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Why study Economics at Manchester?
At a glance
- Study at UK top 10 and global top 50 university for Business and Economics (Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026).
- Join a pioneering tradition dating back to 1854, shaped by influential thinkers and three Nobel Prize winners.
- Tackle the big economic challenges shaping our world, supported by expertise across seven research areas.
- Experience a city shaped by economic change, from Manchester’s industrial heritage to its thriving modern economy.
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Frequently asked study questions
Studying Economics gives you different ways to understand the choices and decisions that shape economies and societies.
With research covering areas such as development, the environment, financial economics and macroeconomics, you’ll come across different ideas about how economies work and why economic problems arise.
You’ll look at theory alongside evidence, question assumptions and consider how decisions made by individuals, businesses and governments can have wider effects.
Studying Economics in this way can help you look beyond the headlines, weigh up different arguments and form your own views on economic issues.
Manchester is one of the oldest centres for the study of economics in the UK. The UK’s first Department of Econometrics was established here in 1959, and econometrics remains an important area of research today.
At Manchester, you can explore how economic ideas can be put to the test using maths and data. Rather than relying on theory alone, you will use data to investigate relationships, measure change and see whether the evidence supports an argument.
You'll develop skills in data analysis and econometrics, including using statistical software such as R to analyse data. This can help you question results, interpret economic evidence and understand the limits of what the numbers can tell you.
Manchester has a long history of economic thinking, stretching back to the establishment of a Chair in Political Economy in 1854.
Sir Arthur Lewis developed influential ideas about economic development while working here. Nobel Prize winners Sir John Hicks, Sir Arthur Lewis and Joseph Stiglitz have all worked at Manchester.
That history continues through research into issues such as inequality, economic development, climate change, financial markets and public policy.
As a student, you’ll be part of a community that continues to question how economies work and how economic thinking can respond to challenges facing society today.