Economics and Politics

Economics and politics is a pairing that gets at the heart of how the modern world is governed and how resources are distributed within it. Economics provides the analytical tools to understand markets, incentives, public expenditure, and the behaviour of firms and households, while politics situates those processes in the institutional, ideological, and international contexts that shape what policies are possible and how decisions actually get made. The two disciplines are deeply complementary, and studying them together produces a kind of thinking that neither can generate alone.

At Queen Mary this four-year full-time programme gives you a thorough grounding in both disciplines, covering microeconomics and macroeconomics, quantitative methods, political theory, comparative politics, and international relations. You will explore the big questions that connect economics and politics: how public policies are designed and evaluated, how power and resources interact in different kinds of states, and what drives political and economic outcomes across different societies. The typical entry tariff is 136 UCAS points.

London's position as a global centre of finance, policy, and international institutions gives you access to a rich environment for connecting your academic study to real-world practice.

Graduates from economics and politics degrees are highly sought after across a wide range of careers. The civil service, think tanks, international organisations, financial services, consultancy, journalism, and the third sector are all common destinations. The combination of economic literacy and political understanding is particularly valued by employers who work at the intersection of policy and practice, including development agencies, regulatory bodies, and government departments.

Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in economics, public policy, international relations, or law, and the degree provides a strong foundation for graduate entry to both the public and private sectors.