BA Economics with International Foundation Year - January Entry

Compulsory modules 

Academic Skills 

Enhance your academic study and communication skills while gradually building confidence and mastering transferable abilities. Engage in various in-class group activities and individual study tasks to develop these skills effectively.

Foundation Economics - Microeconomics 

Discover how individuals and companies allocate and utilise resources. You’ll learn the neoclassical model of demand and supply, markets failures and the behaviour of firms.

Foundation Economics - Macroeconomics 

Learn models and theories used by economists to understand the performance of the economy. You’ll develop basic mathematical and statistical skills and apply these to economic decision making.

Core Mathematics 

Learn the techniques required to analyse and solve a variety of mathematical problems. You'll gain general mathematical skills as well as skills that are more related to your degree programme.

Quantative Methods

Discover the techniques required to analyse and solve a variety of statistical problems. You'll gain general theoretical skills as well as numerical skills that are more related to your degree programme.

Optional modules

Academic English 1

Develop the necessary basis in English for study at undergraduate level. You’ll develop key skills and a perspective on a range of contemporary topics that will equip you for study throughout your degree.

Academic English 2

Develop your competence in the use of English for academic purposes. You’ll be provided with the necessary linguistic foundation for your degree as you learn to use academic sources in a written and spoken context.

Concepts in Politics 

Learn the nature of key political concepts and use them to develop your ability to interpret and analyse political information and arguments. You’ll also be encouraged to develop your grammar and IT skills to ensure you are well equipped to research sources and execute written presentation throughout your degree.

Government and Politics

Study the nature of political institutions, concepts, and ideologies and develop the ability to interpret political information and execute into it a developed argument. In particular, you’ll focus on UK and US government and politics and identify their parallels, connections, similarities and differences.

Psychology and Research Methods

Explore the key research methods applicable to psychology as you develop your skills of analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking to data collection and reporting. You’ll focus on theories of conformity and obedience and learn to critically evaluate research by highlighting the limitations found in classic experiments.

An Introduction to Business Management 

Develop your ability to think critically and argue persuasively in business and management contexts. You'll learn basic business and management theory such as entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, human resource management, finance and accounting.

Psychology and the Body

Gain understanding of the biological basis of thought, behaviour, and emotions and develop transferable skills in analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking. You’ll focus on core areas in psychology including stress, cognitive psychology, and sleep. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Principles of Economics 1

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics. You'll learn how the real world works by developing your understanding of key economics concepts, mathematical tools and, microeconomics.   

Principles of Economics 2

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics and develop your understanding of key economics concepts and mathematical tools. You’ll learn concepts of macroeconomics and how they overlap with microeconomics. You’ll also consider key topics such as what can markets do and cannot do, and when can government improve economic performance.

Applied Economics and Policy

Develop your understanding of the range of theoretical approaches and perspectives within economics, and the ways in which economic thinking can be employed to investigate and understand a variety of world-relevant topics, issues and policy making. You’ll learn how to assess the work of economists and analyse a wide range of issues.

Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis

Learn quantitative techniques that are useful in economics and build a foundation for understanding more specialised techniques that will be taught in Part 2 modules.

Core Competencies in Economics

Develop key academic skills and strategies such as time management and independent learning, academic writing and referencing, and making effective use of feedback. Explore a range of challenges frequently encountered by students along with coping strategies and advice on accessing the network of support available.   

Optional modules

Economics of Climate Change

Acquire an economic perspective on the causes and consequences of climate change. You’ll learn key theoretical concepts, such as externalities and public goods, and policy tools such as command and control measures, taxation and subsidies to devise adequate responses to climate change. You’ll gain a perspective on national and international climate change policy approaches and their implications for economic development.

History of Economic Thought

Become acquainted with the main schools of thought in economics and understand the origins of economic ideas. You’ll learn about scholars and their ideas from a historical perspective, and consider their relevance in the context of contemporary debates. 

Mathematical Methods for Economists

Learn advanced mathematical techniques and their economic applications. You’ll understand how mathematics can be used to describe and extend economics in a rigorous fashion. 

Globalisation and the History of Western Capitalism

Learn about the evolution of international economic activity from 1200 to the present. You’ll examine how the world economy got to where it is today, from the development of great port cities to the modern ‘networked global village’.

Placement Support

Gain introductory employment, peer support and readiness for placement application with advice on CV writing, application forms and careers advice.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Intermediate Microeconomics

Develop an in-depth and rigorous understanding of the core concepts and methods of microeconomics. You’ll learn more about consumer and producer theory, and discover new topics including game theory, bargaining, market competition, general equilibrium and welfare. 

Intermediate Macroeconomics

Develop in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles and analytic concepts related to economic growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation of the interrelationship between macroeconomic variables and government policy, and be able to analyse relevant issues discussed by news and politicians.  

Corporate Finance

Focus on corporate value: its measurement, and its maximisation through corporate financial decisions, growth strategies, and governance practices. Get a good grounding in corporate finance theory and an appreciation of the related empirical evidence.

Introductory Econometrics for Finance

Discover the econometric techniques used in empirical finance literature. Building on Introductory Quantitative Techniques for Finance module, you'll gain a solid understanding of the econometric approaches that are commonly employed to test financial theories. 

Optional modules

Business Economics

Develop your understanding of a number of areas of business economics, with a focus on theory. Topics include Economics of entrepreneurship, small business, international business and theories of the firm.

Games and Economic Behaviour

In this module, you’ll actively participate in one or more models of economic phenomena through an online gaming platform. You’ll gain greater insight into the assumptions and mechanisms underlying models of economic behaviour with the game-based versions of each model. 

Economics of Social Policy

Develop your understanding of how economic analysis can be applied to the real-world problems faced by policy makers. You’ll study socioeconomic problems and the role of Government policy. You’ll learn techniques from both microeconomics and macroeconomics to analyse topics such as poverty and inequality, housing, crime, health and education,. economics. 

Economic History

Understand how the world economy got to be where it is today, focusing on significant periods of economic change from the commercial revolution of the medieval period through to the modern digital revolution.  

Placement Support

Develop application and CV writing skills, knowledge of psychometric and video testing, interview and assessment centre techniques. You’ll gain additional insight through personality tests for your career direction.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Optional modules

Dissertation

Work on an independent dissertation project of 8,000 words, under the guidance of a supervisor. You’ll identify the research question, critically evaluate the relevant literature, apply theoretical frameworks and research methods to your research questions, and learn to analyse and synthesise the research findings.  

Public Economics

The module aims to examine the rationale for government intervention in the economy. You’ll apply microeconomic theory to contemporary policy issues, analysing some of the principles involved in tax design and the equity and efficiency implications of taxation. 

Behavioural Economics

Understand the limitations of the neo-classical theory in explaining many economic phenomena. You’ll become familiar with the common biases and their implications on decision-making. You’ll also gain knowledge of basic theories of behavioural economics and an understanding of games used to test these theories.

Industrial Organisation

Learn from theoretical industrial economics to understand corporate decision-making, such as price-setting, output-setting, advertising, product differentiation, and collusive behaviour. In this context, you’ll learn about the role of industrial competition, reflecting on market structure and competition policy intervention. 

The Economics of Sports and Games

Gain knowledge of the role of sports in understanding how economies and markets work. You’ll apply economic theories to the context of sport and use this to understand human behaviour and interaction. You’ll also design models to test these theories through the prism of sports.

Financial Economics

Learn about the economic reasoning that underpins much of modern finance, including portfolio theory and asset pricing. You’ll apply neoclassical financial analysis  to financial decision making in the world of uncertainty and market imperfections. You’ll also learn about the role of financial intermediation in facilitating investment.  

Environmental Economics

Get an overview of the theories, methodological tools, and evidence to understand contemporary environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, and sustainable development. You’ll learn the framework to evaluate various important policy questions.  

International Economics

This module is concerned with economic interactions among sovereign nations in terms of trade in goods and services as well as investment in financial and real assets. You’ll explore answers to questions such as fair distribution of benefits, regulation of trade, and financial relations. You’ll also learn to apply the theoretical concepts and models introduced to the policy context of Brexit and EU integration. 

Development Economics

Gain a deeper understanding of relevant economic theory, evidence, and implications for policy with a focus on a selection of topics relevant for development. 

Money and Banking

Build on your knowledge of intermediate macroeconomics as you study the economics of money, banking, and financial markets. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge about financial markets and institutions, central banking and monetary policy, with a focus on analysing the role of money and understanding the financial structure of financial institutions, businesses and the process of banking. 

Economics of Labour

This module aims to equip you with the tools to examine labour market issues and published empirical findings from a critical perspective. You’ll learn theoretical models and their application to these issues. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.