BA (Honours) Business Economics

Year of Entry 2025/26
Students with tablet computer

BA (Honours)

Business Economics

Full-time Economics

Gain the practical skills to apply economic theory to the real world of business, an exciting and challenging fusion of analytical economics and hands-on business insights.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: £9,535 per year (£1,200 for placement year)
    International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year)

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    3 / 4 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    City Campus

  • Bookmark

    What are the entry requirements?

    112-120 UCAS points

  • Checkmark

    What is the UCAS code?

    L100

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2025

  • Avatar

    Placement year available?

    Yes


Employability

76% of our graduates are in highly skilled employment or further study fifteen months after graduating (2020/21 Graduate Outcomes Survey).

ug open day with tef logo final

Come to an open day

Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Book your open day place

Course summary

  • Develop deep analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Gain insights into economics, business and financial markets.
  • Enhance essential communication and teamwork skills for the economist profession.
  • Gain work experience with real-life projects and placements.

You’ll develop a well-rounded knowledge of the subject, exploring the theory and practice of business economics and intertwining them with real-world scenarios. You’ll be introduced to the fundamental concepts in economics that influence the daily choices of individuals, companies and governments – often with far-reaching consequences in global industry and regulatory contexts.


Jon Watson headshot
"Sheffield Hallam helped me to get my dream job at Deloitte."

Jon Watson, BA Business Economics graduate.

Read his story

How you learn

 

You’ll study our BA (Hons) Business Economics course at our Sheffield Business School, rated in the top 6% globally for excellence in teaching and research. Here, you’ll join a global community where business leaders, researchers and 6,500 business students all come together to solve problems and make things better. 

Our academics are highly skilled professionals, bringing their cutting-edge knowledge and diverse experience into the classroom. Not only are they academically qualified – they’ve also worked in various industries, with some actively engaged in current research. 

You learn through:

  • Lectures 
  • Tutorials 
  • IT sessions 
  • Regular formative feedback 
  • Teamwork and group-based learning 
  • Practice-based applied learning 
  • Authentic learning experiences 
  • Engagement with guest lectures 
  • Discussions 
  • Self-managed study
  • Problem-solving
  • Self-development activities

Key Themes

You’ll develop a strong understanding of business, economics and the skills you’ll need to evaluate the impact of economic policies on financial markets and businesses. You’ll learn how and when to use appropriate processes, tools and technologies to analyse economic and business data. With these skills you’ll be able to evaluate market trends, make informed investment decisions and measure their economic impact on businesses.  

As you progress, you’ll further refine these fundamentals through real-world projects, collaborating in teams to create reports, presentations and recommendations inspired by real industry challenges. This hands-on approach and our award-winning supportive learning environment will prepare you for careers in professional economic analysis, business, finance and consultancy – as well as many other sectors of the economy where analytical reasoning and economic knowledge are needed. 

Towards the course's conclusion, you'll undertake a consultancy project for a real organisation, guided by a dedicated project supervisor. In this capstone project, you'll conduct research and apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout your studies.

Course Support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly-skilled, graduate-level employment. This includes: 

  • Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development 
  • Access to our Skills Centre for support with one-to-ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments and assessment preparation 
  • Industry-specific employability activities, including work placements, live projects, simulated learning environments and networking opportunities

Course leaders and tutors

No photo of Dr Amr Saber Algarhi found
Dr Amr Saber Algarhi
Senior Lecturer in Economics

Dr Algarhi is currently a Lecturer in Business Economics at Sheffield Business School. He teaches Econometrics, Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics and Maths for Econo … Read more

Applied learning

Live Projects

In your final year of the course, you'll engage in real client-based projects, performing research and analysis to generate findings and recommendations that address client business problems. You’ll present your findings to the client, gaining valuable experience of professional practice.

Previous students have undertaken projects for various organisations, including HSBC, the Bank of England, Costa Coffee, Sheffield City Council, Liberty Steel and the RSPCA.

Additionally, many smaller organisations have also benefited from our students' contributions. It's worth noting that students have often secured permanent employment contracts with host companies as a direct result of the outstanding work they've performed on these live projects.

Work Placements

Between your second and third years of the course, you'll have the opportunity to embark on a sandwich placement – a vital step in preparing for your future career within the industry you've been studying.

During this placement, you'll gain practical skills, including proficiency in new software, managing marketing campaigns, developing pricing strategies, optimising business processes, achieving sales targets and crafting financial reports. This hands-on experience will equip you with valuable workplace insights to enhance your readiness for your future career – as well as an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.

Our dedicated placement team will provide guidance and support at every stage, from your initial application to the successful completion of your placement.

Previous students have secured positions at organisations such as Investec, Adidas, Airbus UK, the NHS, the Metropolitan Police, Bosch, Lloyds Bank, PwC, HSBC and Santander.

Networking Opportunities 

Throughout the course, there are numerous opportunities for you to engage with career planning and development, career fairs and workshops, employer presentations, field visits and professional career advisers. 

These are all great chances to enhance your confidence, skills development and future employability.


Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in:  

  • Economics 
  • Business consultancy
  • Business management  
  • Financial consultancy
  • Public services

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for: 

  • PwC
  • GE
  • Lloyds Bank
  • The Civil Service (e.g. Department for Work and Pensions)
  • Investec
  • Airbus UK
  • Adidas
  • The NHS
  • The Metropolitan Police
  • Bosch
  • HSBC
  • Santander
Graduate View
Khair

"My journey at Sheffield Hallam University was more than an academic pursuit - it was a transformative experience that empowered me to think independently, embrace challenges, and discover my true potential."

Khair Noor Hisham studied BA (Honours) Business Economics at Sheffield Hallam, he now works at RHB Bank in Malaysia as a Senior Marketing Executive.

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

City Campus map | City Campus tour 


City Campus map
Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

Get directions
students working on computers in the library
Adsetts library

Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

Learn more

Equipment and facilities

Construction of the new Sheffield Business School is underway – providing state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities and social space to students. 

On this course, you’ll have access to: 

  • Our virtual learning environment – Blackboard sites 
  • Updated office software 
  • Accounting software 
  • Bloomberg terminals 
  • Our financial trading floor  
  • A physical and online library with databases and digital books, journals, newspapers, and magazines

Entry requirements

All students

UCAS points

  • 112-120

This must include at least 64 points from 2 A Levels or equivalent BTEC qualifications. For example:

  • BBC-BBB at A Level
  • DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma
  • Merit overall from a T level qualification
  • A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies

GCSE

  • English language or literature at grade C or 4
  • Maths at grade D or 3

GCSE equivalents

  • Level 2 Literacy or Functional Skills Level 2 English
  • Level 2 Numeracy or Functional Skills Level 2 Maths

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.

• Access - an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

• entry with prior credit - we consider applications for direct entry to the final year from those holding Higher National Diplomas or equivalent qualifications

If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

We welcome applications from people of any age. We may be flexible in our normal offer if you can show a commitment to succeed and have the relevant skills and experience. This must show that you will benefit from and finish the course successfully.

Additional information for EU/International students

This course is not open to international students who require a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK. If you are an international applicant but do not require a Tier 4 (General) student visa, email our Admissions Team to find out whether you’re eligible to apply.


Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Data Analysis For Economics And Business
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Maths For Economics
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Principles Of Micro And Macro Economics
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Understanding People And Cultures
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Economic Analysis And Policy
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(40%) , Exam(60%)
Multinational Enterprises And Foreign Direct Investment
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(40%) , Exam(60%)
Principles Of Management Decision Making
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Alternative Perspectives In Economics
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Cyber Crime
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Fraud Analytics
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Global Climate Emergency
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Study Abroad - Sheffield Business School
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 3

Optional modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Placement Year
Credits -
Assessment
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Advanced Issues In Economics
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(40%) , Exam(60%)
Behavioural Economics
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Consultancy Project
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Strategy In The Global And Digital Environment
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

Students sat on a sofa

Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

Learn more

Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Business School (PDF, 142KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

Apply now via UCAS

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

Come to an open day Ask a question

Why choose us?

A trophy icon

Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

A bed icon

Accommodation

We guarantee to find you an affordable place to live that’s close to campus and comes with all bills included

An office building icon

Excellence

Graduate from Sheffield Business School – rated in the top 6% globally for excellence in teaching and research

Where next?

Want to know more about Sheffield Hallam? Get your questions answered with our tips, guides and information.

Image of students in a UG open day

Come to an open day

Meet our students and staff, see our campuses and accommodation, and get all the information you need.

Book now
UG prospectus

Order a prospectus

Find out everything you need to know about studying at Sheffield Hallam.

Order undergraduate prospectus
Accommodation buildings

Find accommodation

We guarantee accommodation for all first year students. All of our halls are in popular student areas, and close to our campuses.

Find your home from home

Cancel event

Are you sure you want to cancel your place on Saturday 12 November?

Close