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Economics, Finance and Banking at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview Prepare for a career in the well-paid and fast-moving sectors of banking, finance and risk management with this BSc Economics, Finance and Banking degree. Economics is the study of how societies produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. Finance examines financial systems and how money moves around, including banks, loans and investments. With this degree you'll learn all the core economic theory you need to be an economist, using real, topical data from organisations such as HSBC, Barclays, the Bank of England and the UK Government's annual budget. You'll also learn how finance systems work, including:

  • futures, forwards, swaps, and options markets
  • monetary policy and financial regulation
  • portfolio management and stock selection
  • contemporary issues in finance and banking
  • behavioural finance and the psychology of investment
After your second year you can apply this knowledge on an optional paid placement. Previous students have worked at places like Lloyds Bank, Santander and BMW. Course highlights
  • Benefit from expert teaching informed by our academics' close relationships with organisations such as the Bank of England and the Office for National Statistics
  • Gain a Bloomberg Certificate (a trading platform that's used by 250,000 financial service professionals) in our dedicated Bloomberg Suite
  • Be employment-ready by using the same software (EViews and STATA) and the same financial databases (Eikon and S&P Global IQ) as professional economists
  • See economics and finance from a different angle by spending a year abroad at a partner university in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe or the Far East
  • Get support to set up your own business from our Entrepreneurs in Residence programme
  • Learn a foreign language as part of your degree
Accreditation This course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This means that you won't have to take some of the CIMA exams if you want to be CIMA certified after you graduate. You'll have completed part of your professional qualification by doing this degree. Find out more about these exceptions on the CIMA website. Careers and opportunities The skills you learn on this degree are in high demand in the public and private sectors. When you complete the course, you'll be prepared for work in areas such as commercial and investment banking, tax consultancy and risk management. Through your choice of optional modules it's also possible to lay a good foundation for further study for accountancy exams through this degree. Graduates of this course have gone on to jobs as:
  • Banker
  • Business analyst
  • Project manager
  • Associate financial data analyst
  • Account analyst
  • Trainee accountant
  • Quantitative researcher - machine learning/ AI
  • Treasury solutions executive
  • Financial recruitment
Graduates of this course have gone on to work for companies such as:
  • Bank of Ireland
  • State Street Bank & Trust
  • J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
  • Bank of East Asia
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Barclays
  • Santander UK
  • Accenture PLC
  • S & P Global (data insights)
  • Fujitsu (global IT)
You'll get careers support throughout your studies and for 5 years after you graduate.

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Macroeconomics
  • Mathematics For Economics
  • Microeconomics
  • Personal Development Planning For Economists (Level 4)
  • Statistics For Economics
  • Introduction to Finance, Accounting and Banking
  • Issues in Economics
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Data and Research Methods For Economics
  • Economics of Money, Banking and Financial Markets
  • Personal Development Planning For Economists (Level 5)
  • Corporate Financial Management
  • Intermediate Economics
Options to choose from in this year currently include:
  • Behavioural Economics and Game Theory
  • International Economics
  • Investment Analysis
  • Iwlp - 20 Cr - Course Structure Purposes Only
  • Managerial and Decision Economics
  • Study Abroad 120 Credits (Year Long)
  • Econometric Methods
  • Psychology and Altruism in Economics and Finance
Placement year (optional) On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year. Year 3 Core modules in this year include:
  • Financial Economics
  • International Banking and Financial Instruments
  • Personal Development Planning For Economists (Level 6)
  • Economics Research Project
Options to choose from in this year currently include:
  • Advanced Corporate Financial Management
  • Crime, Conflict and Terrorism
  • Development Economics
  • Econometric Analysis
  • Public Policies and Labour Markets
  • Advanced Economics
  • Behavioural Finance and the Psychology of Investment
  • Economics and Finance of Sport
  • Energy and Environmental Economics
  • Market Economics and Business Strategy
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

How you're assessed You’ll be assessed through: analysis of topical case studies written reports examinations essays presentations self-led independent study project You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows: Year 1 students: 62% by written exams, 4% by practical exams and 34% by coursework Year 2 students: 62% by written exams and 38% by coursework Year 3 students: 37% by written exams and 63% by coursework

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
PTE Academic62An overall score of 62 with a minimum of 59 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
80%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £9535 Year 1
England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
International £17200 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Placement Year and Year abroad (at the time of publishing for 2025/26): UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,430 EU – £1,430 International (Non-EU) – £2,875. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Please check the course page on our website for the most up to date fee information All fees are subject to annual increase. For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Economics, Finance and Banking at University of Portsmouth - UCAS