Does it pay for firms to invest in corporate social responsibility? Do stocks of environmentally friendly firms provide a better risk-return tradeoff? In the Business Economics profile, you learn to understand decision-making within organizations from an economic point of view.
After the first year in the BSc Economics and Business Economics in Groningen, you have the opportunity to specialize in Business Economics in year two and three. In this profile, you will learn about corporate finance, asset pricing and accounting. Students who choose this profile are interested in learning more about the functioning of organizations from an analytic, microeconomic as well as macro- and international economic point of view.
During your study, you will find a balanced mix of theory and practice that is applied to current and worldwide trends. You will study how firms create value in their operational and financing decisions and have the chance to work in project teams on real-life assignments. Moreover, you will learn about business ethics and sustainability and get an insight into corporate responsibility and its impact on organizations at both local and global levels.
We work closely with companies from various industries and regularly offer talks and guest lectures by our alumni, business leaders, and economists. By engaging with the labour market, you see how research and theory are applied into the real world and you get insights that will help you prepare for your future career.
Do you want to learn more about the other two profiles in Economics or Economic Development and Globalization ?
After high school, I wanted to study something that had to do with economics, finance and taxation. What I found interesting about the Bachelor's programme in Groningen is that you will first be introduced to courses from each profile before you get to choose your specialization in the second year. When choosing this programme, I considered the many minor opportunities in the third year and the international accreditations (AACSB and EQUIS).
In my second year, I decided to follow the Business Economics (BE) profile. During my study, I also build up knowledge in a specific area through different courses. To give an example, you follow Asset Pricing in your first year, Capital Structure in your second year and Intermediate Asset Pricing in your third year. If the level of mathematics is the main reason that you doubt choosing this Bachelor’s degree, then you should not let this deter you. The combination of lectures, tutorials and practicals provides you with enough practice and support to accomplish the required level of mathematics. There are excellent teachers that are driven to make the most out of their courses and are always willing to help you understand the material completely.
The programme has an international aspect which I value since you get the opportunity to work together with students from all over the world and learn about different cultures. This creates a thriving learning environment and inspires students to look further than their own way of living. This programme is a good starting point for starting your career in the inspiring world of economics and finance.