BA (Hons) Economics and Politics Bachelor's degree at Durham University
BA (Hons) Economics and Politics at Durham University. Economics and Politics at Durham brings together two disciplines that rarely stay in separate boxes once you leave university.
About this course
Economics and Politics LL12 - Durham University Skip to main content BA (Hons) Economics and Politics Combine the study of key principles in economics with modern political systems and learn how the two areas can work together to benefit society. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Economics and Politics is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at Durham University, based in Durham Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Economics graduates from this provider, 84% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 86% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £40,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Economics, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 84% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 3 modules
- Principles of EconomicsCompulsory
Module details
Provides a sound foundation for modules in micro- and macroeconomics. You will cover areas including methodology of economics, supply and demand, consumer spending choices, competition and growth theories.
- Economic MethodsCompulsory
Module details
Familiarises you with the use of mathematical and statistical tools in solving economic problems. You will look at equations, matrix algebra, calculus, statistics, distribution, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing.
- Global Economic HistoryCompulsory
Module details
Provides knowledge and understanding of the features of different types of economy, and of world trade and the international financial system. You will learn about economic growth and cover some of the key concepts relating to developments and crises in the world economy using real-world case studies.
Year 2 13 modules
- MacroeconomicsCompulsory
Module details
Uses real-world examples to analyse the general equilibrium of an economy both in the short term, with a static model, and in the medium to long term, with a dynamic model.
- Economic TheoryCompulsory
Module details
Develops understanding and applications of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory at an intermediate level. You will cover areas such as consumer theory, money and inflation, economic growth and fiscal policy.
- MicroeconomicsCompulsory
Module details
Aims to develop understanding of the essential components of microeconomics with a particular focus on the analytical skills relevant to consumer and production theories, general equilibrium and welfare.
- Researching Politics and International RelationsOptional
- Introduction to Political TheoryOptional
- Introduction to Comparative PoliticsOptional
- Introduction to International RelationsOptional
- Perspectives of Political EconomyOptional
- EconometricsOptional
- Behavioural and Experimental EconomicsOptional
- Intermediate Economics MethodsOptional
- Microeconomic Applications and PolicyOptional
- Macroeconomic Applications and PolicyOptional
Year 3 8 modules
- Dissertation in either Economics or PoliticsCompulsory
Module details
A detailed and critical examination of a relevant area of either economics or politics. It develops your ability to plan and manage your own learning and provides you with an opportunity to research a specific topic and present your findings and conclusions.
- Politics Research ProjectOptional
- Politics and International Relations of East AsiaOptional
- Foundations of Western Political ThoughtOptional
- Sovereignty, State and EmpireOptional
- Global Political EconomyOptional
- Debates in Political TheoryOptional
- Class and Nation in British PoliticsOptional
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The course is built around a progression that runs from foundational understanding through to independent research. You'll begin with core theory, working through the central concepts and models that underpin both economics and political analysis, before moving into research and methods, where you develop the analytical and quantitative tools needed to interrogate real data and real policy debates rather than just textbook examples. Applied practice follows, giving you the chance to test theory against actual economic and political situations. As you progress, you can choose specialist options such as those exploring particular regions, policy areas or theoretical traditions within economics and politics, allowing you to steer the degree towards what interests you most. The degree culminates in an independent project, where you take ownership of a research question and carry it through from design to conclusion, supported throughout by a strand of professional skills development intended to prepare you for work or further study beyond graduation.
Who it's for
This course suits people who like to ask "how does this actually work in practice?" rather than accepting theory at face value, someone equally interested in why markets behave as they do and why governments make the decisions they make. If you enjoy following current affairs, questioning policy decisions, and thinking about the trade-offs behind economic and political choices, you'll likely find the material engaging rather than abstract. It also suits people comfortable with a degree of quantitative work alongside essay-based argument, since economics brings analytical and data-driven elements that sit alongside the more discursive, debate-driven side of politics. Most students accepted onto this course arrive with A-levels or equivalent qualifications, typically within the 192–207 UCAS tariff range, though this reflects what past entrants held rather than a fixed requirement. Studying this degree at Durham will mean balancing rigorous theoretical grounding with the freedom to specialise later on, and finishing with an independent project you've shaped yourself, so it suits students who want structure early on but appreciate autonomy as they progress.
Careers & job market
Nationally, across Economics courses, 87% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 75% of working graduates are in highly skilled roles or further study, figures that reflect the national Graduate Outcomes picture for the subject area rather than outcomes specific to this course or university. Continuation into a second year is strong nationally too, with 92% of students still enrolled or having completed their first year. On earnings, national data (LEO) shows graduates from Economics courses starting on between £26,500 and £35,000 fifteen months after graduating, rising to a range of £26,775 to £37,800 after three years, and £36,125 to £51,000 after five years. These figures describe the spread of national outcomes for the subject area, not a guaranteed salary for any individual graduate, and actual outcomes will depend on sector, role and location. Durham's business school holds accreditation from EFMD Quality Improvement System and from AACSB, which may be relevant if your interests lean towards careers connected to business, finance or management alongside economics and politics.
University & format
This is a full-time, three-year course delivered in English at Durham University's Durham Campus. Durham is a public, research-intensive Russell Group university with around 19,520 students in total, founded in 1832. The course carries the recognition of a nationally awarded UK degree, and the university holds a Silver rating in the TEF 2023 for teaching quality.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| a Baccalaureate | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Durham University →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Economics graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £40,000 | £33,000 – £50,000 | 45 |
| 3 years after | £42,000 | £33,500 – £55,000 | 190 |
| 5 years after | £64,000 | £50,000 – £84,000 | 210 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in economics · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Economics nationally
National figures for Economics graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Economics courses at the same study level.
Compared with 594 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Finance ProfessionalsSOC 2020 242 · 42% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,173
- Business, Research and Administrative ProfessionalsSOC 2020 243 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £48,746
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 12% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 110; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Economics graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Economics graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Banks & consultancies
- Bank of England
- Government Economic Service
- Think tanks
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Economics graduates.
Economics Associate / Director - ManchesterPegasus GroupEconomics Graduate AssistantSt Edward's School, OxfordEconomics ExaminersEduqasEconomics SpecialistVella RecruitmentEconomics AnalystOFWATEconomics PhD Scholarship (ESRC-Funded)Royal Holloway, University of LondonIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
84% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £40,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.5 out of 10: NSS 81.9% · in work or study 84% · continued 90%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of Durham
Social sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Durham Campus
698 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Economics right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Durham University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Durham University; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Durham University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Durham University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Durham University
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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