Accounting and Economics

Accounting and economics is a combination that develops two of the most practically valuable analytical disciplines in higher education, pairing the systematic study of how financial information is recorded, reported, and interpreted with the broader theoretical and empirical analysis of how markets, institutions, and economies function. Accounting gives you the technical skills and professional knowledge to understand and produce financial statements, manage costs, and advise on the financial health of organisations. Economics provides the frameworks for understanding markets, pricing, government policy, international trade, and the macroeconomic forces that shape the environment in which all organisations operate.

At the University of Southampton this three-year full-time programme gives you in-depth knowledge of both disciplines, including the opportunity to develop professional financial analysis skills using Bloomberg terminals in the Financial Laboratory. You will study financial reporting, management accounting, and auditing alongside microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, and econometrics, developing a broad and rigorous analytical foundation. The programme includes a sandwich year and work placement opportunities, giving you the professional experience in accounting, economics, or finance that strengthens your career readiness considerably.

Graduates from accounting and economics programmes are in strong demand across accounting firms, financial services, economic consultancy, the civil service, corporate finance, and research organisations. The combination is particularly well suited to those who want to pursue professional accountancy qualifications such as ACA or ACCA alongside an understanding of the economic context in which accounting operates. Many graduates also move into investment banking, asset management, economic analysis, and the central bank and regulatory sector.

Some continue to postgraduate study in economics, accounting, or finance.