Economics

Why study Economics at Emmanuel College?

The Economics course is determined by the Faculty of Economics, so what you study will be essentially the same, regardless of the College you join. However, Emmanuel economics  has a long tradition of supporting students to develop the full range of knowledge and skills used by successful economists. As well as the ability to undertake mathematical modelling and sophisticated data analysis, this includes knowledge involving political economy and economic history, critical perspectives on orthodox economic theory, and the vital skill of explaining economic analysis to non-economists.

What might a typical day look like study Economics at Emmanuel College?

Economists usually have lectures in the morning, while most supervisions are in the afternoon. There are around 10-12 hours of lectures a week, less in the Easter term.

There are on average 2 supervisions a week. Virtually all supervisions require students to complete written work in advance – mostly technical and mathematical questions on economic theories and models, but sometimes essays. Students have a lot of flexibility about when to do this work, so it is possible to combine Tripos study with a range of extracurricular activities.

What qualities do successful economics students have?

The most successful students are likely to be strongly motivated to engage with the lecture material and supervision questions. They will be organised and have good time management skills. They will be open-minded about new ideas, approaches and methods, different to their prior understanding of what is ‘economics’. They will be willing to take time to develop both their mathematical and essay-writing skills through practice. Of course this describes the ‘perfect student’ and none of us is perfect!

Where could an Economics degree lead me?

Economics graduates go on to a wide range of jobs, but especially to jobs in finance, government, technology and industry. While the Economics course at Cambridge is not focused upon business or management, it nevertheless teaches some skills which are valuable in any working environment and which make economics graduates attractive to employers. Just as the Economics course can encompass many different interests and views, so the careers followed by Economics graduates are extremely varied.