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.

Can you see yourself jet-setting the globe with a career in analytics, trade, foreign affairs, journalism, international business or research? You have found the right degree. ANU is a leader in the field of International Relations. The Bachelor of International Relations will give you world-class training in International Relations, providing the skills and background you need to understand the complex and exciting world of international affairs. Our program:

• provides an overview of the historical and intellectual background of international relations which focuses on the interaction of state and non-state actors globally across many dimensions – cultural, economic, environmental, and military to name a few;
• gives you an in-depth understanding of contemporary debates and challenges in international relations, as well as hands-on experience in policy analysis and data literacy which will prove highly useful in the workplace of tomorrow; and
• offers opportunities to study more specialised topics such as geopolitics and great power rivalry, international organisations, empire, terrorism, and human rights.

Bachelor of International Relations students can pursue many additional options, including language study, going on exchange or doing an international/national internship.

Employment Opportunities

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.

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

1. Solve economic problems using analytical reasoning.
2. Apply economic analysis to a wide variety of transdisciplinary issues.
3. Use basic empirical estimation techniques to test predictions pertaining to multiple disciplinary areas.
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. Communicate effectively rigorous economic analysis in a coherent way to multidisciplinary stakeholders.

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the international system's historical development and contemporary status: its principal events, actors, ideas, institutions, and outcomes of interest;
2. apply the key international relations theories and concepts to historical and contemporary cases, across multiple issue-areas;
3. demonstrate knowledge of a specific region/historical era of relevance to international relations; apply international relations theories and concepts to that region/era; reflect critically on the theories' applicability and explanatory power;
4. apply analytical tools from political science and other social sciences to the evaluation of international phenomena across of a wide variety of issue-areas that are relevant to scholars and policymakers; and
5. communicate and debate both orally and in writing, and work with others, using a wide variety of media.

Further Information

Students in the Bachelor of Economics (a single or a combined degree with Economics) are not eligible to take Economic Studies major or/and minor.

Electives:  Electives can be selected from CBE or other Colleges.

Students wishing to undertake an out of college elective may contact the relevant College directly.

Student Responsibility:

It is the student's responsibility to select electives in such a way that:

• they satisfy prerequisites for the corresponding course/s.
• they conform to the rules set out in Programs and Courses or, if unsure, seek advice from the CBE office .

It is the student's responsibility to select the courses appropriate for his/her program.

Students in the Bachelor of Economics (a single or a combined degree with Economics) are not eligible to take Economic Studies major or/and minor.

Electives:  Electives can be selected from CBE or other Colleges.

Students wishing to undertake an out of college elective may contact the relevant College directly.

Student Responsibility:

It is the student's responsibility to select electives in such a way that:

• they satisfy prerequisites for the corresponding course/s.
• they conform to the rules set out in Programs and Courses or, if unsure, seek advice from the CBE office .

It is the student's responsibility to select the courses appropriate for his/her program.

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

There are no formal program prerequisites. But assumed knowledge is:-ACT: Mathematical Methods (Major)/Further Mathematics/Specialist Mathematics (major)/ Specialist Methods or NSW: HSC Mathematics Advanced or equivalent. More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here.

Adjustment Factors

Adjustment factors are combined with an applicant's secondary education results to determine their Selection Rank. ANU offers adjustment factors based on equity, diversity, and/or performance principles, such as for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.

To be eligible for adjustment factors, you must have:

• achieved a Selection Rank of 70 or more before adjustment factors are applied
• if you have undertaken higher education, completed less than one year full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) of a higher education program
• applied for an eligible ANU bachelor degree program

Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Economics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

42 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

ECON1101 Microeconomics 1

ECON2101 Microeconomics 2

ECON3101 Microeconomics 3

ECON3102 Macroeconomics 3

EMET1001 Foundations of Economic and Financial Models

EMET2007 Econometrics I: Econometric Methods

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of a course from the following list:

ECON1100 Economics I (H)

ECON1102 Macroeconomics 1

6 units from completion of a course from the following list:

ECON2016 Economics II (H)

ECON2102 Macroeconomics 2

minimum 12 units of Transdisciplinary courses:

CBEA2001 Indigenous Perspectives in Business and Economics

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy: Past and Present

ECHI3009 World Economy Since 1800

ECON2013 Behavioral Economics

ECON2014 Managerial Economics

ECON2108 Japanese Economy and Political Economy

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

ECON2900 Development Poverty and Famine

ECON3004 Health Economics

ECON3006 Financial Economics

ECON3127 Computational Methods in Economics

ECON3128 Resource and Environmental Economics

ECON3180 Advanced Behavioural Economics

ECON3023 Economic Policy Issues

minimum 18 units of the following courses:

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy: Past and Present

ECHI3009 World Economy Since 1800

ECON1100 Economics 1 (H)

ECON2009 Labour Economics and Industrial Relations Policy

ECON2013 Behavioral Economics

ECON2014 Managerial Economics

ECON2026 Money and Banking

ECON2091 The Economy, Politics and the State

ECON2108 Japanese Economy and Political Economy

ECON2125 Optimisation

ECON2131 Public Sector Economics

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

ECON2900 Development Poverty and Famine

ECON3004 Health Economics

ECON3006 Financial Economics

ECON3057 Industrial Organisation

ECON3100 Economics 3 (H)

ECON3103 International Economics

ECON3127 Computational Methods in Economics

ECON3128 Resource and Environmental Economics

ECON3152 Game Theory

ECON3180 Advanced Behavioural Economics

ECON3023 Economic Policy Issues

EMET3004 Econometrics II: Modelling

EMET3006 Applied Microeconomics

EMET3007 Business and Economic Forecasting

EMET3008 Applied Macro and Financial Economics

maximum 12 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU, which may include courses from the following course codes:

BUSI, BUSN, CBEA, COMP, ECHI, ECON, EMET, FINM, INFS, MATH, MGMT, MKTG, STAT

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective.

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

The Bachelor of International Relations flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

18 units from completion of the following compulsory introductory and methods courses:

POLS1002 Introduction to Politics

POLS1005 Introduction to International Relations

POLS1009 Introduction to Data and Methods for Political Science and International Relations

A minimum of 18 and a maximum of 24 units from the completion of courses in the following list:

POLS2017 International Relations Theory

POLS2094 International Political Economy

POLS2132 War and International Relations

POLS2133 Global Cooperation and Institutions

A minimum of 6 units from the completion of courses in the following list:

POLS2044 Quantitative Methods in Politics and International Relations

POLS2045 Qualitative Methods in Politics and International Relations

POLS2137 Meaning in Politics: Interpretation, Method and Critique

A maximum of 6 units from the completion of the following International Relations and Social Science Breadth courses:

ECON1101 Microeconomics 1

ENVS1003 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research

HIST2110 Approaches to History

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

STST1001 Introduction to Strategic Studies

SOCR1001 Foundations of Social Research

Or any other 2000-level POLS course with permission

24 units from the completion of the following 3000 level courses, of which:

A minimum of 12 units must come from the completion of courses on the following International Relations Depth list:

POLS3001 Foreign Policy

POLS3032 The Politics of Empire

POLS3035 Norms and International Law in World Politics

POLS3036 Terrorism

POLS3113 Human Rights 

POLS3136 Power and Influence in World Politics

A maximum of 12 units from the completion of courses on the following Social Science Depth list:

ENVS3033 International Environmental Policy

INTR3001 Humanitarianism: Principles, Politics, Practice

INTR3002 Global Institutions in the Asia-Pacific

STST3002 Australia’s Security in the Asian Century

STST3003 Honeypots and Overcoats: Australian Intelligence in the World

Or any other POLS 3000-level course

6 units from the completion of a course from the following Area Expertise list:

ASIA2041 Mainland Southeast Asia: Colonial and Postcolonial Predicaments

ASIA2067 Asian Economies

ASIA2093 Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2301 Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific

DEMO2003 Migration in the Modern World

HIST1209 Terror to Terrorism

HIST1214 Empires in Global History

HIST2136 World at War, 1939-1945

HIST2141 The Cold War: 1945-1989

HIST2214 The Great War: The Conflict that Changed the World

INTR2010 International Relations in the Asia-Pacific

INTR2012 Chinese Foreign and Security Policy

INTR2014 Indian Foreign and Security Policy

INTR2016 US Foreign and Security Policy in Asia

INTR2018 Japanese Foreign and Security Policy

INTR2020 (In)Stability on the Korean Peninsula

INTR2024 Nuclear Politics in Asia

MEAS2004 Turkish Politics and Foreign Policy

MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East

MEAS3009 Modern Arabian Peninsula: Society, Politics and Security

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries

PASI3013 Environment and Development in the Pacific

STST2001 Security Concepts in the Asia-Pacific

STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific Islands

STST2020 Study Tour: Southeast Asia’s Security Choices

WARS2004: The Second World War in the Pacific

Minors

Bachelor of Economics Minors

Study Options