The purpose of the BSc in Economics & Finance programme at UCD is to form graduates capable of employing advanced quantitative methods to assist and enrich the decision-making processes of firms, organizations and public bodies, as well as society at large. Due to the important role played by financial markets in modern market economies as resource allocation mechanisms, a special emphasis is placed on their functioning and on financial decision-making more broadly (Purpose).  The epistemological underpinning of the program is that the quantitative study of Economics and Finance can offer significant help in understanding complex economic and societal issues and improve decision-making in a broad range of contexts (companies, markets, public bodies, etc.). The programme is underpinned by a commitment to scientific rigour, intellectual honesty and integrity (Education and subject/discipline/professional values).  The distinctive trait of the BSc in Economics & Finance programme is its interdisciplinary nature, as it is a joint endeavour of the School of Business, School of Economics and School of Mathematics and Statistics. It therefore benefits from the diverse perspectives and commitment of all three Schools.  The programme relies on this to help graduates develop a strong analytical orientation towards decision-making and problem-solving, critical awareness of economic trends and issues, ethical and societal awareness, a penchant for intellectual creativity and innovation, a capacity to communicate persuasively and professionally and a life-long commitment to personal and professional excellence and development.  Our students have also the opportunity to participate in a range of transformative extra-curricular educational experiences, including business internships, international exchange programmes, student societies and clubs set up with the active support of UCD (e.g., the “UCD Investors and Entrepreneurs Society”, which runs a small investment fund) and case study competitions (the nature of the learning environment for students).  The programme adopts a mix of teaching and assessment methods, with an emphasis on formal lectures and tutorials enriched by laboratories (e.g., activities in the data analytics room and project work), debates, presentations, group assignments, simulations, case studies, essays, consulting reports. A range of courses, including modules in multivariate statistics and two econometrics modules, develop skills and competences necessary to carry out research. These are then applied across a broad range of courses, especially in final year, which introduce students to the current research agenda in Economics and Finance. Students are exposed to faculty, national and international, with a range of different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds (key approaches to teaching, learning and assessment).

• Ability to deploy innovative and creative approaches to unfamiliar problems in dynamic contexts (PG3).
• Apply economic theory, with special emphasis on financial economics, and critically use it to assist and lead decision making in a wide range of business and institutional settings and environments (PG2).
• Appreciate ethical standards in place and contribute to the debate on their evolution over time, being aware of their responsibility as active global citizens (PG4).
• Appreciate the challenges faced by the study and practice of management as a quantitative discipline as its context evolves over time, being aware of relevant career pathways (PG3).
• Be familiar with current research, through the completion of advanced modules, to the point of being able to follow and contribute to the development of economic thinking over time (PG2).
• Deploy and hone over time project planning, management and teamwork skills appropriate to a professional environment, developed through individual and group activities (PG3).
• Discuss and analyse policies at different levels and in different settings, identifying with intellectual honesty and scientific integrity the possible implications for interested stakeholders (e.g., markets, investors, consumers, employees) (PG2).
• Explore a particular economic / financial topic or issue and present the results of the analysis in a clear and informative way using appropriate media (PG4).
• Obtain and appropriately use pertinent financial and economic information, using specialist software to process it and to perform financial calculations (PG1).
• Present on a current topic of interest to key stakeholders, with the confidence to take responsibility for assisting decision-making and to shape thinking (PG4).
• Understand and explain core economic theory, with special emphasis on financial economics, to be able to evaluate its range of applicability and limits (PG1).
• Use the range of quantitative methods related to economic theory and financial economics and to apply the knowledge referred to under the latter to assist the decision-making processes of businesses and other organisations (PG1).

This highly regarded degree offers you exceptionally good prospects in banking and financial services. Future employment or study options may include:

• Analytics or risk analysis
• Stock brokering
• Fund management
• Investment banking
• Insurance
• Corporate finance
• Economics

View All Modules Here

BSc Economics & Finance (BSS2) Full Time
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

***Fees are subject to change

Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.

UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.

Our optional one-year Internship Programme places successful students with leading companies nationally and internationally. Students may also have the opportunity to work with a voluntary/not-for-profit organisation supported by a scholarship from the School of Business. All placements allow students the opportunity to enhance their business skills outside the classroom and helps inform future career decisions through real-world experience.