Bachelor of Economics

About Economics at UNSW 

Economics is an influential social science which explores how society can best use finite resources - like time, money and effort. Economics is not just about money, but about improving wellbeing. This degree will teach you powerful concepts and develop your skills in logical reasoning, mathematics, statistics and communication that you can use to ask and address important questions about the behaviour of people and organisations in business, families, and society at large. UNSW Sydney’s Bachelor of Economics is a renowned professional qualification. Graduates possess skills and insights required by decision-makers in business and government worldwide. This degree also offers the flexibility to expand your core business knowledge by completing a second major.

Your Specialisation

Specialise in one area of economics or choose to pursue an additional economics or business field.

The economics majors are:

The business majors are:

Worldwide, we rank in the top 20 for Accounting and Finance, and top 50 for Business and Management studies, Economics and Econometrics. We’re also rated “well above world standard” for Economics by the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) government assessment.

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Graduation Cap

The number of people working as Economists (in their main job) grew very strongly over the past 5 years and is expected to grow over the next 5 years: from 6,300 in 2018 to 6,700 by 2023. Source

Medal Glyph

Most Economists are hired on a full-time basis (84%) which is much higher than the average of 66%. Employers look for Economists who have strong attention to detail and can work well in a team. Source

Gain Practical Skills & Accreditation 
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Develop analytical techniques and discover how the individual decision–making of groups can impact a global community. You’ll measure, quantify and analyse statistical economic information. You’ll also understand how the broad political and business environments relate to the economy, learn to price financial market instruments and manage risk for firms and individuals.

Our degrees include up to two for-credit industry experiences, such as internships or global business practicums. These professional development opportunities complement your studies, build connections to industry and give you a clear advantage after graduation.

Depending on your major and course selection you may meet the education requirements for professional bodies including Australian Human Resources Institute (Human resource Management, Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Finance) and Financial Advisor Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) (Finance). 

Your Career Opportunities 
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With highly transferable skills in analysis and statistics, you can move across the private sector, financial institutions and government departments. Use Career Accelerator, a suite of professional development opportunities exclusive to UNSW Business School students, to access:

  • Global work and study experiences
  • Internships integrated with the degree for course credit
  • Career mentors and industry networks

UNSW supports start-ups, with more founders than any other Australian university and 300+ student clubs to find co-founders (and friends). We’re one of Asia-Pacific’s best business schools, with more than 90,000 alumni worldwide who could be connections to your future career.

Our graduates have exceptional employability rates, performing well above the national average. Most of our students are employed full-time within four months of graduating and earn a higher wage than most business and management graduates.

Relevant Roles

UNSW Economics graduates are keenly sought after by policymakers in government at all levels, private sector employers in all industries, not-for-profits and international organisation for roles such as:

  • Business Analyst
  • Economic Forecaster
  • Graduate Economist
  • Management Consultant
  • Policy Adviser
  • Statistical Analyst
  • Superannuation Adviser

What Our Graduates Say 

“I wanted a deeper understanding of how the world works so I could contribute to solving some of the world’s key challenges. This inspired me to study the forces that shape our economy.”

- James Humpherson, Bachelor of Economics / Bachelor of Commerce graduate

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