High-level skills in economic and financial analysis will help you unlock the door to a lucrative career. On this professionally accredited degree, you’ll take the core theories and principles and apply them to real problems in real work contexts.
We help you build an essential toolkit for your career as a professional economist and financial analyst, including strategic decision-making skills that set you apart in the graduate job market
Our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab brings an extra dimension to your learning, giving you exciting insights into working life on a trading floor
You’ll complete live financial consultancy and economic research projects with businesses and have the chance to take up placements and internships in the UK or overseas
Our strong employer networks mean you will interact with industry leaders, economics experts and senior finance professionals throughout your studies
With professional accreditation and strong input from employers, this degree equips you to undertake economic research and analysis, handle complex financial data sources, diagnose problems and take the strategic decisions expected of an applied economist.
Your studies will cover a broad range of microeconomic and macroeconomic issues, quantitative methods, computing techniques and business performance concepts. We also give you a solid understanding of how various economic systems work, the impact of government policies and the performance of different economies worldwide.
Accreditation
Because the course is accredited by the Chartered Institution for Securities and Investment (CISI), it will stand you in good stead for achieving a globally recognised professional qualification alongside your degree. It is closely mapped against the Institution’s Introduction to Investment foundation qualification and all the practical knowledge you need to prepare for the CISI exam is embedded in our curriculum. This is your first step on the CISI qualification pathway and is also recognised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It is particularly valuable if you are interested in a career in wealth management, operational investments, financial planning, compliance and risk, or stock broking. The additional qualification will strengthen your CV and you’ll also benefit from access to a wide range of CISI resources, networking events and professional development opportunities.
On successful completion of the degree you will also gain exemptions towards the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualifications, meaning you can achieve membership of this professional body quicker, accelerating your career progression.
Hands-on learning
The BSc (Hons) Economics and Finance is a highly practical applied degree. Every day brings a fresh challenge to broaden your professional outlook. You may find yourself analysing news reports, creating strategy documents, interpreting financial reports, undertaking research tasks, harnessing latest software, delivering presentations, videos and broadcast interviews, tracking your own portfolio of investments, or analysing information from Bloomberg on international markets and organisations.
Employers are closely involved in shaping our degree. They provide real-world case studies, practical scenarios and consultancy projects which will enhance the currency of your studies.
We encourage you to undertake a placement or internship, either in the UK or abroad, to further your understanding of effective economic and financial analysis in the workplace. Opportunities range from three-month summer internships to year-long placements and we offer full support and guidance to help you find the right opportunity. You could, for instance, compete for international placement experiences with major names such as Enterprise, Centrica, PwC, DHL and the Institute of Directors.
During my summer Analyst Placement at Centrica, I will be undertaking a real project to gain a detailed insight into life as an analyst. This has pushed me out of my comfort zone and I have already developed a range of employability skills.
Ed Robinson
BSc (Hons) Economics and Finance
Facilities and resources
At Derby you’ll discover cutting-edge learning resources to help you get to grips with the up-to-the-minute technology and information used by finance professionals across the globe. Our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab has been established in partnership with Bloomberg, the international business and financial information leader, to enrich your learning. We’re one of the few universities in the UK offering direct use of Bloomberg data, information and analytics.
Projects in the lab give you exciting insights into what it is like to work on a trading floor in the financial district. You’ll have access to analysis of current affairs from Bloomberg Intelligence and to a wealth of data, including company and director profiles from around the world. As part of your degree, you can even work towards the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certificate to add substance to your CV.
Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab
University of Derby students have access to real live Bloomberg data and can experience what it’s like to work on a trading floor in our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab.
Our teaching team conducts significant research which is influencing current debates about key economic and financial issues. Our lecturers publish widely, including one of the main economics textbooks used in universities.
You’ll also engage with business experts, industry leaders and finance professionals. Our students hear about latest developments in the City from high-profile figures such as our Visiting Professor of Banking and Financial Economics, Professor Trevor Williams, ex-Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank PLC.
You can also immerse yourself in the wider business community – and open up new networks of contacts – by joining one of the University’s societies such as the Economics, Trading and Investment Society, the Business and Entrepreneurial Society and the Derby University Network of Entrepreneurs (DUNE).
Global thinking
International perspectives are important for the aspiring financial experts of the future. Our Economics and Finance team boasts strong links with academic partners in countries such as China and Spain which bring a global dimension to their teaching.
We offer you the chance to study abroad – based with one of our international partner institutions – for a semester or a year, usually in stage two of the course.
Alternatively, you can join one of our optional short study visits abroad. A visit to Copenhagen, for example, saw our students exploring different aspects of fraud investigations.
An extra qualification: the Futures Award
Through our Futures Award scheme, you can showcase your versatility and potential to prospective employers. Reflecting transferable skills, a Futures Award recognises any extra-curricular activities which contribute to your personal and professional development. These could include attending workshops on CV design and improvement; developing techniques for interviews, assessment centres or psychometric tests; taking part in networking events; or leading a small project within a student society or voluntary role.
Proud Economics student becomes award-winner
Economics for Business student Jake Gonella won a number of awards during the University Trading Challenge and has been recognised for his exceptional trading skills.
This module will assume no prior accounting knowledge. You will learn how to prepare accounts for small businesses and then apply that knowledge to larger organisations.
Numbers by themselves can be misleading and you will progress to examining accounting statements to assess just how well a business is performing. Managers cannot improve the performance of a business unless they make correct interpretations of situations and learn how to diagnose problems.
Business costs will be identified and analysed to aid decision making relating to the control and viability of projects. Sources of finance will be identified and discussed. This basic financial knowledge is essential to anyone wishing to pursue a career in business, whether on a self-employed basis or in a larger corporation.
Academic Skills for Accounting Finance and Business Economics
This module will equip you with the key written communication skills necessary for both your future academic and future professional career. It will enable you to develop your skills of writing both clearly, coherently and succinctly, in such a way that you effectively address the information needs of the user of the document.
It will develop your appreciation of the importance of basing your analysis and evaluation on information that comes from sources that are academically rigorous, contemporary and relevant; this will involve use of relevant referencing systems. You will also learn how to identify the appropriate research strategy and methodology for research in the accounting and finance disciplines.
The module will enable you to understand the relevant principles of research ethics, again, particularly for the accounting and finance disciplines.
Together all this will then provide you with the relevant foundation to support the rest of your academic studies as well as develop the relevant professional skills that accountants are expected to possess including reporting writing.
This module explores how markets work and how firms develop pricing strategies from an economic perspective. All students of business and management need to consider the external market context in which business and management decisions are made.
This module develops your understanding of economic information found in news reports and economic and marketing reports and develops your ability and confidence to create your own independent analysis. Take a look at the BBC website and see how much of the business news is about markets and economics. This type of information and analysis affects business decisions and business strategy. Economics is also a model-based discipline which will help you to develop more rigorous analytical skills required in levels 5 and 6. It also provides the disciplinary context on which many other subjects draw at these levels, including strategic management, management operations, enterprise, marketing and finance.
The aim of this module is to give you a better understanding of how the economy of a country works a whole. The module will present you the main issues of the business macroeconomic environment – recessions and expansions, economic growth, inflation and unemployment.
It will introduce you to the basic models of macroeconomic analysis which will enable you to start analysing the impact of the government’s monetary and fiscal policies on the aggregate economy in today’s globalised world. You will understand how interest rates are set and how taxation levels are determined. You will improve your awareness of the daily finance and economics goings-on and you will develop your understanding of the content and implications of economic analysis. You will develop problem-solving and analytical skills that will improve your every-day decision-making.
The aim of this module is to combine basic economic theory and mathematical techniques. You will be provided with an introduction to the basic tools of mathematics which is needed to help you understand economic theory. The quantitative methods introduced will be integrated to a number of applications to economics. The topics taught in this module will help you develop your quantitative skills and your abilities to analyse data. Such quantitative and analytical skills are an integral part of decision making in business.
This module introduces you to the economic theory of market failure and its central role in modern economic analysis of consumer choice, business activity, market activity, efficiency and industry development.
You will explore how the theory is used in economic analysis to assess rational consumer choice, producer strategy decisions, general business activity in markets and industries. You will also use the theory to examine and assess the impact of government policy on consumer choice, business decisions and markets.
You will apply the theory to different issues and use real time data on firms and markets from the Bloomberg database in your analysis. This will develop key theory and analysis skills for further applied analysis in level 4 and 6 modules.
In this module, we respond to the increased interest in understanding the recent dramatic economic events. Recent surveys and conferences on the state of the economics discipline and the employability of economics graduates have highlighted the gaps identified by employers in knowledge of economic history and applied economics skills (Bank of England, 2012; Government Economic Service, 2012).
In this module you will apply economic theories and principles to real-life situations, delve into current economic debates and apply economic analysis to a range of contemporary issues. Further, we will adopt an explicitly historical perspective in the discussion of the current topical economic debates. This will contribute to your knowledge of economic theory and analysis and to your greater understanding of how political debates and economic thinking evolve. This module will enable you to be able to argue and critically evaluate responses by government to various current issues.
Organisation of markets, firms and industries play a key role in determining their performance. Consequently, it results convenient analysing it from both a theoretical and applied perspective. This module aims to provide the student with an insight into pricing strategies, market concentration, market performance, strategies of firms including multinational enterprises (MNEs), and Public Policies. These elements will be appraised in a globalised context. This module provides quantitative analytical skills to students.
This module aims to enable you to use macroeconomic theory and data to make sense of the economic world around us and develop your own informed opinion on the issues of the day. In this module you will focus your efforts on applying economic theory to real-world data, policies and current events.
The module will take an integrated and applied approach to macroeconomic topics from economic growth, inflation and unemployment, to financial markets, interest rates and investment, and to policy making in an open economy. You will develop competence in using data analysis skills using real macroeconomic data and effective statistics and graphical tools.
This module aims to ensure you have a good understanding of how to use Excel and SPSS as software for economic analysis for business. You will develop the basic skills in primary data generation, sampling, data extraction, manipulation and presentation, essential for any business economist. You will also develop your skills in using parametric and non-parametric tests widely used in economic business data analysis for cross-section and time series analysis.
The emphasis is on practical analysis with real data and on developing the ability to interpret results for end users. To be a good analyst you need to have good practical skills but also be able to understand why, how and when different techniques are appropriate, and be able to interpret and communicate results to others.
This module gives you a thorough introduction to the nature of international financial markets and the array of financial instruments available to investors as well as firms. You will gain an understanding of asset pricing, arbitration and speculation in financial markets, and the impact of macroeconomic policies and international factors on financial markets.
You will also assess the factors which motivate investors and firms to choose different instruments when raising capital or making capital gains and understand the various types of risks associated with financial instruments, such as credit risk, counter party risks, market risk, systemic risk.
Organisations face a number of financial problems over the lifetime of their business. This module will help you develop your knowledge in this area.
More specifically, this module gives you a thorough introduction to the two most important aspects of corporate finance in the global context. The first is investment appraisal methods, spanning basic models to CAPM and factor models. The second is company financing decisions based on different capital structure theories such as MM theory, trade-off theories, pecking order theory, and life cycle theory.
This module will also give you a basic introduction to the methods corporations use to finance their projects and manage transaction and economic risks, using real data from sources such as Bloomberg.
Students need to be aware of the commercial realities and external factors that influence the success of an organisation. This module provides opportunities for students to acquire an understanding of contemporary issues that may impact on industrial and professional practices relevant to a career within their chosen discipline.
During this period of work experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities arising from both corporate and individual responses to such issues, thus enabling them to relate to the wider world when exploring a personal direction for potential career development.
This module provides a framework for the development of “lifelong learning” skills appropriate to all areas of professional practice; including objective setting, planning, negotiating, implementing, demonstrating and reflecting.
The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of the work completed within the organisation. This module also gives students an opportunity to relate their academic knowledge to the work environment.
This module brings together major themes from economics, finance and psychology in order to develop your awareness of financial markets issues and to expand your understanding of investment decision making, investor behaviour, regulation and financial markets in crisis.
All along, you will develop critical practical skills like using Excel, analytical reasoning, interpreting data, following financial media and interacting with external financial market experts and potential employers. You will learn about the main investment classes, you will build your own portfolio of investments and analyse its effectiveness and performance. We will introduce you to behavioural aspects of investor activity. You will examine the underlying issues in financial markets that lead to crisis and failure using economic theory both traditional and behavioural. You will be analysing issues like asset bubbles, bank failures and the problems of regulating financial activity in domestic and global markets.
This module introduces the methods that organisations can use to manage the risks of trading in global markets. All types of organisations need to manage the risk of adverse movements in exchange rates and interest rates. A good international strategy must include financial risk management. The extent to which an organisation can reduce risk depends upon its strategy and the availability of suitable products from the banking and financial markets. Students will learn about risk and risk management products and strategies. The distinctive nature of this module is the development of practical skills in building a strategy to manage risk.
This module is delivered in two semesters (Autumn and Spring). It is designed to build upon your existing knowledge of economic perspectives, basic statistics, data collection and analysis to enable you to undertake a small scale economic research project. This is a critical skill for any economist working in business consultancy. You will be introduced to real-world economic analysts, examine what they do, what type of research projects they are involved in and what analysis they produce and how they communicate it to clients.
You will also have opportunities to engage with local organisations to identify what type of economic analysis would help their business. You could potentially undertake the analysis for them. You will learn about the type of research methods and basic techniques economists use in applied research and you will use some of these to undertake your own piece of economic analysis. Your small scale project analysis will be presented in the form of a final report to a client, and the best work will be judged by a panel of economists and business consultants. You will also develop your skills in informal and formal networking.
This module aims to develop the skills you will need to interpret quantitative analysis in academic journals in economics, business and finance. It also enables you to undertake empirical research using computational techniques to analyse and interpret numerical findings. The module will review descriptive statistics and simple regression and introduce econometric techniques for analysing cross-sectional, panel and time-series data. This module will introduce you to appropriate software for econometric analysis using real data.
The corporate governance module looks at the framework of rules underpinning the relationships between corporations, their stakeholders, the government and the society at large. The subject’s multidisciplinary nature is quite evident – you will cover concepts in law, politics and ethics as well as in economics, finance and management.
You will understand its evolutionary character – new regulations and governance enhancements are mostly introduced in the wake of scandals and crises. The 2008 global financial crisis is simply one of the latest events bringing turmoil to corporate governance. Using an international comparison perspective, we will look at the differences in the practices employed by corporations to organise and coordinate themselves and in the mechanisms by which governments and societies try to influence the behaviour of corporations.
You will develop skills in comparative analysis and evaluation and develop a critical understanding of the importance of governance to the global economy and, hopefully, increase your interest in improving it.
Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.
Campus Tours
Campus Tours are a great way to explore our campuses, facilities and halls of residence. We’ll be running the tours in two-hour timeslots, giving you the best possible experience while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Delve deeper into the course with our Virtual Open Day, packed with subject and course information to help you make your choice, including tours of facilities, 360° views of award-winning accommodation plus advice and insight from students and academics.
Ours is a friendly and supportive learning community, with small classes where you will receive plenty of one-to-one guidance. At the start of the course you will benefit from substantial direction from our teaching team. As your studies progress, you are expected to work more independently, taking greater responsibility for your own learning.
Additional support is provided through our specially designed personal tutor system. You’ll meet your personal tutor during Induction Week and have at least three scheduled meetings with them each year. They will help you plan your personal and career development as well as supporting your work towards the Futures Award.
Showcasing your skills
There may be opportunities to take part in national competitions such as the University Trading Challenge, where students pit their wits against each other in trading various financial instruments such as shares, bonds, commodities and foreign exchange. They also present risk strategy case studies before a panel of judges. The University has an excellent track record in this prestigious event, with students winning a series of awards and raising their professional profile. Other well-known competitions that we’ve previously entered include the IBM University Business Challenge and CIMA Global Business Challenge.
How you are assessed
The majority of modules do not involve exams. Assessments are designed to ensure you can identify issues, decide how to collect and analyse evidence, come to reasoned conclusions based on that evidence, and present your findings via various communication methods.
At Stage 1: Computer-based assessments help you gauge your own level of learning and gain constructive feedback. Some modules involve more traditional essays and reports plus a mixture of individual and group tasks. You are also encouraged to keep a reflective portfolio.
Stage 2: Features further assessments of your individual and group work, report writing and communication skills, including innovative challenges such as a broadcast interview and poster design. Computer, portfolio and report-based assessments will focus on your professional analysis experience including data retrieval and quantitative analytics using Bloomberg.
At Stage 3: Assessments centre on your research and consultancy skills. Through the Applied Economic Project, you will apply these skills to a live project involving a business.
Personal academic tutoring
Your personal academic tutor will work with you to help you get the most out of your time at university. Having someone to talk to about your academic progress, your university experience and your professional aspirations is hugely valuable. We want you to feel challenged in your studies, stretched but confident to achieve your academic and professional goals.
Dr Weiwei Yang is a Senior Lecturer with substantial experience of teaching a wide range of subjects in Finance and Economics for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She is programme leader for BSc Economics and Finance, and BSc Finance. She works closely with professional bodies for accreditations and acts as external examiner for another UK higher education institution.
GCSE Maths and English Grade C/Grade 4 (or above) or equivalent qualification
IELTS
6.0 (with 5.5 in each skills area)
Interview / Audition
N/A
Portfolio
N/A
Alternative entry qualifications
BTEC - DDM
Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15 Merit: 24 Pass: 6
We usually consider an A-level in General Studies as a supplementary qualification. A good application/performance will be taken into account if you do not meet the criteria/offer conditions.
Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS or you can apply directly to the University for an undergraduate course if you’re not applying to any other UK university in the same year.
Part-time students should apply directly to the University.
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS or you can apply directly to the University for an undergraduate course if you’re not applying to any other UK university in the same year.
As a BSc (Hons) Economics and Finance graduate, you will have a powerful combination of applied skills which are valued across the public, private and voluntary sectors worldwide. This course could be your stepping stone to a lucrative graduate training scheme or a well-rewarded financial consultancy role.
You will discover fulfilling career opportunities not only in international business, consultancy and finance, but also in government departments, development agencies, charities and not-for-profit organisations.
Further qualifications such as the Bloomberg Certificate and the Futures Award will also help you stand out from the crowd in the job market.
Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a ‘work-ready’ graduate – industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you’ll also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions.
The support continues once you’ve completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.
If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.
Additional costs and optional extras
We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.
The information below is correct for entry in the academic year September 2020 - August 2021 only. Entry for future academic years may be subject to change.
Included in your fees
Bloomberg data usage within modules with access to Bloomberg terminals for specified assessments
Statistical analysis software SPSS for use in modules
Some taster events - transport costs covered
Opportunities to enter IBM University Business Challenge, CIMA Global Business Challenge and University Trading Challenge
Part funded trip to Copenhagen for 2nd and 3rd year students. Optional with limited places available.
Optional costs not included in your fees
Printing
Textbooks
Some taster events- transport costs
Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.
