What opportunities are open to the UEA graduates?
For jobs where a high level of numeracy is required, where the ability to work independently, to analyse complex issues and to communicate with a range of audiences is crucial, graduate training in economics provides the ideal platform. Our MA degrees are designed to equip students with the skills necessary for careers as professional economists or in closely related spheres, such as finance or management consultancy.
Our PhD programme produces graduates with the ability to conduct high quality research, a fact reflected in the recognition of the School of Economics by the Economic and Social Research Council as a "1+3" research training centre. Many of our students have gone on to successful careers working for private companies, for government organisations, or in universities in Britain and abroad.
CAREERS AS PROFESSIONAL ECONOMISTS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Many of our students go on to jobs in the financial services sector, in utility companies, such as Eastern Electricity or other blue-chip organisations.
Dr Kee Wee TAN
I am currently the Chief Economist of United Overseas Bank (UOB).
UOB is a public-listed company in Singapore and is one of the 100 biggest banks in the world. It is one of the four biggest banking groups in Singapore. UOB is involved in retail and investment banking in many parts of the world but mainly in the Asian region. What this means is that UOB is involved in commercial banking, stockbroking, venture management, asset management, corporate finance, currency and futures trading, and property development in the Asian region.
My job requires me to monitor, together with a team of 18 skilled professionals, the trend and direction of all the international and Asian regional currencies, interest rates and economies. Our reports and recommendations are used by the management at UOB in their decision making process.
My stay at UEA
I had a great time at UEA. The University attracted students from all over the world. I had the fortune of forging numerous friendships there. It was a perfect situation to learn more about other cultures and practices. The scholastic environment was also perfect, not only for probing deeper into the economics discipline, but also for the occasional foray into other fields of study. Were I to study in one of the mega-universities, this might not have been possible as my chances of interacting with students in other disciplines would be slimmer.
Fatma MELEK
Current job and organization: Assistant Manager, Strategic Planning and Research Department, AKBANK (one of the top Turkish Banks)
Besides the School's highly respected academic level, the year I spent at UEA doing an MA in Economics also made it possible for me to get acquainted with the English lifestyle. International experience, combined with the high quality of education, have significantly contributed to my career in banking.
CAREERS AS AN ECONOMIST IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
UEA has provided a regular flow of economists into the UK's Government Economic Service, to the Bank of England and to Ministries of Finance around the world.
Andrew HARLEY, (MA)
Current job and organisation: Sectoral M4 Analyst, Bank of England, Previous role as PSBR analyst.
The University of East Anglia was fun. Informal lectures encouraged debate and discussion, focusing on the real world alongside a good grounding of the theoretical. The practical and theoretical economic coverage of both my degrees (Andrew also took his BSc at UEA), coupled with the requirement to meet tight deadlines and (at times) a sizeable workload, prepared me well for the job at the Bank of England.
Duncan EVANS (MA)
Current position and organisation: I am an Assistant Economist for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, UK.
Whilst at UEA I benefitted greatly from the opportunity to learn in a relaxed atmosphere with fellow students as well as from the close working relationship with the staff. This experience has helped combine working on my own initiative whilst being as part of a team.
CAREERS IN CONSULTANCY
An increasing number of our ex-students find work providing economic and managerial consultancy.
Mr Christis CHRISTOFOROU
Current job and organisation: Since returning to Cyprus in 1987, I joined the firm of Chrysanthou & Christoforou representing Andersen Worldwide, SC, in Cyprus. As from 1990, I am the partner in charge of consulting services, with the firm that currently employees over 80 partners and staff. In May 1997 I was elected on the council of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus.
During 1980-1983 I read Economics at the School of Economic and Social Studies and graduated with a first class honours degree. I believed then and I still believe today that UEA offers students a balanced life both with respect to academic challenges as well as social life. On the academic front, my course at UEA proved to be a sound base that I built on later during my ICAEW training exams. On the social front, the combination of the campus atmosphere with the proximity of the City of Norwich offers students the best of both worlds. If I had to choose today, I would still choose UEA.
FURTHER STUDY
As an ESRC-approved course for research training, the MA provides a good platform for a PhD. Many of our students choose to continue their studies and then go onto jobs in universities or as a researcher in other organisations.
Ms Rita CAPPARIELLO
Current organisation and position: At the moment I am in a PhD programme at the University of Ancona.
My period of studying at UEA as a student on the MA course in Economics helped me to gain this place as a research student in Italy. Moreover, just in these days I had a job offer from the Bank of Italy. I still do not know what kind of work I'm going to do exactly (probably something related to the prudential regulation of banks or a job as an economist in one of the research department the Bank of Italy has in the main cities), however what I learned at UEA played a big role in order to pass through the long and competitive procedure to get the job.
I enjoyed a lot my period at UEA. I've learnt a lot about recent theoretical models in Economics, as well as about using computers in econometrics. My supervisor has given me support in elaborating my dissertation from which I obtained a paper I presented at a conference in Italy. This helped me to prepare for my PhD. UEA has been a good place for me to study and the progress I have made in Italy reflects this. I also enjoyed the campus entertainment and services as well as the international environment of the University.
CAREERS IN ACADEMIA
Most of our PhD students take up positions in universities, in Britain, in Europe and around the globe. Further down the page, you will find a list of some of the PhDs recently completed in the School of Economics at UEA.
Dr Robert HOFFMANN
Current position and organisation: Lecturer in Industrial Economics, School of Management and Finance, University of Nottingham
I originally came to UEA because the MA in Economics was recommended to me by one of my undergraduate lecturers at another university. As the course progressed, my enthusiasm for the subject gradually increased until I finally decided to stay and do a PhD as well. For me, the Economics Sector offered a very fertile, multidisciplinary research environment which gave me the impetus to pursue an academic career myself. Shortly before completing my thesis, I was offered a job at the University of Nottingham, where I have been a lecturer in Industrial Economics for the last two years.
