Excellent Economics Graduate Employment
Over 95% of Economics graduates gain employment or go on to further study.
Economics at Aberdeen gets to grips with the global economy and the factors that influence wealth from a social and financial perspective, taught by leading economists. You'll gain thorough understanding of economic theories and models and explore how they work in the real world, gaining skills that will be very attractive to top employers.
Economics at Aberdeen explores the factors that affect political processes, social reforms and international relations within an economic context. You'll study topics including microeconomics of business and society, macroeconomics of the world economy, and economic problems within a variety of political, social and historical contexts.
The University Business School is a vibrant community of over 40 nationalities, in small classes, with courses focused on employability, and a strong track record of research in applied economics, particularly in the areas of petroleum and renewable energy. Health and wellbeing is also a focus, with close links to our Health Economics Research Unit, a leading centre in Europe.
Our Economics graduates are sought after by top employers in business, government, education, and private consulting. Aberdeen is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe, which brings contact with multinational energy companies and graduate opportunities. However you'll have opportunities widely across industry. Recent Aberdeen graduates are progressing their careers with the World Bank, European Central Bank, Deloitte & Touche, Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, KPMG and as finance professionals with Morgan Stanley, Scottish Life and Royal Bank of Scotland.
You’ll enjoy our warm Aberdeen welcome and our friendly and vibrant international community, small classes with plenty of individual attention, close links with employers and real-life scenarios to work on, and a beautiful campus with great facilities for learning, sports and leisure, and opportunities to develop personally as well as professionally, and broaden your horizons through study abroad.
Economics at Aberdeen is a diverse programme that explores the many factors that influence wealth from a social and financial perspective. You will gain an in-depth understanding of economics by studying topics such as the microeconomics of business and society, macroeconomics of the global economy and economic problems within a variety of political, social and historical contexts.
15 Credit Points
This course is an introductory course in microeconomics where we study the decision making of individual actors (consumers, employees, firms, governments, etc.) in an economy. Actors must make decisions about behaviours because they face scarce resources, but often they find that trading with other actors in markets can increase the wellbeing of all parties. This course models and examines the nature of these interactions, highlighting when they work well and when they fail to increase wellbeing and what might be the solution to these failures.
15 Credit Points
This course is an introductory course in macroeconomics where we study the behaviour of the economy as a whole. Whereas microeconomics focuses on individual markets, macroeconomics addresses the “big issues” such as unemployment, inflation, economic growth, and financial crises. Macroeconomics is a lively subject, full of discussion and debate, as economists and policymakers take different views on macroeconomic issues, their causes and appropriate policy responses. Issues such as: Is the economy growing? What causes unemployment and how can we reduce it? How can we avoid recessions? When is inflation a problem? Are banks lending too much?
This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.
This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students (and articulating students who are in their first year at the University), is studied entirely online, takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks.
Topics include orientation overview, equality and diversity, health, safety and cyber security and how to make the most of your time at university in relation to careers and employability.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
Plus further credit points from courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
30 Credit Points
This course builds on and is a natural extension of EC 1006. By examining in a more rigorous way concepts introduced in EC 1006 students will develop further their analytical skills and they will obtain a better understanding of consumers and producers behaviour, market structure as well as the effectiveness of economic policy. The course is designed to appeal to all students interested in economics. This includes students who may wish not to enter into any further studies of economics, as well as students who may wish to continue studying economics at the honours level.
30 Credit Points
This course focuses on macroeconomic policy in a global economy. The first part builds an open-economy Keynesian model to investigate what determines the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies, and how exchange rate regimes and capital mobility impact on policy effectiveness. The second part investigates what determines the level of macroeconomic activity and its growth over time. The final part looks at what determines inflation and unemployment. This intermediate level course uses live lectures to develop your analytical skills evaluating economic policy in a rigorous and technical way to equip you with the skills needed for honours level study.
Plus further credit points from courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
Students are required to have exactly 240 credits at levels 3 and 4, at least 210 of which must be EC coded. At least 90 credits must be at level 4.
30 Credit Points
The dissertation presents students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and research skills of Economics to an individual piece of research, focusing on a topic which has been chosen by the student and approved by the Dissertation coordinator and Dissertation supervisor. Over the course of the Dissertation, with guidance from the supervisor, the student will study a particular topic, conduct a literature review of relevant material, select appropriate theoretical and/or empirical methods to address the topic and write a final analysis in the form of the Dissertation of up to 10,000 words.
Students are required to have exactly 240 credits at levels 3 and 4, at least 210 of which must be EC coded. At least 90 credits must be at level 4.
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Course delivery is via a mixture of lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:
The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
SQA Highers
Standard: AABB
Applicants who have achieved AABB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.
Minimum: BBB
Applicants who have achieved BBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will normally be required.
Adjusted: BB
Applicants who have achieved BB, and who meet one of the widening participation criteria are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will be required.
More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.
A LEVELS
Standard: BBB
Minimum: BBC
Adjusted: CCC
More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.
International Baccalaureate
32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.
Irish Leaving Certificate
5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.
PLEASE NOTE: National 5/ Standard Grade/ GCSE (or equivalent) in Mathematics (or Applications of Mathematics) is required in addition to the requirements noted above.
SQA Highers
Standard: AABB
Applicants who have achieved AABB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.
Minimum: BBB
Applicants who have achieved BBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will normally be required.
Adjusted: BB
Applicants who achieve BB over S4 and S5 and who meet one of the widening access criteria are guaranteed a conditional offer. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will be required.
More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.
A LEVELS
Standard: BBB
Minimum: BBC
Adjusted: CCC
More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.
International Baccalaureate
32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.
Irish Leaving Certificate
5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.
PLEASE NOTE: National 5/ Standard Grade/ GCSE (or equivalent) in Mathematics (or Applications of Mathematics) is required in addition to the requirements noted above.
The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Arts and Social Sciences degrees, see our detailed entry requirements section.
To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
The University of Aberdeen International Study Centre offers preparation programmes for international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for undergraduate study. Discover your foundation pathway here.
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
Fee category | Cost |
---|---|
RUK | £9,250 |
Tuition Fees for 2023/24 Academic Year | |
EU / International students | £20,800 |
Tuition Fees for 2023/24 Academic Year | |
Home Students | £1,820 |
Tuition Fees for 2023/24 Academic Year |
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
Studying Economics at Aberdeen will give you a wide variety of career choices. Known for being the oil and gas capital of Europe, there are many graduate opportunities in Aberdeen and the North East for you to start your career in the oil and gas field. Our diverse programme also offers opportunities in a range of other industries. Some of our recent graduates have gone on to work as economists with the World Bank and the Institute for International Economics; as accountants with companies such as Ernst & Young and as finance professionals with Morgan Stanley, Scottish Life and Royal Bank of Scotland.
There is an active Economics Society which organises annual trips to various economic institutions including the European Union (Brussels), the European Central Bank (Frankfurt), International Labour Office (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Paris)
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
At Aberdeen, the Department of Economics is one of three disciplines that make up the University Business School. The department has a well-established tradition of research in applied economics, particularly in the areas of labour and energy. The University also has research interests in macroeconomics, the economics of health and well-being and experimental economics.
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