Economics with Data Science

Economics has always been concerned with understanding how societies allocate scarce resources, how markets function, and how policy shapes outcomes for individuals and communities. In recent decades, the discipline has been transformed by the availability of large datasets and the tools to analyse them, making data science not just a useful complement to economics but an increasingly essential part of it. A degree that combines the two equips you to ask the right economic questions and to answer them with rigour and evidence.

At the University of Southampton, this three-year programme gives you training in economic theory and quantitative methods alongside modern skills in data science, including statistical analysis, programming, and the techniques used to handle and interpret large and complex datasets. You will learn to think like an economist, building models of behaviour and evaluating the evidence for competing explanations of how markets and institutions work. You will also develop the technical capability to work with real data, using the tools that are now standard in research, finance, and policy analysis.

A sandwich year with a work placement is available, offering the opportunity to apply these skills in a professional environment before you graduate, which is particularly valuable in a field where employers place a high premium on practical experience.

Graduates are well-placed for careers in finance, consultancy, the public sector, and technology, where the combination of economic reasoning and data fluency is increasingly sought after. Roles in financial analysis, data analytics, economic consulting, and policy research are common destinations, and the technical skills you develop also open doors in sectors such as healthcare, logistics, and energy, where data-driven decision-making is central to the work. Postgraduate study in economics, data science, or related quantitative fields is another natural route.