Most courses use a combination of lectures and seminars. A lecture consists mainly of a delivery by the lecturer and is given to all students on the subject at the same time. Seminars are classes of typically between 10 and 25 students. They consist of going through various questions or problems, either as the whole group or in small sub-groups of two to five students. Alternatively students might give presentations or take part in various other activities, such as role playing or debates. Another type of class that is commonly used is workshops for groups of 25 or more, where students work through problems individually or in small groups, with tutors giving help where required and possibly going through answers from the front.
On a full-time course, you will be expected to work about 40 hours per week. Of these, classes (lectures, seminars, etc.) will take up about 8 to 12 hours and the remainder should be set aside for private study. In general, the more hours you put in, the better you can be expected to do. Of course it's not just the number of hours you study that is important, it's also a question of how efficiently and effectively you work. Most universities offer students help in developing effective study methods and you are advised to take advantage of these.
Economics degrees build up your knowledge and understanding as you work through each year. Successive years build on work done in the previous years. Some of this progressive 'building' involves taking subjects deeper; often the same topics are revisited, but examined in greater depth. Some involves applying general theories learnt in one year to specific options studied in the next.
This varies from degree to degree and it is important that you investigate the extent of maths involved to suit your abilities and interests. All economics degrees will require you to be comfortable in handing data and in learning various formulae. On many joint honours degrees, however, the level of maths is relatively low and goes little beyond basic algebra and arithmetic. On most degrees, however, you will learn a range of mathematical and statistical techniques that are relevant to analysing economic data and for building economic theories. On some degrees, the amount of maths required is considerable, and some degrees have A-level maths as an entry requirement.
The results of the National Students Survey, conducted by Economics LTSN in 2002, show that more than three out of four students were satisfied with their economics courses. Students tend to agree with the statements that their economics courses are intellectually stimulating, sharpen their analytical and problem-solving skills, provide them with information that is needed to complete the course, help them to develop the ability to plan their own work and bring them overall satisfaction.
Some universities offer the opportunity for students on economics degrees to spend part of their time studying abroad. This will normally be for a whole year or for one semester and will count as part of the degree. On some economics and modern languages or business courses, there is the opportunity for students to study a placement year abroad, normally with an employer. In such cases, the placement year is in addition to the normal time spent studying on the degree.
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