What is the Economics & Finance stream on the BBS (Hons) programme?
The Economics & Finance stream on the BBS (Hons) programme provides students with the opportunity to specialise in Economics and Finance for the final two years or their degree, taking modules such as Financial Economics, Economic Policy Issues, and Investments. The stream provides students with skills that are hugely in demand in the market place and provides a great platform for postgraduate studies, with many past graduates undertaking the E&F stream of the MBS degree in SETU Waterford and several have continued their studies and obtained a PhD qualification. The stream applies economics and finance concepts to key contemporary issues such as Brexit, Crypto currencies, and economic crises and students are given the opportunity of testing theories on real-world data.
The financial services sector is the largest employer of graduates from SETU in Waterford’s business school. The sector is expanding rapidly and one-third of jobs are created outside of Dublin. Graduates of the stream have successfully obtained employment in some of the largest Financial Services firms in the world such as Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citi, Bank of America, AIG, European Central Bank, OECD, PWC, and KPMG in the following areas/roles:
Derivatives Trader
Investment Analyst
Policy Analyst
Claims Analyst
Relationship Banker
Senior Custody Administrator
Underwriter
Teaching
Language Options
While undertaking the Bachelor of Business (Hons) you are encouraged to study one of five languages, although this is not a requirement. Languages offered:
French
German
Irish
Spanish
Chinese
This course is a stream on the common entry BBS (Hons) programme. Modules in year 1 and year 2 are common to all streams and modules in year 3 and 4 are specific to the Economics & Finance stream.
Year 1
Semester 1
Semester 2
Introduction to Financial Accounting 1
Business & Financial Maths
Introduction to Management
Enterprise
Introduction to Statistics
Introduction to Financial Accounting 2
Organisational Behaviour
Introduction to Human Resource Management
Microeconomics 1
Microeconomics 2
Choose one elective below:
Choose one elective below:
IT & Communication Skills 1
Data Analytics for Business
Irish B1.3
Irish B1.4
French B1.3
French B1.4
German B1.3
German B1.4
Spanish B1.3
Spanish B1.4
Spanish A1
Spanish A2
Year 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
Costing
Probability & Operations Management
Human Resource Management
Career Development Skills
Introduction to Business Law
Integrated Marketing Communications
Introduction to Marketing
Choose one electives below:
Macroeconomics 1
Macroeconomics 2
Choose one elective below:
Management Accounting Techniques
International Business Environment
Business Law
Irish B2.1
Contemporary Issues in Management
French B2.1
Transactional ERP
German B2.1
Irish B2.2
Spanish B2.1
French B2.2
Spanish B1.1
German B2.2
Spanish B2.2
Spanish B1.2
Year 3
Semester 5
Semester 6
Applied Quantitative Analysis
Flexible semester: choose one flexible option below
Business Finance
Teaching Skills
Applied Finance
Start-up Lab
International Economics
International Placement
Managerial Economics
Work Placement
Choose one elective
Year 4
Semester 7
Semester 8
Business Strategy
International Corporate Strategy
Digital Economy
International Risk Management
Economic Policy Issues
Investments
Financial Economics
Open Economy Macroeconomics
Financial Markets & Institutions
Financial Data Analysis or Economics/Finance Research Project
Choose one elective
Choose one elective
Leaving Cert: Minimum entry requirements for Bachelor of Business (Hons)
2 subjects: H5 4 subjects: O6/H7 English or Irish: O6/H7 Mathematics: O6/H7
Language recommendations for Bachelor of Business (Hons)
Irish: H5 in Irish French: O3/H6 in French German: O3/H6 in German Spanish: O3/H6 in in Spanish Spanish Ab Initio: For those starting Spanish as a beginner there are no special requirements Chinese: No special requirements
CAO: Choosing your options
When you apply to the CAO you basically choose either Business common entry (BUS code on the CAO) or Business common entry with a language (BWL code on the CAO). However, the most important thing to remember is that it does not matter which combination you choose through the CAO - once you start in SETU in Waterford in September, you can change both your specialisation and your language options. In fact, you only have to finalise your specialisation option at the end of Year 2. This will give you extra time to figure out which area you are really interested and choose the specialism that is right for you.
Code
Description
BUS
Business (Common entry with stream options: Accounting, Economics and Finance, Human Resource Management, Management, Marketing)
BWL
Business with a Language (Common entry with stream options: Accounting, Economics and Finance, Human Resource Management, Management, Marketing).
NOTE: Applicants who select one specific degree option are guaranteed a place in that programme (e.g. SE400 BWL), subject to meeting the entry requirements and points. Applicants who select Business with a Language (BWL) select one of the following language options in year 1: French, German, Irish, or Spanish subject to meeting the language recommendations.
Advanced and Equivalent Entry for Bachelor of Business (Hons):
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Economic & Finance Stream Career Opportunities
Graduates from this Programme have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers, including careers in marketing, human resource management, accounting, consulting and banking and finance. A graduate of this degree will be suitable to take up a position at a junior/middle management level in many types of business organisations ranging from small family businesses to multi-national corporations. Graduates of the Economic and Finance stream will be very well-positioned to pursue a career in areas such as:
Derivatives Trader
Investment Analyst
Policy Analyst
Claims Analyst
Relationship Banker
Senior Custody Administrator
Underwriter
Teaching
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Scholarships & Awards
The Bachelor of Business (Hons) has a number of competitive awards and scholarships available to students including:
John Hume Scholarship (awarded by the combined Waterford Credit Unions)
Annual Dean's list excellence awards
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Professional Body Exemptions
Graduates with a Bachelor of Business (Hons) award are also entitled to exemptions from many of the leading professional accountancy and management bodies including:
ACA (Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland)
ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Follow on Study
Numerous follow on study options at SETU in Waterford are available to gradudates of the Bachelor of Business (Hons) including a Master of Business and a Master by Reserach.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Economic & Finance Stream Career Opportunities
Graduates from this Programme have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers, including careers in marketing, human resource management, accounting, consulting and banking and finance. A graduate of this degree will be suitable to take up a position at a junior/middle management level in many types of business organisations ranging from small family businesses to multi-national corporations. Graduates of the Economic and Finance stream will be very well-positioned to pursue a career in areas such as:
Derivatives Trader
Investment Analyst
Policy Analyst
Claims Analyst
Relationship Banker
Senior Custody Administrator
Underwriter
Teaching
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Scholarships & Awards
The Bachelor of Business (Hons) has a number of competitive awards and scholarships available to students including:
John Hume Scholarship (awarded by the combined Waterford Credit Unions)
Annual Dean's list excellence awards
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Professional Body Exemptions
Graduates with a Bachelor of Business (Hons) award are also entitled to exemptions from many of the leading professional accountancy and management bodies including:
ACA (Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland)
ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)
All honours degree programmes in the School of Business have relevant taught postgraduate study options which are featured here. The school also has postgraduate research options including Master by Research and PhD opportunities.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Flexible Semester
This facilitates the development of skills in the areas of communication, customer service awareness, decision making, problem solving, teamwork, commercial awareness, creativity, confidence and reflection. In Semester 6 students will be given an opportunity to participate in one of the following:
International Placement
Work Placement
Start Up Lab
Teaching Skills
Bachelor of Business (Hons) International Placement
Students spend the semester abroad studying in one of our partner colleges in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Mexico, South America, Turkey and the USA. The study abroad elective provides students with an opportunity to spend time in a different country, experience different styles or modes of teaching and live in a different cultural environment. The learning outcomes for the exchange are designed to ensure that the student will:
Be confident, self-aware and communicate effectively
Exercise personal autonomy and take responsibility for his/her own work and behaviour
Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the principles and practices of self-directed and reflective learning
Act effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with individuals and teams
Demonstrate a high level of competences and interpersonal skills
Engage in the process of lifelong learning
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Work Placement
Students spend the semester in appropriate work placement, representative of many business sectors. The Work Placement Office is responsible for work placement and places over 85 students annually with employers. Work placement is a major opportunity for students to put their academic knowledge into practice in the "real world of work" and develop new professional and business skills.
It also improves students' prospects of future employment and helps students decide on their career path. It is important that students' skills and competencies meet employer requirements, so employers select students for interview, and the employers decide to whom to offer a work placement. The School of Business facilitate the process through matching student CVs with employer specifications and setting up interviews.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Start Up Lab
Students set up and run their own business during the semester. They are provided with professional mentoring from the experienced business community in the areas of business planning, marketing and selling, finance and IT. The Start Up Lab Initiative (NVI) is designed to encourage students to establish and manage a commercial, social or not-for-profit enterprise for the duration of the flexible semester.
The module provides an opportunity for students to spend time acquiring the knowledge, networks, skills and attitudes required to set up and run their own business. Students can work individually or in groups of up to four.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Teaching Skills
Students who wish to gain experience of teaching for a semester will spend two days a week in college taking classes related to the practice of teaching. The remaining three days are spent in a school setting (Primary or Secondary) teaching students and assisting teachers in the delivery of curriculum.
The success of the programme can be attributed to the relationships developed with the educational establishments in the region. The continued success of our student’s performance in these placements has established the programs reputation. Trainee teachers’ modules include a Teaching Practice Module and a Professional Individual Module.
