Joint Honours

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. Specialisation will usually occur during a Bachelors degree but will become more significant at Postgraduate level where students pursue their specific area of interest.

Will the two halves fit perfectly? Photo by boribakter on stock.xchng

However, there is another option, a Joint Honours. A joint honours is offered at the bachelor level and allows students to study two subjects together. They 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 6 different modules per year, a single honours student would do all six in economics whereas a joint honours student would do 3 in economics and 3 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.

Within the first few weeks of term, students often swap and change their course. Institutions expect and anticipate this. It's also possible to change later on in the year (see our diary extract from David). Don't be afraid to ask: your University will want what is best for you and, if you are in doubt, you can visit a student advisor.