Economics and Mathematics

Economics and mathematics is one of the most powerful academic pairings available at university level, combining the conceptual and empirical discipline of economics with the full rigour of mathematical training. Economists use mathematics to build models of how markets, firms, and governments behave, and to test those models against data. But economic programmes often provide only the mathematical techniques immediately needed for the discipline; a joint degree with mathematics gives you a more thorough and rigorous development of mathematical principles in their own right, producing a graduate whose quantitative capability is significantly deeper.

At Edinburgh you will study this four-year full-time programme, with a year abroad giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic environment and to encounter economics and mathematics in an international context. Across the four years you will cover the full range of economic theory, from microeconomics and macroeconomics to econometrics and economic history, alongside mathematics spanning analysis, algebra, probability, and applied mathematical methods. The depth of the mathematical training and the rigour of the economic analysis together produce graduates who are capable of engaging with the most technically demanding work in both fields.

The career prospects for economics and mathematics graduates are exceptionally strong. Finance, including investment banking, asset management, hedge funds, and quantitative trading, is a major employer. Economic consultancy, government economic service, central banks, and international financial institutions are also major destinations.

Data science, technology companies, and any organisation needing sophisticated quantitative analysis are further options. The mathematical rigour of this degree also opens doors to doctoral study in economics, mathematics, statistics, or financial mathematics, and many graduates pursue research careers in academia or policy institutions.