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Diploma Handbook

Welcome to the Department of Economics from the Diploma Course Director

Welcome to Economics at Warwick. I very much hope that you find your Diploma course interesting, challenging and rewarding.

This handbook is a guide for those taking the programme as a one-year course (L1P5) in its own right and for those taking it as the first year of a two-year programme (L1PA) leading to a Master's degree in Economics, Economics & International Financial Economics or Behavioural and Economic Science (Economics Track). You should read it and refer to it if you have any questions.

The Diploma is a one-academic-year programme consisting of approximately nine months of coursework leading to examinations in the Summer Term. As the Diploma Course Director, I will help you select the appropriate modules and options, and I am available to discuss any matters - academic or personal – on which you need guidance or advice, and I will also act as your personal tutor.

Our aim is to ensure that you will graduate with a Diploma and/or MSc from one of the best Economics departments in the UK, and that you will reach your full potential during your time here. In just over 50 years, we have established ourselves at the forefront of both economic research and education in the UK and beyond, and we attract students from all around the world due to our reputation for offering rigorous and exciting training, and the fact that so many employers are keen to work with our graduates. As well as being taught by top-class teachers and researchers, we work hard to make your experience memorable and to provide you with valuable opportunities to enhance your CV and make a flying start to your career.

As our Diploma is aimed at students without a background in economics, we provide training in the core components of modern economic analysis and appropriate quantitative methods. Throughout your diploma study you will acquire the ability to analyse economic problems, both empirically and theoretically, developing knowledge of economic trends, institutions and policy.

We believe that Warwick provides an excellent environment for learning and for personal, professional and intellectual development. Teaching is informed by the very latest developments in research, and optional modules provide a great breadth of choice across fields of Economics and other disciplines. One of the secrets of our success is that we are never complacent. Our innovative curriculum across both our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes provides an outstanding training in economics which is both intellectual and professional. We recognise that we live and work in a global and dynamic environment — we could hardly not, given how international we are in the topics we teach and in terms of the rich diversity of both our students and our staff. Therefore a key aspect of my role as Director of the Diploma is to seek to enhance all aspects of our programmes and thereby create the best possible conditions in which you can thrive and gain value from your time at Warwick. A key input into this process is you, so I am always eager to receive comments and feedback from you — either individually or through the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) — on where and how we can improve further. Please don’t hesitate to approach me with your thoughts, reflections and suggestions either by email or in my Advice and Feedback hours.

I wish you the happiest and most rewarding of times during your studies with us at Warwick.

Dr Roberto Pancrazi
Diploma Course Director
Department of Economics
University of Warwick