We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2026/27 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2025/26 courses.
Explore how economic theory can be applied to the major domestic and global issues of today – and gain valuable skills in the workplace – with our BA Economics with Placement Year degree.
This four-year course focuses on how economic tools can be applied to different markets and situations. You will acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable you to solve the problems that are challenging policy makers and businesses all over the world.
We also offer a BSc Economics with Placement Year degree at the University of Reading, which covers a narrower range of economic markets and social policy issues but focuses more on techniques for working with data.
Watch a video explaining the differences between our BA and BSc Economics.
Choose economics at the University of Reading
The Reading BA will allow you to understand what’s happening in the world and how policy makers can respond to it: how do economies grow, how can policy makers manage business cycles, is inflation a problem, how can unemployment be reduced, is a five-day week really necessary and so on. You will analyse these issues using a range of economic theories and methods including the theory of games and strategic interactions, natural and behavioural experiments. Your degree will help you to understand the levers of policy and provide policy advice in response to economic problems.
You’ll study practical economic issues and examine the relationship between economics and society more widely, including:
You will also be trained in empirical methods used by professional economists to identify economic relationships and make predictions using different types of data.
Optional modules will bring your studies to life and relate to what is happening outside of the classroom, with interactive modules.
The integrated placement year
Enhance your employability by doing a year-long work placement, in an industrial setting, between your second and final year. A placement is a valuable way to develop your skills, experience the workplace, and build your network.
We have a dedicated placement coordinator who can provide advice and support in your search for a placement.
Our students have undertaken placements with:
For further information, please visit the Department of Economics website.
Our research in the Department of Economics has real-world applications and has informed policy decisions by governments, major multinational organisations, and agencies such as the UN and the World Bank.
At Reading, our researchers are addressing some of the key issues of the twenty-first century, such as the environmental impact of economic growth:
Elsewhere, our innovative research into leisure and sport is providing vital economic insights:
What you study throughout your degree will be aligned with our research clusters, keeping you up to date with the latest developments in economics. This learning is complemented by guest speakers from outside the University and the student-led Economics Society.
Popular modules include:
As well as lectures, you'll take part in small-group tutorials, enabling you to discuss and analyse both theory and practice through case studies, group presentations and open debate.
The Department of Economics will support your learning in several ways:
As part of your degree, you can apply to study for a year or a semester abroad at one of our partner universities in Australia, Canada, the USA, or across Europe.
Visit our Study Abroad website for more information.
