Program Overview

Our BSc Financial Economics (including foundation year) is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your English language and academic skills.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study four academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory English language and academic skills module.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our Department of Economics. Our course is built on the core principles of economics, which are applied to your study of financial institutions (such as banks), financial markets (such as the stock exchange), and financial instruments. You receive a thorough introduction to all aspects of economics and mathematics, as well as training in quantitative research methods.

You study the mathematical and statistical analysis of economic problems, and how the financial system functions, choosing from a range of topics on financial economics including:

• Fundamentals of accounting
• Business strategy and competition
• Capital markets
• Financial innovations and new forms of transaction media
• Bonds and contracts