3.5-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate in Social Sciences - Continue to Bachelor of Science (Honours) - Economics and Politics (Placement Year)

Program Description For students who've finished high school but don’t meet the entry requirements for university, a Foundation Certificate can help them gain entry to an undergraduate degree. After completing this pathway option students qualify for progression to the 1st year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Essex.

A student’s course length is determined mainly by their English language level (UKVI IELTS score). Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. Students taking a course longer than 2 terms, will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Bachelor of Science (Honours) - Economics and Politics

Economic and political events dominate domestic and international news, and impact on the day-to-day lives, as well as shaping the future. This course should interest students if they want to gain an understanding of politics and economics, but also want to understand the interaction between the two disciplines. They study economic methods while exploring the very nature of democracy and the ways in which governments use the economy for their advantage.

One this course students study a range of topics such as:

• Macro- and microeconomics • Political systems and political ideas • Research design and statistical methods • Globalization and international development • European Union economics and politics

The Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. It is rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and has consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.

Meanwhile, the Department of Economics is top 5 in the UK for research, with over 90% of their research rated as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014).