- Department of Economics

Entry Requirements

Applications for entry 2010 should be made through UCAS www.ucas.ac.uk
 

(updated 24 September 2009)

Entry requirements for:

Requirements for

Further Details of Admissions

A-levels

BSc Economics

Typical offer of AAA from 3 GCE A-levels (excluding General Studies and/or Critical Thinking). Mathematics required at grade A.  Economics is a strongly preferred subject, or Business Studies where it is not possible to sit A-Level Economics.  Due to the applied nature of the programme preference will be given to students who are taking Further Mathematics; Physics; Chemistry; Geography; History; Biology or a Modern Language as a third subject. Languages which are intended for non-native speakers are not normally acceptable when taken by native speakers of that language. Students are strongly advised to declare their AS grades.

BSc Economics & International Development/ BSc Economics & Politics

Typical offer of AAA from 3 GCE A-levels (excluding General Studies and/or Critical Thinking). Mathematics required at grade A.  Preference will be given to students  offering the following second and third subjects: Economics; Business Studies; English Language/Literature; Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Geography; Geology; Environmental Studies; Science in Society; Psychology; Sociology; Government & Politics; History; Latin; Law; Religious Studies; Philosophy; Modern Languages. Languages which are intended for non-native speakers are not normally acceptable when taken by native speakers of that language. Students are strongly advised to declare their AS grades.

top

Advanced Extension Awards (AEA)

AEAs may be used as part of an alternative offer but are only acceptable for Economics and Mathematics. For example, acceptance is possible at grades of AAB for GCE A-level [without the requirement for As in Economics and Mathematics], if a distinction is achieved at AEA.

top

GCSE

At least 5 GCSE (or equivalent) passes at grade C and above, which must include English and an A* grade in Mathematics.

top

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

BSc Economics

38 points (including bonus points) required with grades of 7, 6 and 6 in a combination of 3 subjects at the higher level, which must include Mathematics. Economics or Business & Management at the HL are strongly preferred subjects. Due to the applied nature of the course preference will be given to students offering Physics; Biology; Chemistry or modern languages as third subjects at HL. Students taking the IB diploma in English will not need an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL. If you are taking the IB diploma in either French or Spanish then we require: English Language A1, Standard level grade 6 or Higher level grade 6 in place of an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (see English language requirements below).

 

BSc Economics & International Development/ Economics & Politics

38 points (including bonus points) required with grades of 7, 6 and 6 in a combination of 3 subjects at the higher level, which must include Mathematics. Preference will be given to students taking second and third subjects at HL from the following : Economics; Business & Management; Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Geography; Psychology; Sociology; History; Philosophy; Classical Greek; Islamic History; Information Technology for a Global Society; Social and Cultural Anthropology; Modern Languages. Students taking the IB diploma in English will not need an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL. If you are taking the IB diploma in either French or Spanish then we require: English Language A1, Standard level grade 6 or Higher level grade 6 in place of an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (see English language requirements below).

top

European Baccalaureate (EB)

BSc Economics

80% overall required with 85% in 5 period Mathematics. Economics is a strongly preferred subject. Due to the applied nature of the programme, preference will be given to students who are taking Advanced Mathematics; Physics; Chemistry; Biology or a Modern Language. Students taking the EB in English will not normally need an additional English Language qualification. If you are not taking the EB in English, a mark of 75% in English as a foreign language (either L2/L2A) will be accepted in place of an additional English Language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (see English language requirements below).

 

 BSc Economics & International Development/ BSc Economics & Politics

80% overall required with 85% in 5 period Mathematics. Preference will be given to students taking subjects from the following subjects: Economics; Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Geography; Sociology; Philosophy; Latin; Ancient Greek; Modern Languages. Students taking the EB in English will not normally need an additional English Language qualification. If you are not taking the EB in English, a mark of 75% in English as a foreign language (either L2/L2A) will be accepted in place of an additional English Language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (see English language requirements below).

top

French Baccalaureate (FB)

From the Économique et Sociale stream of the Baccalauréat Général we will typically make an offer of 14 (‘mention bien’) out of 20. As part of this offer, we will also require you to achieve grades of 14 in Mathematics and Economics & Social Sciences. Students achieving 14 in English as a foreign language will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (see English language requirements below).

Students taking the optional Internationale du Baccalauréat will be required to obtain an overall score of 14, with grades of 14 in Mathematics and Economics. No further English language requirements are required if a grade of 13 is achieved in English as a foreign language.

top

Indian Qualifications

From Indian Year XII you should take at least 5 subjects (CBSE, CICSE or equivalent), including Mathematics. Economics, Business Studies or another Social Science are considered to be useful for our programmes. The typical offer is 86% overall, including 80% in English plus 76% in each of the three other subjects. No other English qualification is required if 80% in English is achieved (alternatively see English language requirements below).

top

Welsh Baccalaureate

Pass from the Welsh Baccalaureate plus two A-levels (or equivalent). Grade A in Mathematics required. Economics preferred as the other subject (grade A required).

top

Irish Leaving Certificate

3×A2 grade (one in Mathematics and another preferably in Economics) plus 3 subjects at a B3 grade.

top

VCE

A six unit VCE in Business at grade B is acceptable alongside two GCE A-levels in Economics and Mathematics, for which A grades are required.

top

BTEC National

Single award BTEC national acceptable alongside two A-levels in Economics and Mathematics, for which A-grades are required. You will need to achieve a distinction grade in all units from this qualification.

top

HND

HNDs in a business-related subject are acceptable provided you achieve a distinction grade in all units. Only acceptable for first year entry. You need to achieve a distinction grade in all units from this qualification. A-grade in A-level Mathematics also required.

top

Foundation Programme

You will be expected to achieve a distinction grade overall and have studied Mathematics (and preferably Economics) to a higher level (achieving a distinction grade in each unit).

top

Access to HE Courses

If you are taking an Access to HE course we will require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). In addition, an A-level in Mathematics (grade A) is required. Further information.

top

Scottish Qualifications

Offer of AAB at Advanced Higher, which must include Mathematics and preferably Economics.

top

Other overseas qualifications

German Abitur: Grade of 1.4 overall required. You will need a grade of at least 13 in Mathematics. If you achieve a grade of 12 in English as a foreign language you will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (alternatively see English language requirements below).

Italy: Attending a Liceo scientifico you will need to achieve an overall mark of 95% from the Diploma di Esame di Stato, with a grade of 95% in Mathematics. If you achieve 80% in English as a foreign language you will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (alternatively see English language requirements below).

Netherlands: Overall grade of 8 in Diploma Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO), with a minimum of 8 in Mathematics (A(1,2)), Economics and English. Students with a grade of 7 or more in English as a foreign language from this qualification will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL (alternatively see English language requirements below).

United States: US High School Diploma GPA of 3.3, plus 1800 in SAT1, plus 3 AP's at grade 4 or above, one of which must be AP CalculusBC. APs in microeconomics and macroeconomics are also considered desirable.

Poland: A minimum of 85%-90% in all subjects from the Polish Matura (the Swiadectwo Dojrzalosci), which should include three subjects taken at the extended level including Mathematics, for which a mark of at least 90% should be achieved. Students achieving 85% in extended level English will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, such as IELTS or TOEFL.

Hong Kong: typical offer of BBB from 3 Hong Kong A-levels. Mathematics is required at grade B. (HK A levels are norm-referenced so grades do not equate directly with UK A-levels. This means that, for maths and science subjects in particular, a grade B at HKAL would be equivalent to grade A at UKAL, for example.) You will be exempt from the need to have an additional English language qualification, if you achieve Grade C or above in Hong Kong Examinations Authority Advanced Use of English or Grade B or above in Hong Kong Certificate of Education English Language (Syllabus B).

top

Second year entry

* The number of students in year two at the University of Bath is now at full capacity and therefore there are no places left for transfer in 2010.

This is only possible where you have passed the first year of an equivalent degree at a UK institution to a good standard, covering the same units as those delivered at Bath (contact the department for specific entry requirements, ec-ugadmiss@bath.ac.uk).

Alternatively, if you are taking the University of London/LSE External Diploma in Economics you may gain access provided that you have successfully passed the first stage. The course specific entry requirements are:

BSc (Hons) Economics: Students should achieve a minimum of 60% in: Introduction to Economics (02); Mathematics 1 (05A); Mathematics 2 (05B); Statistics 1 (04A); Statistics 2 (04B). We would ask students to achieve a 60% average from the Diploma in Economics overall.

BSc (Hons) Economics and Politics/ BSc (Hons) Economics and International Development: Students should achieve a minimum of 60% in Introduction to Economics (02); Mathematics 1 (05A); and Statistics 1 (04A). We would ask students to achieve a 60% average from the Diploma in Economics overall.

top

Language Qualifications:

We would normally require all applicants whose first language is not English to provide evidence of English language proficiency. For those students who have not taken English as a foreign language as part of a pre-university qualification the following are considered acceptable:

IELTS: grade 7.0 with no mark less than 6.5 in any of the elements. Students who achieve 6.5 overall will need to attend and pass the university’s 5-week pre-sessional English Langauge course to fulfil our requirements (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/elc).

TOEFL: TOEFL (paper-based test) score of 600 with a mark of not less than 5 in the TWE or a TOEFL (computer-based test) of 250 or a TOEFL (the internet-based test) of 100 from with not less than 24 in each of the four bands. If you achieve 580 (TOEFL paper-based test) or 237 (TOEFL computer-based test) or 80 (TOEFL internet-based test) you will need to attend the university’s 5-week pre-sessional English Langauge course to fulfil our requirements (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/elc).

The following qualifications are not considered suitable for entry:

top

Further Details

The Department seeks to admit approximately 135 students (100 Home/EU and 35 Overseas) each year to the three undergraduate programmes it offers. Competition for places is high (see table 1). The Department requires all candidates to have taken post-16 qualifications (e.g. A-level, International Baccalaureate) in Mathematics and has a strong preference for those with Economics.

Selection for entry is based on the information made available on the UCAS form, including evaluating a candidate’s previous academic performance, A-level (or equivalent) predictions/results, personal statement and the academic reference.

Candidates who are made a (un)conditional offer will be invited to attend one of the departments open days. For students who are in their first year of post-16 study, you are recommended to attend one of the University’s open days, details of which can be found at http://www.bath.ac.uk/opendays/. Alternatively, for those students who cannot make either of the above events, it may be possible to arrange a separate visit. In this case, please e­mail the Admissions Secretary at ec-ugadmiss@bath.ac.uk.

Table 1: Admissions Statistics

Year No. of applications No. of students accepted Applications/
acceptances
1998 924 104 8.88
1999 1215 119 10.21
2000 1440 120 12.00
2001 1460 129 11.30
2002 1574 168 9.36
2003 2142 127 16.87
2004 2062 176 11.72
2005 1603 142 11.29
2006 1608 139 11.51
2007 1818 150 12.12
2008 1518 202 7.51
2009 1529 185 8.26

Overseas students come from a range of countries and are part of a wider international community at the university. In order to help overseas students to settle in, the University’s International Office organises an introductory programme before the start of each year, introducing the students to life in Bath and to the University.

Most of the overseas students have tended to take either the International Baccalaureate or A-levels prior to coming to university, though the department is happy to consider applications from students with overseas qualifications on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. You are recommended to contact the admissions secretary before submitting your UCAS application form in this case.

The academic requirements for entry are the same as for UK students. It is important that you should be able to speak, write and understand English well enough to be able to follow the course (see table above). For those who need to improve their English Language skills before they commence their degree course, specialist pre-sessional courses are provided by the University’s English Language Centre (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/elc/). English language courses are also available for those who wish to improve their English once they are at the University.

Students who are considering taking a gap year before they start university are also encouraged to apply. They should do so during the year they are taking their post-16 qualifications, obtaining a UCAS form relevant to the year they wish to start university.

top