How long is the BSc in Trade Economics?

The BSc in Trade Economics runs for three years full-time with part-time and accelerated routes. Online and distance students complete the BSc in Trade Economics on the same seminar rhythm.

Does the BSc in Trade Economics include a placement?

Yes, the BSc in Trade Economics includes a year-two placement in a trade body, exporter, government department or think tank. LSLPE careers matches BSc in Trade Economics students with placement partners.

Is the BSc in Trade Economics UK-recognised?

Yes, the BSc in Trade Economics is a UK Level 6 honours degree aligned with Royal Economic Society and Government Economic Service guidance.

What are the entry requirements for the BSc in Trade Economics?

The BSc in Trade Economics asks for BBB at A-level including a quantitative subject, or equivalent, plus GCSE English and Maths. International applicants receive support onto the BSc in Trade Economics.

How much does the BSc in Trade Economics cost?

Fees for the BSc in Trade Economics are on the LSLPE fees page, with staged payment plans, scholarships and, where applicable, UK student-finance support. Personalised letters for the BSc in Trade Economics are issued on request.

BSc in Trade Economics | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BSc in Trade Economics at LSLPE is a UK Level 6 honours degree covering the theory and practice of international trade, running three years full-time with part-time and accelerated routes across on-campus, online and distance-learning delivery. The programme is aligned with Royal Economic Society and Government Economic Service reference frames and draws routinely on trade policy analysis from the ODI, IFS and Chatham House.

By graduation you will have built partial and general equilibrium trade models, estimated gravity equations for UK export flows, produced trade-policy briefings on live UK-EU and UK-Global market questions and defended a final-year applied dissertation. The BSc includes a year-two placement in a trade body, exporter, government department or think tank, and is designed to launch credentialed careers in trade analysis, export finance and international-policy roles.

Key Features

Curriculum aligned with Royal Economic Society and Government Economic Service guidance.
Case sequences drawn from Department for Business and Trade publications and ODI research.
Year-two placement in trade bodies, exporters, government departments or think tanks.
Econometrics workshops using ONS, UN Comtrade and WTO datasets.
Final-year applied-trade dissertation with a practising analyst as second supervisor.
Three study modes on the same weekly seminar rhythm.

What You Will Learn

Classical, new and gravity theories of trade and their empirical tests.
Trade-policy instruments including tariffs, quotas, subsidies and non-tariff measures.
The economics of trade agreements, WTO rules and dispute settlement.
Export finance, exchange-rate exposure and hedging for UK exporters.
Global-value-chain analysis for manufacturing, services and digital trade.
Trade in services, financial services and professional services.
Applied econometrics for trade flows and welfare analysis.
Research methods for a Level 6 trade-economics dissertation.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers targeting a specialist trade-economics degree.
International applicants preparing for trade-policy careers in their home administrations.
Career changers moving from logistics, banking or business into trade analysis.
Part-time learners in exporter, chamber-of-commerce or trade-body roles.
Access to HE students progressing into an economics specialism.

Career Pathways

Trade Economist
Government Economist
Development Economist
Economic Policy Analyst
Regulatory Economist
Research Economist
Investment Analyst
Economic Consultant

The LSLPE careers service runs at least one careers day each academic year connecting BSc in Trade Economics students with trade bodies, exporters, government departments and think tanks.

Entry Requirements

A-levels (or equivalent) at BBB or above including Mathematics or a quantitative subject, or a UK Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3.
GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Two academic references and a personal statement outlining your interest in trade economics.
International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation support from LSLPE admissions.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE reads trade economics inside the wider law-politics-economics conversation because trade policy is negotiated by lawyers, argued by politicians and constrained by economics all at once. Central London places the Department for Business and Trade, the ODI and the LSE-adjacent think-tank ecosystem a short tube ride from every classroom.

Three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the BSc in Trade Economics alongside employment, and the LSLPE careers service connects each cohort with trade employers throughout the year.

Apply for BSc in Trade Economics

Applications for the BSc in Trade Economics open across UCAS-equivalent windows and admissions responds within one working day. Apply for the LSLPE Bachelor's programme with a placement year in a trade body, government department or think tank included. Enrol Now