BSc Business Economics

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Exeter

Program Overview

Exeter's BSc Business Economics is built for students who want to understand the economic decisions businesses face and the wider social and economic environment those decisions play out in, without needing a heavily mathematical degree. It suits anyone keen to apply economic principles to a business career, with a flexible structure that lets students tailor their studies from second year onward while building core skills in economics, accounting, and management.

Curriculum structure

In Year 1, students build a solid grounding through modules like Economic Principles, Statistics for Business and Management, and The International Business Context, alongside Discovering Management Theory, setting up the analytical and business fundamentals the rest of the degree builds on.

Year 2 sharpens that economic thinking with modules such as Intermediate Microeconomics and Intermediate Macroeconomics, or the more advanced Microeconomics II and Macroeconomics II for students with strong A-Level Maths, while students also gain real flexibility to choose optional modules across the wider UEBS Modularity Group.

Students on the four-year route can choose an Industrial Experience placement or a Year Abroad in their third year, spending it working with a real employer or studying at one of Exeter's international partner universities before returning for their final year.

By the Final Year, the degree opens up almost entirely to student choice, with 120 credits of optional modules across the UEBS Modularity Group, so long as at least 30 credits come from Economics modules, letting students specialise deeply in the areas of business economics that matter most to their career goals.

Focus areas: Economic principles, business decision-making, statistics and quantitative analysis, management, and the wider social and political context in which economic policy operates.

Learning outcomes: Graduates leave able to evaluate government policy and economic performance, apply mathematical and statistical analysis to real data, present complex findings clearly to different audiences, and make well-reasoned recommendations that account for wider social and political influences, alongside strong ICT and research skills.

Professional alignment: The degree is delivered within a triple-accredited Business School, holding AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS accreditation, a mark of quality recognised by employers and business schools around the world.

Reputation (employability rankings): Exeter is ranked Top 15 in the UK for Economics, 11th in the Complete University Guide 2026 and 12th in The Guardian University Guide 2026, and Top 150 in the world for Economics in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025, with graduate prospects ranked joint 11th in the UK.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Exeter's BSc Business Economics gives students the chance to put economic theory into practice from day one, through a mix of weekly lectures, in-depth seminars and tutorials, and assessments that go well beyond exams. Students are based at the purpose-built University of Exeter Business School on the Streatham Campus, a dedicated space designed for collaborative business and economics learning. Group work, coursework, and project work all form part of how students are assessed, meaning the degree builds real analytical and communication skills rather than just testing memorisation. The flexibility of the course also means students can shape their own path toward the areas of business economics that interest them most. Here's what that looks like in practice:

Purpose-built Business School: teaching happens in the dedicated University of Exeter Business School building on the Streatham Campus.
Group project work: assessment includes genuine group work and project work alongside individual coursework, reflecting how economic and business analysis happens in real teams.
ICT and digital skills: the degree explicitly builds practical Information and Communications Technology skills, including word processing, databases, internet communications, information retrieval, and online searches.
Optional industrial placement: the four-year "with Industrial Experience" route gives students a full paid year in a professional placement, previously with employers including Goldman Sachs, Accenture, and the Royal Bank of Canada.
Optional year abroad: students can spend a year studying at one of 60 partner universities across 26 countries, with the option to combine study and work placement abroad.
Placement support team: students on the Industrial Experience route are supported by the Business School Careers Team and assigned an academic tutor for the full duration of their placement.
Study abroad support: the Business School Study Abroad Team helps students choose a destination, build a strong application, and stay supported while abroad.
Careers support: the Business School Career Zone provides dedicated careers and employability guidance throughout the degree.
Independent and group study: students combine roughly 11 to 14 hours of timetabled teaching per week with 20 to 25 hours of independent or group study, building strong self-management and research habits.
Optional cross-subject modules: students can take up to 30 credits per year in a subject outside their course, including through the Future Skills Pathways minors, to broaden their perspective.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Exeter's BSc Business Economics graduates leave with the analytical and business skills to step straight into data-driven, policy-aware careers across finance, consulting, and industry. It's a degree that leads into roles like Business Analyst, Technology Risk Analyst, Commercial Project Manager, and Assistant Economist, giving graduates real versatility across sectors that value strong economic reasoning:

Career support services: the Business School Career Zone provides dedicated careers and employability support throughout the degree, helping students build strong applications and prepare for the job market.
Employment stats and salary figures: students on the Industrial Experience route typically earn between 19,000 and 23,000 pounds during their placement year, with salaries ranging up to 52,000 pounds depending on the role and employer.
University-industry partnerships: students on the Industrial Experience pathway have completed placements with major organisations including Goldman Sachs, Accenture, and the Royal Bank of Canada, with over half of placement students later offered a graduate job by their placement employer.
Long-term accreditation value: the degree is delivered within a triple-accredited Business School, holding AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS status, a mark of quality recognised by employers and institutions worldwide, alongside Exeter's Top 15 UK ranking for Economics.
Graduation outcomes: With Industrial Experience graduates see even stronger results, with 97 percent in graduate employment or postgraduate study within six months of graduating, compared to 93.5 percent of non-placement graduates, and past graduates have gone on to work at organisations including Goldman Sachs, Facebook, Diageo, HM Treasury, and Bloomberg LP.

Further Academic Progression: Students who want to keep developing their economic and analytical expertise have a natural next step through postgraduate study in economics, finance, or business at Exeter, deepening the technical and policy-focused skills built during the degree. The Business School's global partnerships across 60 institutions in 26 countries also give students a strong platform to pursue further study internationally if they want to specialise abroad.