Is it OK to do both Business and Economics at A-Level?

Over many years in teaching, this is a question I’ve been asked lots of times, by students, parents and form tutors alike. More often than not, it is asked in the context of university applications and, whether or not, doing both subjects will jeopardize the chance of getting an offer for a particular  course, at a particular university.

The answer

In short, the answer would be: ‘whilst it might not be positively viewed by some of the country’s most prestigious universities, especially when combined with admissions criteria for their most competitive courses, in general terms, there is little concrete evidence to suggest students should be deterred from doing both’.

However, there is slightly more to this. It is a good idea for students to:

• Apply a bit of cost-benefit analysis to the ‘doing both’ question, which of course is a well-trodden concept used in both subjects, making it an even more appropriate starting point.
• Do what they’re best at, as well as what they enjoy when choosing A-levels, rather than worry about the potential cost of restricting their university options a year or two down the line.

This opinion chimes with the popular reasoning of admissions teams for numerous Russell Group universities who often stress their business schools accept combinations of any three subjects at A-level, irrespective of how supposedly similar they are.

Mathematics Requirements

The decision-making points above would not stretch to undergraduate courses such as single-honours Economics with econometrics content, or heavily finance-related disciplines requiring very sound numeracy skills. However, with these options, it’s absolutely more about whether or not you do Mathematics at A-level.

Applying to highly selective places like the London School of Economics and University College London would require a predicted A* in Mathematics.

University viewing of applications

From my research on the possibility of students’ applications being viewed negatively by admissions teams – on the basis of too much overlap between Economics and Business at A-level, and therefore a range of study considered too ‘narrow’ – a few universities stand out.

Amongst them, where the advice is clear, are:

• University of Warwick – ‘breadth of subjects is valued and therefore those with significantly overlapping curricula should be avoided where possible, for example, Economics and Business’
• London School of Economics – ‘the combination of Business and Economics is best avoided’

And the not so clear:

• University of Edinburgh – ‘subjects of study in closely related areas or which contain a high proportion of common material will not normally be counted separately’ (but rather confusingly on its website, Economics and Business are listed and regarded separately as ‘approved subjects’)

It is also worth remembering that universities are autonomous institutions which are susceptible to changing their minds on admissions criteria. They are influenced by a wide range of factors, including those that emanate from an even more pivotal concept in the world of business education: supply and demand.

Higher Education Alternatives & Developments

Post-18 decision making is increasingly shaped by higher education alternatives such as modern apprenticeships.

With the changes to international student visa policies discouraging many foreign students from applying, universities are increasingly wary about securing as many of those £9,535 yearly fees as possible. These developments might be reflected by the extent to which universities still allow students in when they’ve fallen short of an offer and they might even encourage those more selective universities to admit students with A-levels they consider as lacking academic breadth, to relax their selection criteria.

So, what to choose?

There is an overwhelming tendency for universities to regard Economics and Business A-level as stand-alone subjects. In thirty years of teaching, I cannot recall a single student who took both, or their parents, expressing frustration about restricted university choices.

For those students who’d like to do both, but for whatever reason feel they should only pick one, consider the following:

• Business contains some diluted macroeconomics, especially in the ‘External Influences’ part of the course, and a few microeconomic topics such as price elasticity of demand and economies of scale appear in relatively lightweight versions.
• Economics contains tough topics in which are more challenging than anything found in Business specifications, and students who are struggling during the first term tend to switch from the former to the latter, rather than vice versa.

However, whilst it might be relatively easier to pass Business, to get the top grade in it requires a firm command of knowledge across a very wide range of topics, and the ability to be selective and apply it relevantly at this level of excellence is at least as demanding as it is in Economics.

EPQ Advantage

This has the double advantage, potentially, of adding more breadth to your application if you chose to do both Economics and Business, and many universities knock a grade off a subject in the standard offer if you do well in it.

Offers and Admissions

In addition, if relevant, take advantage of contextual offers and ring university admissions departments if you’re less than certain about this or any other information in relation to entry requirements.

Subject offer details change occasionally and given the lead times involved in publishing those hefty undergraduate guides, they cannot possibly be fully up to date.

I wish you all the best of luck in your choices.