Program Overview

Postgraduate Economics Pre-sessional Course

The Postgraduate Economics Pre-sessional Course is a flexible distance-learning program designed to prepare students for studying economics at a postgraduate level. The course is offered by the Department of Economics and Related Studies and is aimed at students who do not have an economics background.

Course Overview

The course covers key topics in Mathematics, Statistics, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics, providing students with a solid foundation in economics. The course materials are available through the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and students have the opportunity to collaborate with classmates and tutors through online discussion forums. Live Zoom sessions are also held at regular intervals throughout the course.

Course Structure

The course is a three-week online summer course, taking place from 24 August to 11 September 2026. Applications close at 17:00 BST on 17 August 2026.

Fees

The Economics Pre-sessional Course Fee is £1,100.

What You'll Study

You'll study a range of topics, including:

• Mathematics:
  • Basic Mathematical Concepts
  • Functions
  • Equations
  • Differential Calculus
  • Constrained Optimisation
• Statistics:
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Discrete Random Variables
  • Continuous Random Variables
  • Estimation
  • Hypothesis Testing
  • Correlation and Regression
  • STATA
• Microeconomics:
  • Fundamental Concepts
  • Demand and Supply
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • The Theory of the Firm
  • Competition
  • Monopoly & Oligopoly
• Macroeconomics:
  • Basic Definitions
  • Aggregate Supply and Aggregate Demand
  • Economic Growth

Completing Your Course

If you complete the coursework to a high standard, you'll be given a certificate of attendance, with a certificate of completion issued when you pass. Successful completion of this course enables you to accept your offer to study one of our taught Masters degrees.

Support

You'll be supported by a personal supervisor, who will follow your progress online. You'll also have access to online discussion boards, which are a great place to interact with other students and share knowledge.

Time Differences

Our online courses are designed so that you can manage your study, regardless of time differences. Live sessions on the course will be timetabled according to UK time and will accommodate reasonable time differences.

Department of Economics and Related Studies

The Department of Economics and Related Studies is committed to excellence, equality, and opportunity for all. The department holds an Athena Swan Bronze Award in recognition of its commitment to gender equality and is pioneering academics making groundbreaking contributions in areas including economic theory, econometrics, finance, and macroeconomics. The department is ranked 14th in the UK for research in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework REF (2021).