Economics is a flexible subject with its ‘fingers in many pies’. What is really good about this is that you are very likely to find an area which specifically interests you, allowing you to study it in more detail.
If you’d like to do Economics with another subject, a Joint Honours might be the answer. Joint Honours are offered at the bachelor level and allow students to study two subjects together. These are usually split 50:50 so half of your time will be spent studying each subject. However, check with the institution as some offer major/minors which mean 75% of your time will be spent on one subject and 25% on another.
Joint honours allow you to study and explore two different subjects. Single honours students will explore one subject but with a wider berth. For example, if your institution operates under the idea that each degree title will teach six different modules per year, a single honours student would do all six in economics whereas a joint honours student would do three in economics and three in their other subject area.
So what are the drawbacks? A joint honours student won’t have the same choice as a single honours, some modules may have pre-requisites that you couldn’t study, your knowledge will be the same as single honours students but only in the modules you have studied.
And the benefits? By choosing a joint honours scheme you can have a firm insight into two different areas and will often approach each subject a little differently from other, single honours, students. Subjects which are closely related will often tie into one another, for example if you chose to do Economics and Finance your financial knowledge would certainly help with your economics.
The malleability of economics allows it to be combined with many different subjects. Some of the more popular ones are:
- Business
- Accounting
- Finance
- Politics
- Marketing
- A foreign language
What about a dissertation? It seems a long way off to you now but a dissertation is an important part of a degree. In most institutions that offer joint honours, a dissertation will be an option rather then a mandatory component. This means you may be able to opt to do no dissertation at all or one for your chosen area.
However, this is where economics comes into its element as it is applicable to so many subject areas. If your dissertation analysed different political UK leaders in the twentieth century, economics would be paramount. If you were analysing a new marketing scheme for a firm, its benefits would be measured economically. If you were analysing environmental constraints on farmers, economics would be key. Incorporating the two aspects of your degree into one dissertation is made a lot easier if economics is one of your chosen subjects.