About This Course
This programme will allow you to combine the study of economics in general with a specialism in financial markets and corporate finance. It will allow you to gain an understanding of the workings of modern economies and the financial markets that lie at their heart. You will study how firms, individuals and governments make decisions that shape society at large. You will also learn how the financial markets, which moderate these decisions, function. In doing so, you will develop skills that will be of great value for your future life and career, including those related to modelling, data and analytical thinking.
Economics provides us with different ways of thinking about the world and how it functions. It helps us to understand how individuals, businesses and governments do behave; and gives us insights into how they should behave. At one extreme, economics informs the decisions that governments make about some of the most pressing issues of our day, including climate change and inequality. It informs how businesses make decisions about everything from pricing and advertising to investments in product development and corporate strategy. At the other extreme, it can help us as individuals to make better decisions about our own lives; including how hard we should work and how much we should save for our retirements.
The study of finance consists of two main branches – financial markets and corporate finance. Corporate finance focuses on the finance function within firms. It is concerned with the raising of capital to fund the creation, development and expansion of businesses. It considers how firms decide which projects or acquisitions to invest in; how to organise the firm’s capital structure in order to fund those investments; and how and when to return capital to investors. Financial markets play a crucial role intermediating between investors who have excess funds and individuals, firms or governments who have a need for those funds. Money markets, bond markets, equity markets and derivatives markets involve different forms of intermediation, based on a variety of financial instruments which distribute risks and returns differently between lenders and borrowers.
At Bangor Business School, we have a team of highly qualified and experienced academics with interests in a wide variety of topics in economics and finance; including behavioural finance, corporate finance, regulation, quantitative economics and public finance. Our team is engaged in world class research in economics and finance, and regularly works with policymakers in government, regulators and think-tanks as well as practitioners in the financial sector. They are dedicated to bringing their insights from the worlds of policy, practice and research to help you to develop your knowledge and understanding of economics and finance.
Why choose Bangor University for this course?
- 2nd in the UK and Top in Wales for overall student satisfaction within the subject area of Economics (NSS 2021).
- You will be taught by research active staff, with expertise in a wide variety of topics in economic and finance.
- You will learn from staff who are engaged with policymakers in government, regulators, as well as practitioners in the financial sector.
- You can combine your study of economics and finance with optional modules from within the Business School (such as sustainability, banking or accountancy) or elsewhere in the University (such as language study).
Additional Course Options
This course is available with a Placement Year option where you will study for 1 additional year. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year.
The Placement Year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.
You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Careers and Employability Services.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option when you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto this pathway at the appropriate time. Read more about the work experience opportunities that may be available to you or, if you have any questions, please get in touch.
This course is available with an International Experience Year option where you will study or work abroad for 1 additional year. You will have ‘with International Experience’ added to your degree title on graduating.
Studying abroad is a great opportunity to see a different way of life, learn about new cultures and broaden your horizons. With international experience of this kind, you’ll really improve your career prospects. There are a wide variety of destinations and partner universities to choose from. If you plan to study in a country where English is not spoken natively, there may be language courses available for you at Bangor and in your host university to improve your language skills.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option at any time during your degree at Bangor and make your application. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.
Read more about the International Experience Year programme and see the studying or working abroad options on the Student Exchanges section of our website.
The Society of Professional Economists (SPE)
Bangor Business School enrols its BSc Economics and BSc Economics and Finance students with The Society of Professional Economists (SPE) throughout their 3 year degree programme. SPE is the largest network of professional economist in Europe outside academia and has more than 1,200 members. With member from all areas of the profession including finance and commerce, industry, government departments, private sector consultants, business schools and universities the society gives opportunity to hear from guest speakers, gain access to training and professional development and receive regular updates on economics-related events.
Course Content
From the first day of your degree course, you will begin to learn the skills to develop as an economist and financial practitioner. You will have access to excellent facilities, resources, and extensive information technology to support your learning journey.
Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, workshops and seminars. You can expect to have a minimum of 12 hours contact time during each teaching week. You will also be expected to undertake independent study and group work, and participate in online activities and discussions using our virtual learning environment.
In your first year, you will learn the fundamental principles of economic theory as well as developing an understanding of the history of economic development across the globe. You will acquire an understanding of financial techniques and financial instruments, and start to build up your analytical and quantitative skills.
During your second year, you will build a deeper understanding of microeconomics – how individuals and firms interact with each other in markets – and macroeconomics – the behaviour of the economy as a whole. You will deepen your knowledge of financial markets, and the decisions that investment and portfolio managers are faced with. At the same time, you will progress your understanding of the finance function within firms. You will have the option to develop your quantitative skills to be able to analyse the relationship between different economic variables within formal models; to study more specialised areas of economics or finance; or to choose optional modules from subject areas elsewhere in the University.
In your third year, you will develop your knowledge, skills and expertise to a more advanced level. You will follow a module in financial economics which will draw together your expertise in both economics and finance to appreciate how the tools used widely by financial practitioners and founded on economic theory. You will also develop further your understanding and skills in corporate finance. You will have a wide range of optional modules to choose from in both economics and finance that will focus on the application of the theory that you learnt in previous years to exploring contemporary issues in economics and finance. These will include topics such as strategic competition, global economic development, financial technology and behavioural finance. As in the second year, you will have the option of choosing some modules from subject areas elsewhere in the University including, for example, modern languages or social policy. However, if you prefer to focus on economics and finance, then there will be options for you to study more specialised topics such as public economics, international trade, market risk analytics or corporate governance.
What will you study on this course?
In Year 1, students will take 80 credits from the following topics, Business Analytics, Economics and Financial Techniques and Analysis. There are also optional modules available in topics such as Digital Marketing Essentials, Foundations of Marketing, Introduction to Contemporary Management Issues in Ethics, Sustainability, HRM, and Tourism, Marketing in Practice, Introduction to the employee life-cycle, Management and Enterprise, Personal Finance and Banking, Principles of Financial Accounting, Principles of Management Accounting, Principles of Management and Organisation and Technology in Marketing. Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 4 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints.
In Year 2, students will take 80 credits from the following topics, Corporate Finance, Investment and Portfolio Management, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. There are also optional modules available in topics such as Banks and Financial Markets, Econometrics and The Economics of Tourism. Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 5 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints and pre-requisites.
In Year 3, students will take 120 credits from the following such as Advanced Econometrics, Applied Economics, Corporate Governance, FinTech in banking, finance, investment, insurance and regulation, Market Risk Analytics and Understanding the Global Economy. Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 6 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints and pre-requisites.
Please note course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Facilities
General University Facilities
Library and Archive Services
Our four libraries provide a range of attractive study environments including collaborative work areas, meeting rooms and silent study spaces.
We have an extensive collection of books and journals and many of the journals are available online in full-text format.
We house one of the largest university-based archives not only in Wales, but also the UK. Allied to the Archives is the Special Collections of rare printed books.
Learning Resources
There is a range of learning resources available, supported by experienced staff, to help you in your studies.
The University’s IT Services provides computing, media and reprographics facilities and services including:
- Over 1,150 computers for students, with some PC rooms open 24 hours a day
- Blackboard, a commercial Virtual Learning Environment, that makes learning materials available on-line.
Course Costs
General University Costs
Home (UK) students
- The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,250 per year (2025/26).
- The fee for all integrated study abroad years is £1,385 (2025/26).
- The fee for an integrated year in industry as part of a sandwich programme is £1,850 (2025/26).
More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.
International (including EU) students
Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:
- If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
- If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).
Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:
- Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
- Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
- Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
Entry Requirements
GCSE Maths at grade C/4 required if not demonstrated by the Level 3 qualification.
Offers are tariff based, 104 - 136 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g.:
- A Levels: General Studies and Key Skills not normally accepted
- BTEC National Extended Diploma: DMM - DDD
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM - DDD
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: accepted
- Access: pass required
- Welsh Baccalaureate: We will accept this qualification in conjunction with other level 3 qualifications
- T Levels: T Levels in a relevant subject considered on a case-by-case basis
- Extended Project Qualification: Points can include a relevant Extended Project (EPQ) but must include a minimum 2 full A-levels, or equivalent.
We are happy to accept combinations of the qualifications listed above, as well as alternative Level 3 qualifications such as City & Guilds, Access and Cambridge Technical Diplomas.
We also welcome applications from mature learners.
International Candidates: International Candidates: school leaving qualifications that are equivalent to A levels/Level 3 and/or college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information can be found on our International pages.
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com.
GCSE Maths at grade C/4 required if not demonstrated by the Level 3 qualification.
Offers are tariff based, 104 - 136 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification* e.g.:
- A Levels: General Studies and Key Skills not normally accepted
- BTEC National Extended Diploma: DMM - DDD
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM - DDD
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: accepted
- Access: pass required
- Welsh Baccalaureate: We will accept this qualification in conjunction with other level 3 qualifications
- T Levels: T Levels in a relevant subject considered on a case-by-case basis
- Extended Project Qualification: Points can include a relevant Extended Project (EPQ) but must include a minimum 2 full A-levels, or equivalent.
We are happy to accept combinations of the qualifications listed above, as well as alternative Level 3 qualifications such as City & Guilds, Access and Cambridge Technical Diplomas.
We also welcome applications from mature learners.
International Candidates: International Candidates: school leaving qualifications that are equivalent to A levels/Level 3 and/or college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information can be found on our International pages.
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com.
General University Requirements
To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.
All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.
As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.
We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.
EU and International Students' Entry Requirements
For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.
Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.
Careers
Studying economics and finance will open up access to a wide range of possible career paths. These are widely recognised as two of the subject areas with the best prospects for future employability. This degree programme will provide students with useful skills and knowledge, including:
- analytical skills – the ability to distil and analyse complex problems;
- market insights (understanding how markets work and the importance of incentives;
- the ability to work with data and using it to generate real-world insights.
These are all highly prised in the jobs’ market and mean that salaries for economics graduates are among the highest of any discipline. You can see the evidence here.
Economics and finance graduates go on to work in a variety of careers, including financial services, the civil service, industry, education and the third sector.
Opportunities at Bangor
The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.
Internships
Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.
Student Volunteering
Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.
