Economics and Business with Foundation Year

Economics and business is a combination that develops both the analytical frameworks for understanding how markets and economies work and the practical skills needed to operate effectively in commercial organisations. Economics provides the theoretical grounding: microeconomic models of firm and consumer behaviour, macroeconomic analysis of growth, employment, and monetary policy, and the quantitative methods needed to test economic arguments against real data. Business adds the management, strategy, and organisational knowledge needed to apply economic thinking in real-world commercial settings.

At Birkbeck College this part-time programme includes a foundation year, designed to build the mathematical and analytical foundations needed to engage with degree-level economics and business content. Birkbeck has a long tradition of offering high-quality higher education to students who study evenings alongside work or other commitments, and the programme is structured to serve exactly that purpose. You will develop leadership skills and knowledge of economic decision-making, market forces, government policy, and data analysis, learning to intelligently connect business interests with economic realities and to communicate your findings effectively at every level.

The foundation year makes the degree accessible without compromising its academic quality.

You will develop analytical thinking, quantitative literacy, commercial awareness, and the ability to evaluate economic and business evidence carefully. These are capabilities valued across an enormous range of professional contexts.

Graduates go on to work in business management, finance, consultancy, the civil service, economic research, international development, and commercial analysis. Postgraduate study in economics, business, or data analytics is a natural next step for those wanting to develop specialist expertise.