Economics and Finance

Economics and finance is a degree that develops your understanding of how economies function alongside the financial systems that translate economic activity into investment, risk and return. Economics provides the analytical framework, explaining how markets allocate resources, how governments use fiscal and monetary policy to manage macroeconomic outcomes and how incentives shape the behaviour of individuals and organisations. Finance extends this into the specific territory of investment decisions, asset pricing, risk management, corporate capital structure and the regulation of financial institutions.

Together they produce graduates with both the theoretical understanding and the quantitative skills that employers in financial services, consulting, government and international organisations look for.

At the University of Surrey this three-year programme develops your skills in economic analysis and financial theory alongside the quantitative methods, statistical techniques and digital literacy that contemporary professional roles in both fields require. You will study microeconomics and macroeconomics, financial markets and instruments, corporate finance, investment analysis and the macroeconomic context in which financial decisions are made. Surrey's emphasis on integrating digital skills and AI capabilities across its programmes reflects the reality that financial and economic analysis is increasingly data-driven and technology-mediated.

Graduates work in financial services, including investment banking, asset management, corporate finance, risk management and financial consulting, as well as in government economic departments, international organisations, central banks and economic research. The quantitative and analytical skills the degree develops are also valued in data analysis, business strategy and policy roles that sit adjacent to economics and finance. Some graduates complete professional qualifications in areas such as CFA or accounting alongside their early career roles, while others go on to postgraduate study in economics, finance, financial mathematics or a related field.