Economics

Economics is the social science concerned with how individuals, organisations, and societies make decisions under conditions of scarcity, and what consequences those decisions have for prices, incomes, employment, inequality, and growth. It offers a rigorous set of tools for understanding markets, incentives, and the forces that drive economic behaviour, from the microeconomic decisions of households and firms to the macroeconomic dynamics that determine whether economies grow or stagnate and whether policy interventions succeed or fail.

At the University of Essex, this four-year programme develops your understanding of economic theory and gives you the quantitative and analytical skills to engage with economic data seriously. You will study microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics as core foundations, and develop the capacity to explore how economies function, how people make decisions, and how policy shapes outcomes across areas including inequality, development, and global markets. Essex has a particularly strong research tradition in economics, and the department's engagement with applied economic questions means the programme connects theory to real-world policy debates in a meaningful way.

Economics graduates are among the most employable of any discipline, because the analytical rigour and quantitative skills the subject develops are valued across banking, financial services, consultancy, the civil service, international organisations, policy analysis, and management. Many graduates pursue professional qualifications in finance or accountancy alongside their economics background. Further study in economics, econometrics, finance, public policy, or data science is a natural continuation for those who wish to deepen their expertise or pursue research.