Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

• To provide students with specialised training in the core aspects of economics and management particularly relevant to industry and commerce.
• To provide students with the opportunity to study a broad curriculum in both economics and in management.
• To provide students with core concepts in management and business.
• To equip students with the relevant tools to understand how firms behave, compete and implement strategies with reference to both their internal and external environment.
• To provide a foundation of knowledge about the workings of the domestic and international economy and to understand the impact of the economic environment on a range of business settings.
• To develop in students the ability to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to the solution of theoretical and applied problems in economics.
• To enable data handling skills relating to the analysis on information available and generated by modern business in order for managers to make effective and timely decisions.
• To develop students' communication and interpersonal skills and their ability to work in groups developing practical skills essential for working in a business environment.
• To provide students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required for a career in the economics and management professions.
• To provide students with analytical skills and an ability to develop simplifying frameworks for studying the real world.
• To develop in students the ability to appreciate what would be an appropriate level of abstraction for a range of economic issues.
• To provide students with the knowledge and skill base, from which they can proceed to further studies in economics, related areas or in multi-disciplinary areas that involve economics.
• To stimulate students intellectually through the study of economics and to lead them to appreciate its application to a range of managerial problems and its relevance in a variety of contexts.
• To provide a relevant, practical and constantly updated programme through close links with industry, professional firms and accounting bodies, and through accreditation by the major professional accounting bodies.
• To enhance students’ career and employment prospects on graduating by developing a range of transferable skills embedded in the programme.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

1. QAA Subject Benchmark Statements: Economics.
2. Benchmark Statements for General Business and Management
3. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.
4. International links with a network of eleven European Universities within the Erasmus exchange programme.
5. University Learning and Teaching Strategy.
6. Departmental learning and teaching policies.
7. Links, both formal and informal, with external examiners.
8. Staff research specialisms and professional involvement in the discipline.

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, within the Economics portion of the programme students will learn:

K1. A coherent core of economic principles. The understanding of these might be verbal, graphical or mathematical.

K2. Relevant quantitative methods and computing techniques. These cover mathematical and statistical methods, that may possibly include econometrics. Students will have exposure to the use of such techniques on actual economic, financial or social data. A knowledge and appreciation of economic data, both quantitative and qualitative. Students should also have some knowledge of the appropriate methods that the economist might use to structure and analyse such data.

K3. The applications of economics. Students should have the ability to apply a core of microeconomic and macroeconomic principles and reasoning to a variety of applied topics. They should also be aware of the economic principles that can be used to design, guide and interpret commercial policy. Related to this, they should have the ability to evaluate government economic policy and to assess the performance of the UK and other economies and the impact on the business environment.  

Within the Management portion of the degree students will develop an understanding of:

K4. organisations; their internal structures and their management, including the management of human resources, financial resources and information systems.

K5. the external environment within which organisations operate; the markets for goods, services and finance; customers and the implications for marketing.

K6. analytical frameworks, techniques and processes; business policy and strategy; development of policy and strategy; current issues in strategic management.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: 

C1. Abstract and synthesise information.

C2. Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills using the analytical tools of deduction and induction reasoning.

C3. Critically evaluate and interpret a range of evidence, including data and text.

C4. Framing an economic problem within the merits of contrasting theories, explanations and arguments.

C5. Use critical thinking, analysis and synthesis to evaluate and apply concepts and insights from business disciplines, including comprehension of complex scenarios.

C6. Formulate and solve both structured and unstructured business problems.

C7. Advise on business decisions using appropriate qualitative and quantitative skills, including the ability to identify and evaluate a range of alternative solutions.

C8. Relate theory to practice in business and management (B&M).

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

P1. Construct economic models using verbal, diagrammatic, mathematical, statistical and econometric techniques and reasoning.

P2. Combine and interpret different types of evidence using appropriate techniques.

P3. Use effective communication, both oral and written, in a range of styles and media appropriate for management in different cultures.

P4. Make effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a business context including word processing, storage and manipulation of data, generation of presentations, use of the internet and e-mail using appropriate software.

P5. Conduct research using a range of sources of business-related materials including books, journals, trade and financial press, official statistics and the internet (B&M).

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate the key skills of:

T1. Analysis and decision making.

T2. Communication, both written and verbal.

T3. Numeracy and computation.

T4. IT, information handling and retrieval, including library skills.

T5. Independent study and group work.

T6. Time management.

T7. Problem solving.

4. Programme structure

4.1 Structure

4.1.1 Students must have a total modular weighting of 120 credits per year.  This must include the compulsory modules.  The remaining optional modules may be chosen to give a 60:60 split over the two semesters, or alternatively, 50:70 or 70:50.

4.1.2 The prefixes on module codes represent the credit levels as follows:

            A          level 4;             B          level 5;             C         level 6.

4.1.3 The option of eight semesters has four streams: 

• Candidates following the Placement Stream are required to spend the third academic year undertaking professional training leading to the Diploma in Professional Studies, in accordance with Senate Regulation XI.
• Candidates following the Study Abroad Stream or the Language Related Placement Stream are required to spend the third academic year at an approved academic institution.
• Candidates following the Split Stream are required to spend six months of the third academic year undertaking professional training, and the other half of the third academic year studying at an approved academic institution.

The Study Abroad, the Language Related Placement and the Split Stream lead to the Diploma in International Studies (DIntS) in accordance with Senate Regulation XI. The third academic year (Part I) occurs between Part B and Part C.

4.2 Content

Modules are classified as either Economics (codes beginning with EC), or Management (codes beginning with BS).

4.2.1       Part A 

All the following Part A modules are compulsory.

4.2.2       Part B  

Compulsory Modules (total modular weight: 90 credits):

Compulsory and optional modules must be taken such that the total modular weight for the year is 120 credits.

Please note: Optional modules are subject to availability and timetable permitting.

4.2.3       Optional Part I (8 semester programme only)

Candidates pursue one of the following streams:

i)       Placement Stream

Candidates will undertake industrial or professional training.

ii)      Study Abroad Stream

Candidates will study at one of the School of Business and Economics approved academic institutions.

 iii)        Split Stream

Candidates will undertake industrial or professional training for half the year and will study at one of the School of Business and Economics approved academic institutions for the other half of the academic year.

 (iv)    Language Related Placement

Candidates will undertake a year abroad in employment, for example as an English language assistant in a school or other educational establishment, approved by the School of Business and Economics.

4.2.4       Part C - student must chose 60 credits in Economics (EC) and 60 credits in Management (BS)

Compulsory modules (total modular weight: 40 credits):

Compulsory and optional modules must be taken such that the total modular weight for the year is 120 credits.

Please note: Optional modules are subject to availability and timetable permitting.

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

5.1 Progression Criteria

In order to progress from Part A to Part B and from Part B to C and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX.

A Diploma in Professional Studies will be awarded to students who have satisfactorily completed the programme of study required for Part I.

5.2 Reassessment

Candidates must accumulate at least 60 credits in a Part of a Programme in order to be eligible for reassessment in the relevant Part during the University’s Special Assessment Period.         

If a student registers to resit a module, they will be required to resit all failed components of that module (ie if their coursework mark was less than 40% they must resit the coursework and if their exam mark was less than 40% they must resit the exam).  If a student resits the coursework element of a module and there was more than 1 coursework assignment for that module, then the student would be required to resit all coursework assignments in which they achieved a mark below 40%.  Marks for elements of a module not being re-sat will be carried forward.

5.3 Accreditation for Economics and Management

In order to retain exemptions from foundation-level professional courses (under the requirements of the professional bodies) following graduation, candidates must achieve a minimum mark of 40% overall and 35% in each assessed component in core modules as defined by the various professional bodies for accreditation purposes. 

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C in accordance with the scheme set out in Regulation XX. The average percentage marks for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part B 30% : Part C 70% to determine the final Programme Mark.