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Original poster

Economics degree without maths

63 replies

Bufftailed · 11/07/2025 15:08

Hi all,

My DS is finalising A level options, subject to results. If he doesn’t do maths I can see most of top Unis would be ruled out for Economics, although there are some BA options and joint honours. In terms of job hunting post uni (finance, banking, economics) would be a BA or joint honours hold him back? I don’t know much about these fields so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

OP posts:
RainBow725 · 11/07/2025 16:40

I wouldn’t recommend it. My DS is doing PPE at a RG uni and got an A star for maths at A level and he has found the maths element in his Economics modules very challenging.

Original poster
Bufftailed · 11/07/2025 16:34

Thanks everyone - really useful advice.

DS likes maths but is an all rounder and also likes MFL, history etc. I don’t actually know how much maths economics would involve, my assumption is there are more or less maths based options. He isn’t clear yet about uni, but I want him to understand how A level choices are ruling in or out future options he has mentioned. He has done tasters for Economics A level and bridging work and loved it, but appreciate that is a tiny tip of the iceberg.

OP posts:
Needlenardlenoo · 11/07/2025 16:16

PPE is another route.

MsPengiuns · 11/07/2025 16:16

Not all jobs in finance are maths based - when I worked in risk there were people with maths phds or similar doing country risk calculations. Then we would look at things like property price changes, political events, news, economic variables, stock markets - there were numbers in it but more like making a graph and % changes, GCSE level stuff and it was more writing reports and presenting them and doing events.

Needlenardlenoo · 11/07/2025 16:15

I do have an A-level in Maths but my interest in Economics is on the Humanities side. I got a first class degree (joint honours with History) and have been teaching Economics for 15 years.

Don't believe the quants!

MsPengiuns · 11/07/2025 16:11

He would need to look carefully at course content to see how viable it is without Maths. I did an Economics degree at Cambridge without Maths and you had a Maths test in year 1 which did not count just had to pass and then you could avoid Maths options though was a year 1 stats paper and a year 2 econometrics. Both of those I found fine, econometrics is quite like computing and stats was easy to pick up if you were good at GCSE level Maths.

It won't affect jobs - I have worked as a macroeconomist in banks / finance / civil service / international development and never had an issue with jobs or doing the role. The jobs do require GCSE level maths and stats so better if you have a 9 in that and can do calculations quickly. Accountancy would also be fine to get into. DD is at Oxford doing a joint Economics degree but that did require Maths A level. Joint are generally easier to get offers on and something like Politics would go well. My degree had a lot of history, politics, development economics learning about South America, Russia, Africa etc which was very useful for policy roles and also macroeconomics. I found the heavy maths jobs in finance where done with those with Maths degrees / physics and Maths phds. Econometrics is being increasingly requested and Maths does help with that.

Weerit · 11/07/2025 15:57

Ds did a BSc Econ without Maths or Economics. He failed his Maths in first year - used the resit as an opportunity to really get to grips with the Maths. He ended up with a 2:1 and got a place on a big 4 grad programme. At his graduation- his maths tutor said the Maths in first year was the thing that caused the biggest challenge and they threw loads of resources into it, he was thrilled with dis’s achievement. And whilst ds struggled in year 1 - he smashed year 2, which apparently rarely happens - I’d say it was character forming for him.

Newgirls · 11/07/2025 15:53

If he doesn’t want to do maths why is he thinking economics? It would be a tough career without liking maths.

having said that there are plenty of jobs in ‘business’ that require social/sales skills so he doesn’t have to do a levels he hates to succeed

Original poster
Bufftailed · 11/07/2025 15:52

Needlenardlenoo · 11/07/2025 15:45

Get the Tutor2u guide to Economics at University. It's free and has good advice on this.

Thank you!

OP posts:
clary · 11/07/2025 15:49

I don’t know about employment prospects @Bufftailed, no experience. I do know tho that economics is very competitive as a degree course and know of YP with great grades who did not get offers from certain unis. For BSc tho not BA.

But I wonder why, if not enough if a maths fan to take A level , you would want to do economics at uni? And then a career in finance? Or is BA econ not mathsy at all? I could be wrong so don’t take this as gospel. But if a subject is often needed for a uni course, doesn’t that suggest it’s going to come up? Ds needed a level bio for his degree and biology comes up a lot. Same for dd with Eng lit. Just a thought. No point dong something you don’t like for the rest of your life.

Needlenardlenoo · 11/07/2025 15:45

Get the Tutor2u guide to Economics at University. It's free and has good advice on this.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 11/07/2025 15:14

My DD did a joint honours (IR and Economics) without Maths. She found the Economics hard, and chose her options very carefully. That said, she ended up with a First (this being MN, it goes without saying this was RG). She got a job with one of the Big Four after graduation - and did say that she was the only one in her cohort without Maths (she loathed it, but that’s a different story).