Course details

Summary

Economics is the study of how people behave. Every day, people and society are confronted by choices. Should you go to university or start a career? What should you do with your next dollar? Should the government raise the minimum wage, or not? How do we address the big issues in the world such as poverty and climate change?

Choices involve trade-offs where we are choosing between two things. The outcomes of choices have both costs and benefits to consider. Economics is the study of how people and societies make such decisions in the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Why study Economics at UC?

At UC, students can specialise in Economics or study it alongside other disciplines. As Economics can be studied as part of an Arts, Commerce or Science degree, you can decide which combination suits your personal strengths and interests best. Common combinations include studying Economics with Finance, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology and Mathematics. Students who wish to combine the study of Economics with another business discipline as part of a commerce degree, may be interested in the Business Economics major.

Recommended preparation

While previous study of economics is useful preparation, it is not essential to have studied this subject at secondary school.

Students can study Economics without having to take any mathematics. However, students who wish to keep open the option of progressing to postgraduate study in Economics are strongly advised to include calculus, statistics and modelling in their Year 13 programme.

A broad education, including history and English, is useful to develop the ability to write clearly and analyse written material.

Qualification structure and duration

The three year BCom degree requires a minimum total of 360 points:

at least 255 points of Commerce courses (up to 60 points of Mathematics and/or Statistics at 100 or 200-level may be included in the 255 points)

the remaining 105 points can be from commerce courses or courses from other degrees.

A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine a commerce degree with other degrees; a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws is a highly marketable combination. The Bachelor of Commerce also combines well with the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Forestry Science and Bachelor of Engineering with Honours.

Career opportunities

Graduates in Economics find employment in many areas of government and business, where it is recognised that an economist's education provides valuable specialist training for a professional career as well as good general preparation and background for an executive, entrepreneurial or administrative career.

The increasingly large volume of information available to decision makers has created a demand for people with well-developed quantitative analysis skills, such as those developed in econometrics.

Professional economists are employed to conduct research and give advice on economic matters in various organisations such as government ministries and state-owned enterprises (eg, Treasury, Health, Social Development, Agriculture and Forestry, and Foreign Affairs and Trade). Graduates also find work in marketing organisations, the Reserve Bank, Statistics New Zealand, trading and merchant banks, stock broking, insurance, trade commissions, local authorities, market research and other consultancies, and large businesses.

Those who are passionate about economics and education can also go on to teaching careers in schools or universities.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.