Economy and Society - Bachelor's Programme
BSc in Economy and Society | 3 years | 180 credits
The national application round for Bachelor's programmes and courses starting autumn 2025 was open 17 March–15 April.
How can understanding economic change in the past foster future sustainable development? The programme is taught in English and aimed at recent high school graduates with a strong academic background, international career ambitions, and the drive to gain knowledge and skills in global context analysis, both in the public and private sector.
Description
You will study at the department of economic history, where teaching is concerned with how understanding economic change in the past can help us shape the future. Economic historians use concepts and theories from the social sciences to study the development of economies in many different social, political and cultural contexts. They combine the skills of the economist and the historian, the statistician and the sociologist. Most courses are taught at the department of economic history, but the program also contains four courses taught at the department of economics.
This programme combines the two complementary fields of economic history and economics. It will appeal if you want training in the application of economic theory and quantitative methods to real problems.
You will examine important global issues, for example mechanisms driving economic growth and development over time at both national and regional levels, and the importance of education and human capital in economic change.
You will also learn about future sustainable development at the national, company and household levels. While the scope is global, the Scandinavian experience will be central when identifying lessons to be learned.
The BSc in Economy and Society offers:
- A vast, yet focused curriculum in economic history and economics, combined with complementing electives in other social sciences
- International perspectives from faculty members and students
- Team-based projects enhancing cross-cultural learning
- Opportunities of internships in companies and/or exchange studies abroad at one of our partner universities
- Study and career advice
National round – read here
Economy and Society – Kandidatprogram
(in Swedish)
Application period national round:
Mid-March to mid-April
International round – Apply here
Economy and Society – Bachelor's Programme
(lunduniversity.lu.se)
Application period:
Mid-October to mid-January
Requirements
Economy and Society – Bachelor's Programme
International application round
(lunduniversity.lu.se)
Programme documents
Economy and Society – Bachelor's Programme
International application round
(lunduniversity.lu.se)
Contact
Programme Coordinator
BSc in Economy and Society
eas [at] ehl [dot] lu [dot] se (eas[at]ehl[dot]lu[dot]se)
The overall purpose of the programme is to prepare the students for a career where a global context analysis is required. Following this overarching goal, real and complex issues in today’s society are studied through a historical lens. With the help of theoretical concepts, models, and tools derived from relevant research, the students practice advanced problem solving in an international context, thereby developing their knowledge, skills and judgment.
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| The Rise of Europe and the Atlantic Economy (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE01 | Microeconomic Theory with Applications (10 ECTS) Syllabi NEKA61 |
| Colonialism and Economic Change in Africa, Asia and Latin America (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSEO2 | Financial Economics (5 ECTS) Syllabi NEKA63 |
| Economic growth in Modern Europe, North America and the OECD Club (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE04 | Demographic Challenges (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE05 |
| The Global South: Comparative Economic Development since 1945 (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE03 | Skill Training 1: Statistics and Data (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE06 |
Semester 1
The first semester of the programme serves as a general introduction to the discipline. During the course of this semester, the students are offered a broad introduction to the economic history of the world stretching over time and space offering a global long-term perspective. Four mandatory courses are given in the semester with two courses running parallel at all times. The first half consist of two courses, The Rise of Europe and the Atlantic Economy, ca. 1000-1890, and Colonialism and Economic Change in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These courses are dedicated to the pre-modern economies. The second half focuses on the modern economies in the global North and South in the two courses: Economic growth in Modern Europe, North America and the OECD Club and The global South: Comparative Economic Development since 1945.
Semester 2
The second semester has a clear micro economic focus and also introduces some more practical skills. The students will acquire fundamental micro-economic skills during the first half of the semester through one course in Microeconomics, which is followed by a course in Financial Economics. The second half of the semester builds on the newly acquired skills from the economics courses with the course Demographic Challenges. The semester ends with a more practically oriented course, Skill Training 1: Statistics and Data. This course focuses on general data management and basic statistics. In the second half of the semester, the courses run parallel to each other.
| Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
|---|---|
| Business and Society – a Dynamic Perspective (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE07 | Regional Development and Growth (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE09 |
| Skill Training 2: The Art of Writing and Reporting (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE08 | Global Sustainability (7.5 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE10 |
| Macroeconomic Theory and Economic Policy (10 ECTS) Syllabi NEKA62 | Elective course packages 15 ECTS (two courses of 7.5 ECTS each) |
| International Economics (5 ECTS) Syllabi NEKA64 |
Semester 3
The third semester complements the micro perspective with a clear macroeconomic focus and continues the skill training form year one. The semester starts with two courses Business and Society – a Dynamic Perspective, a course with a business history focus, and Skill Training 2: The Art of Writing and Reporting. This is followed by a course in Macroeconomics and a course in International Economics.
Semester 4
The fourth semester builds on the broad knowledge and skill base that the students have acquired, particularly in the first semester of the programme. This semester is also an opportunity for students to broaden themselves within topics and disciplines. The semester is divided into two parallel parts. At the Department of Economic History, the students will study Regional Development and Growth and Global Sustainability, which is a continuation and deepening of the first semester of the programme. Parallel to this the students will elect pre-set course packages from other departments within LUSEM and the Social Science faculty at Lund University. The scope and number of packages may change over time.
| Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
|---|---|
| Electives (30 ECTS): - International exchange studies, or - Internship, or - Elective courses at LUSEM/Lund University | Research Design, Methods and Data Collection (15 ECTS) Syllabi EOSE11 |
| Degree Project (15 ECTS) Syllabi EOSK12 The Bachelor’s thesis is the crowning achievement of the Bachelor's in Economy and Society programme. You will demonstrate the knowledge and skills you obtained by writing an academic piece on a topic covered by the programme. |
Semester 5
This semester consists of electives according the student’s choice. The programme director must, however, approve the courses. Students are strongly encouraged to spend this semester abroad – either at one of LUSEM’s many partner universities or on an international internship. For those who wish to stay in Sweden during semester 5, national internships or studies at LUSEM or some other faculty at Lund University provide interesting options.
Semester 6
The final semester has a clear research focus with two courses running consecutively. The first half of the semester consists of an in-depth methods course, Research Design, Methods and Data Collection. The second half of the semester is constituted by the Degree Project/Bachelor Thesis Course.
Internships for Bachelor’s programme students
Gain some valuable practical experience in a field of your interest.
Sofia, Economy and Society – international Bachelor's programme
– Economy and Society is an international programme that addresses many different perspectives on various current societal issues. I appreciate that I get a broad base of knowledge in everything from economic history to AI, entrepreneurship, statistics, and data. Parts of the programme can be influenced by the students themselves; during the fourth semester, you can choose between specializations such as sustainability, Asian studies, and informatics. In the fifth semester, there is an opportunity to do an internship or go on an exchange semester abroad. I would recommend the programme to anyone interested in societal issues from an economic perspective and who wants to gain broad international opportunities.
Answer: No. If you eventually want to do a Master’s in Economics, you should study a Bachelor’s programme in Economics. The program is not a Bachelor programme in Economics and is not designed to prepare you for a Master’s programme in Economics. However, with a diploma in Economy and Society you may be eligible for some Master programmes in Economics taught in Sweden or abroad.
Answer: Whereas most Bachelor programmes focus on teaching either quantitative research methods, or qualitative research methods, many professions require a combination of those skills. In Economy & Society you will not only learn both, but also be taught how to combine the approaches, so you can exploit the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Answer: The admissions process is carried out by University Admissions, a division of the Swedish Ministry of Education. It is not caried out at Lund University. For information on all aspects related to the admissions process, please read more at University Admissions.
International opportunities
Lund is just the starting point. Explore the world during your studies.
The skills you will develop by studying economy and society are attractive to a range of employers. Our graduates are likely to find work in a variety of industries, including politics and government, banking and finance, NGOs, charities and international development, as well as in the press and media.
Career Services
Career Services serve students at the School who are interested in learning about working life, discussing career alternatives or other career related matters.
Programme requirements
Requirements
Economy and Society – Bachelor's Programme
International application round
(lunduniversity.lu.se)