Why is something as superfluous as diamonds so costly, but something as essential as water so cheap? How can the cost of the coffee beans make up only a few cents of the price of a cup of coffee? With the world’s highest minimum wage rate, can Australia ever compete with low wage countries?

 The ANU Bachelor of Economics provides a framework and a way of thinking to help answer questions like these. Your coursework will span economics (both theory and applied), economic history, and econometrics while developing your analytical problem-solving and quantitative skills.

 Whether working as an economist or in some other role, your Bachelor of Economics degree and training will be sought after.

Economics provides a foundation for careers in:

• Public policy
• International development
• Business and management
• Government and politics
• Law
• Finance and insurance
• Teaching and education
• Marketing and tourism

Examples of job titles in economics are listed below.

* Government Departments

Australian and overseas governments provide many career paths for economists.  Departments like Finance, Treasury, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Productivity Commission and the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics recruit heavily from the ANU.  Economists are also much in demand in other government departments dealing with issues such as Trade, Education, Employment and Social Security. 

* Business and Management

Firms recruit economists because their advice is vital to businesses in understanding their business environment, how competitors react, and how changes in things such as interest rates, oil prices, exchange rates and consumer demand are likely to affect the business.  Consultancy and accounting firms employ economists to advise their clients which include both private firms and governments.

* International Agencies

International agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and Oxfam recruit economists to advise them on the effects of policy changes, financial crises and conflicts in one part of the global economy on another, as they are transmitted through trade and financial flows.  Economists advise on trade policy and macroeconomic policy coordination.

* Resource and Environmental Economist

Economists are employed to study natural resource use and environmental problems and their relationship to economic behaviour.  Employers include mining firms and regulatory agencies.  Economists contribute to the better management of natural resources and improving the global environment.

* Schools and Universities

There is a thriving national and international market for academic economists in High Schools / Colleges and Universities.

* Finance and Banking

Financial institutions including Banks, and in particular the Reserve Bank of Australia, actively recruit economists to advise them on the state of the economy and on risks from factors such as interest rate changes and exchange rate movements.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Economics, graduates will be able to:

1. to solve economic problems using analytical reasoning;
2. apply economic analysis to a wide variety of economic issues;
3. use basic empirical estimation techniques to test economic predictions;
4. provide insight into the way that households and individuals make decisions and interact, and the role of government in providing public goods and regulating the market sector;
5. learn how to communicate rigorous economic analysis in a coherent way