic data and political case studies.
You can take data science and statistical software workshops — including training in software like Stata, R, Python, or SPSS, which are widely used by economists and policy researchers.
Many modules include group projects and debates, such as simulating elections, designing economic policy, or analysing international political events.

And beyond the classroom, you get opportunities like:

Year Abroad: Spend a full academic year at a partner university in Europe, the US, Canada, Asia, or Australia — studying politics and economics with an international lens.
Paid internships through ‘Essex Interns’ – the university’s in-house service that connects students to real employers in government, banking, NGOs, and consulting.
Essex Politics Lab & Social Science Research Labs – spaces for students to collaborate on surveys, polling, political campaigns, and policy projects.
Access to the ESSEX Business School Trading Floor (virtual tools and datasets) to understand markets, policy impact, and financial behaviour.
Albert Sloman Library, one of the largest social sciences libraries in the UK, gives you access to archives, journals, political records, and digital databases like JSTOR, OECD, IMF, and World Bank data.

Progression & Future Opportunities

A degree in Economics and Politics from Essex opens doors to careers where you can influence decisions, solve real problems, and work with global issues. Employers value Essex graduates because of their strong analytical skills, understanding of government and markets, and international exposure from the year abroad. Graduates commonly go into roles such as:

Policy Analyst or Civil Service Officer
Economic/Market Researcher or Business Analyst
Diplomatic Service or NGO/International Relations Officer
Graduate trainee schemes in finance, consulting, or public affairs

Now, in terms of real career support and outcomes, here’s how Essex prepares you for life after graduation:

Career support that actually helps: The Essex CareersHub helps you build your CV, prepare for interviews, meet employers on campus, and apply for internships or graduate schemes.
Strong employment outcomes: Economics graduates from Essex earn an average salary of around £31,000 just 15 months after graduation, with many earning between £26,000–£34,000.
Skilled roles after graduation: Around 52% of graduates from related programmes are working in highly skilled jobs within 15 months.
Real-world connections: Through the Department of Economics and the Department of Government, students get involved in research and events with links to government organisations, NGOs, financial firms, and policy institutes.
Degree with long-term value: This is a QAA-recognised BSc degree, meaning it holds academic and professional credibility in both the UK and internationally.
Graduate outcomes: Most graduates progress into employment or further study, supported by strong data skills, political awareness, and international experience gained during the course.

Further Academic Progression:

If you decide to continue your education, this degree gives you a solid foundation for postgraduate study. You could go on to study:

MSc Economics, Public Policy, or International Relations
Master’s in Data Analytics or Political Economy
Law (via conversion courses like the PGDL)
Or even pursue a PhD in Political Science, Economics, or Development Studies