Professional Development for Economists module (BU32009)

Develop your practical economic skills to prepare you for your career after graduation, showing your knowledge and expertise.

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Credits

Module code

BU32009

You will develop core skills to help you after graduation, including presenting data and carrying out economic analysis for both specialist and non-specialist audiences, plus how to write projects and consultancy reports.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

understand the role of the professional economist
discuss professional ethics
explore sources and reliability of economic data and analysis
develop project management skills, including problem definition and research design
improve your communication skills: data visualisation, report writing, presentations and social media

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

understand sources of economic data and analysis, including their strengths and weaknesses
frame the potential contribution of economic analysis so as to ensure effective engagement with different stakeholders
interpret and synthesize material from both academic and non-academic sources to address a practical issue
improve your skills of working in teams
convey technical information, both orally and in written communication, to a range of intended audiences

Assignments / assessment

Individual report (60%)

Given in week 13
Due in week 19
2,000 words
45 hours of effort expected

Individual oral presentation (40%)

Given in week 13
Due in week 20
44 hours of effort expected

Teaching methods / timetable

You will have in-person lectures and smaller project groups with academic support provided by the lecturer for seven weeks of the semester. You will learn by participating in lectures, classes, groupwork and presentations.

In addition you will be expected to spend around 4 hours per week on independent study and you will be provided with learning materials through lecture notes, and weekly exercises. Teaching weeks will be confirmed at the start of the semester but the following topics will be covered.

Week	Topics covered
1	Role of the professional economist
2	Sources and reliability of economic data and analysis
3	Project management and research design
4	Data analysis, visualisation, and how to present findings
5	Writing reports and communicating findings
6	Report due
7	Presentation due