Admissions - Subjects Admissions - Subjects
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These notes describe the admissions procedure and the teaching of Economics at Queens', and should be read in conjunction with the relevant sections of the Cambridge University Undergraduate Prospectus. We like to admit about ten economists each year, although we may decide to take two or three more or fewer candidates, depending on the strength of the applicants in a particular year. A typical conditional offer would be three `A' grades at A-level and post A-level candidates would normally be expected to have achieved this standard. Studying Economics today requires a good knowledge of Mathematics and Statistics. It is therefore essential that candidates have studied Mathematics at A-level. It is also useful if candidates have studied subjects, which develop their writing skills such as English, History, Economics or Business Studies. Economics A-level is not essential. Economics students do both Part I (one year) and Part II (two years) of the Economics Tripos. However a minority do Part I of the Economics Tripos and Part II of another Tripos (e.g. Law or Social and Political Sciences); more often, they do Part I of another Tripos (e.g. Mathematics or Natural Sciences) and Part II of the Economics Tripos. Although after a two year Part I of another Tripos it is, in principle, possible to do Part II Economics in one year, we do not encourage this. In our experience if a student is changing from another subject it is best to do Part II Economics in two years. It is also important to note in this context that Part II of the Economics Tripos permits specialisation: apart from a core of two papers on economic principles which are compulsory, and a compulsory dissertation, a student can offer optional papers which allow him or her to specialise in areas such as industrial economics, labour economics, sociology, mathematical economics and econometrics, economic history or economic development. Mathematical competence is required of those doing Part II. The College has four Fellows in Economics: Professor Singh (Senior Fellow), Dr Pitelis (Assistant Director of Studies), Dr Cosh (College Lecturer), Dr Milgate (Senior Tutor and Director of Studies); and a shared Teaching Officer in Economics, Dr Tambakis. The President, Lord Eatwell, is also an Economist. As in other subjects, teaching in Economics is carried out by a combination of supervisions (organised by the College, usually with students in small groups) and lectures and classes (organised by the University, attended by students from other colleges). During the first year, students normally attend approximately eight lectures a week and write a weekly essay on a micro or macro-economic subject (unemployment, inflation, etc.) and other essays on quantitative economics, economic history and political economy. There are substantially more lectures and classes in the second and third years of the Tripos. The Part I examination is in June at the end of the undergraduate's first year, and is followed by the Part IIA Examination at the end of the second and Part IIB at the end of the third year. The College has a very high reputation in Economics. It has recently ranked top among the Cambridge Colleges on the basis of the past five years results. Apart from undergraduates, there are usually a number of research students doing Diploma or M.Phil. courses or working towards their Ph.D.’s. Over the run of years, there have been more Firsts in the Tripos from Queens' than from most other Colleges. Several Queens' graduates hold University lectureships or equivalent posts in Cambridge. Outside academia, former Queens' economists hold leading positions in the City, in industry, in the Bank of England and in other Government departments as well as in international organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the International Finance Corporation.
Further information is available from the Faculty of Economics www.econ.cam.ac.uk
January 2004
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