Sub sections:

Economics Discipline

Description

Economics is centrally concerned with the relationship between scarce means and unlimited wants charateristic of the human condition. It examines economic relationships from both a microeconomic perspective [i.e. at the level of the individual consumer and producer] and a macroeconomic perspective [i.e. at the level of the economy as a whole]. While economic theory is concerned with explaining the behavioural implications of relative scarcity, economic policy focusses on measures designed to reduce the extent of scarcity and to alter the burden of scarcity amongst members of society. A degree in economics prepares students for positions in the private sector, especially in the banking and finance industry, and in the public sector, at the local, state and federal government levels. Former UNE economics graduates occupy numerous top jobs in Australia and elsewhere, and a UNE economics degree enjoys an enviable reputation both nationally and internationally.

It is possible to study economics at UNE in a wide range of degree programs. Undergraduates wishing to specialise in economics should complete an economics major within the three-year Bachelor of Economics program or a business economics major within the three-year Bachelor of Business program. These majors build on compulsory units in microeconomics and macroeconomics, and provide opportunities for further study in areas such as international trade and payments, banking and finance and labour economics.

The Bachelor of Economics with Honours program offers a fourth year of specialised training in economics. It seeks to equip students with the advanced knowledge and research skills appropriate for a career as a professional economist. This program can also provide a gateway to candidature for a Masters or PhD degree in economics.