Economics and Finance with a Foundation Year
Economics and finance is a combination that pairs the analytical study of how markets, institutions, and policies shape economic life with the specialised financial tools needed to understand investment, risk, and the operation of financial systems. Economics provides the theoretical and quantitative foundations: how prices are set, how firms and consumers make decisions, how monetary and fiscal policy affects output and employment. Finance applies mathematical and analytical methods specifically to questions about capital markets, corporate financial management, and the management of risk over time.
Together, they produce graduates who can engage rigorously with both the macro-level forces shaping the economy and the micro-level decisions that determine financial outcomes.
The four-year full-time Economics and Finance with Foundation Year programme at Swansea University provides a strong foundation in modern economic theory and the analytical, quantitative, and financial tools needed to understand how markets function, how financial institutions operate, and how economic forces shape decision-making in firms and governments. The foundation year makes the degree accessible to students who need additional preparation in mathematics or economics before entering the main programme. The main degree develops your understanding of microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, corporate finance, investment theory, and financial markets, building the quantitative skills that both economics and finance demand at a professional level.
With a typical entry tariff of 104 points, the programme is accessible while maintaining the analytical rigour expected of graduates entering competitive financial and economic roles. Graduates pursue careers in finance, banking, economic consulting, the civil service, investment management, central banking, quantitative analysis, and corporate treasury. Postgraduate study in economics, finance, or quantitative methods is also a common continuation.