BA (Honours) International Finance and Economics
Four years full-time (including one year work placement) or three years full-time
UCAS code • NL31
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Accounting, banking and finance
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Watch videos of undergraduate students talking about our accounting, banking and finance courses.
View a 360 degree tour of the Stoddart lecture theatre. The lecture theatre is housed within the Stoddart Building, which is home of the Sheffield Business School and in the heart of the city centre.
Watch videos of our students talking about their work placements and the benefits they've gained.
Read about the extras we embed into the course to enhance your study experience and to give you greater employability and technical skills.
At a glance
Gain a detailed knowledge of economics and learn how to apply its principles to the everyday operations of financial institutions and business processes. You learn the key skills required by employers and then have the opportunity to apply them during a year in industry with major employers such as the Treasury and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Key points
• Learn from tutors that have real world finance and economics experience and have held senior roles in some of the world's largest organisations.
• Attend lectures given by industry specialists, such as HSBC's senior economist along with speakers from other blue chip companies and key professional bodies.
• Apply your taught concepts and ideas to real world scenarios through case studies.
• Complete a placement and take the opportunity to work with major employers such as the HM Treasury.
What is international finance and economics?
This course is subdivided into microeconomics, which examines the behaviour of firms, consumers and the role of government; and macroeconomics, which looks at inflation, unemployment, industrial production, and the role of government alongside a wider understanding of financial markets, organisations and roles.
This course
Gain a detailed knowledge of economics and learn how to apply its principles to the everyday operations of financial institutions and business processes. You study both finance and economics to gain a wider understanding of the corporate world and international financial markets. Thanks to the international focus of the course, it is well suited for study by international and UK students.
In the first year, you get a broad grounding in finance and related topics, to ensure that you have a sound platform on which to build. Throughout your course we regularly provide you with opportunities to develop your IT and numerical skills.
In your second year you start to specialise and focus on different forms and concepts of economics whilst also studying more in-depth finance modules.
You can apply what you have learnt so far on a work placement during your third year. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable insight into the workings of an organisation and increase your career potential. You build professional relationships with potential employers that can lead to the offer of a permanent job after you graduate.
Previous placement employers have included large organisations such as HM Treasury, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Mercedes AMG.
All students returning from placement study the career management and professional development module. This module asks students to reflect upon their placement experiences and plan future career moves. Students who don't go on placement take a period of work-based learning in their final year.
If you study the financial services regulation and ethics module and gain a mark of more than 60%, you can complete a Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) exam as part of your degree. We pay for your tuition material, the exam and student membership of the CISI.
Key areas of study
This course gives you an in-depth knowledge of economics and finance and covers key areas such as • financial and management information • macro-economics • micro-economics • industrial economics • international financial markets • contemporary issues in micro-economics.
Enhanced study experience
We embed a wide range of extras into your course to enhance your study experience and to give you greater employability and technical skills after graduating. Visit the enhanced study media box to view examples of our many initiatives.
Students on this course can win cash prizes for outstanding academic achievement which are sponsored by institutions such as Investec.
Find out more about BA (Honours) International Finance and Economics
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
For 2013 entry, membership of a professional body is included in the course fee.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• examinations • coursework • computer-based assignments • group assessments • presentations • multiple choice tests • case study assessments
Find out about work placements and how we can support your placement experience.
Optional year-long work placements are normally gained by competitive interview and are not a guaranteed part of a course.
Key Information Set 
About our courses (1:08)
In this video, undergraduate student Nick Thompson talks about our course covers both practical and theoretical aspects of the sector, preparing you well for a finanacial career.
Benefits of a placement year (1:48)
Nick discusses the optional placement year and modules studies throughout his course. Nick chose to go on placement at Redmayne Bentley Stockbrokers, Leeds.
Favourite project (0:25)
Nick talks about the favourite project he has completed, which involves him setting up a finance and investment society.
Student support (0:21)
As someone with dyslexia, Nick talks about the extra support he receives for assignment work and exams.
Elizabeth Bada (3:14)
Undergraduate student Elizabeth Bada talks about her course and how it has prepared her for a financial career.
Stoddart lecture theatre
This is the Stoddart lecture theatre. The lecture theatre is housed within the Stoddart Building, which is home of the Sheffield Business School.
Lauren Haggar – part 1 (1:29)
Lauren Haggar talks about her experiences on placement at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the benefits she's gained from it.
Download the video transcript (DOC, 78KB).
Andy Ward, PricewaterhouseCoopers Director, and Lauren Haggar (1:53)
Andy Ward, a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, talks about the relationship the company has with Sheffield Hallam and why they choose our graduates.
Lauren Haggar also talks about her experiences on placement at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the benefits she's gained from it.
Download the video transcript (DOC, 79KB).
Placement opportunities at Coats Plc (2:32)
Find out about the placement opportunities at Coats Plc.
Elizabeth Bada (3:13)
Elizabeth Bada talks about her experiences on placement at Coats Plc and the benefits she’s gained from it.
Enhanced study experience
These are examples of some of the extras we embed into the course to enhance your study experience and to give you greater employability and technical skills after graduating.
The Sewell Academy
All final students attend the Sewell Recruitment Academy as part of their course giving them an excellent basis on which to gain employment after graduting. This involves attending a number of sessions throughout the academic year to get career advice, CV help, job searching tips and guest talks from prominent local recruiters. Sessions are run from a specialist financial recruitment company. We are the only university with such an arrangement and there have been a number of notable successes, such as students gaining prominent positions in global companies, as a direct result of this programme.
Excel training
All students gain additional training on the more advanced tools in preparation for placement and graduate roles. This is achieved through a number of half day masterclasses held in semester two. Excel is widely used throughout the business world and by having advanced skills we try to ensure our graduates are one step ahead of the competition.
Professional Body Certification
All students will be able to gain additional professional body accreditation. Our innovative partnership with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) will enable you to demonstrate to both placement and other employers your ability to pass professional examinations. In the current climate this is a major way that you can differentiate yourself to potential employers.
Student Finance Society
Students are encouraged to take part in the Finance and Investment Society which arranges guest speakers, trips and social events. The society also organises a finance careers event where all the major professional bodies attend along with key employers such as KMPG, Aviva, Grant Thornton and the Cooperative Bank. It gives students an opportunity to discuss future career plans and find out about the latest placement and graduate vacancies.
Maths help
Many think accountancy and finance is maths and yet this really isn’t the case, however any role in finance will involve numbers. We have a comprehensive range of support in place to help students enhance their numeracy skills. All students have access to further support through one-to-one help and drop in sessions to improve skills and confidence.
Links to business
We have a comprehensive range of links to regional, national and international companies. This ensures that • our courses stay up to date • a range of guest lectures are embedded in modules • a number of companies recruit directly from us for internship’s • we maintain our excellent reputation with business which enhances your job prospects.
