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Actuarial Sciences Brochure (PDF)
BSc Business Statistics
UCAS Course Code
G390
Attendance
Full Time
Award
Degree of Bachelor of Science
School of Study
Typical A-Level Offer
ABB (including A in Maths)
BSc Business Statistics is a three-year programme aimed at mathematically able students who are interested in pursuing a fulfilling career in business, through the application of statistical techniques.
The course provides you with a thorough knowledge of applied statistics, computing, databases, and a comprehensive understanding of business and its practices. You will benefit from the multidisciplinary nature of the programme, which combines teaching from the School of Computing Sciences, School of Mathematics, School of Economics and the Norwich Business School.
As well as developing your mathematical, financial and statistical knowledge, you will also complete a significant project in applied statistics, strengthening your understanding of mathematics and business. Successful students also have the opportunity to gain eligibility for up to 4 exemptions from examinations set by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
The first year of the Business Statistics degree programme contains the same modules as the BSc Actuarial Science course. One of the benefits of this is that top students may transfer to the Actuarial Science degree programme after the first year, subject to space.
Course Structure
This three year course will begin by developing your knowledge in areas including mathematics, computing, economics and business. This will continue in your second year, alongside the opportunity to also begin gaining specialist knowledge through optional modules. Specialisation continues within the third year, as you continue to strengthen your mathematical knowledge through the completion of a significant project in applied statistics.
First Year
The first year programme is made up of compulsory modules, which concentrate on developing your mathematical, computing, business and problem-solving skills. You will be taught across a variety of departments, improving your understanding of business and statistics.
Second Year
There is opportunity in the second year to begin developing your specialist interests, with an optional module available in economics, business or computing. Compulsory modules continue to build up your knowledge of statistics, computing, maths and actuarial practices.
Third Year
In your final year you will take both compulsory and optional modules that focus on expanding your advanced knowledge of statistics and mathematics, whilst also allowing for specialisation in maths, business, advanced statistics, and computing. You will also complete a significant statistical project, allowing you to develop your abilities in both applied and theoretical statistics.
Actuarial Sciences Brochure (PDF)
Actuarial Sciences and Business Statistics strive to help you to become an independent and self-motivated learner, developing your reasoning alongside your technical expertise. Much of our work is concerned with real-world problems and applications. This philosophy is reflected in our excellent links with industry both for our research and teaching, which includes the involvement of professional actuaries from Aviva. We also encourage you to develop your industry experience and connections, and provide industry-based speakers to give you an insight into a profession that interests you.
The School of Computing Sciences is one of the largest and most experienced computing schools in the UK, and you will be taught by expert academics who are also research scientists in a wide range of specialist subjects and areas including statistics, machine learning and data-mining. Their work informs both the design and content of modules, incorporating their cutting-edge research into the teaching programme. You will also be taught by experts in the School of Mathematics and Norwich Business School at UEA.
Employability
This degree programme will give you the opportunity to pursue a career within the business sector, providing you with the skills and knowledge to begin a well-paid and well respected career as a business statistician, or to begin a career in the business and financial sector in general.
Student Experience
The latest National Student Survey placed UEA in the top five English mainstream universities for student satisfaction for the sixth year running, with the Business Statistics degree programme achieving a 96% rating for student satisfaction, particularly for Academic Support and Teaching.
Teaching Excellence and Facilities
The degree programmes are taught through the use of excellent facilities, and are overseen by academics who are experts in their fields.
UniStats Information
Compulsory Study (120 credits)
Students must study the following modules for 120 credits:
| Name | Code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY THIS MODULE IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH MTHA4001Y and ENV-4002Y. (a) Complex numbers. (b) Differentiation and integration. Taylor and MacLaurin series. Applications: curve sketching, areas, arc length. (c) First order, second order constant coefficient ordinary differential equations. Reductions of order. Numerical solutions using MAPLE. Partial derivatives, chain rule. (d) Vectors. (e) Line integrals. Multiple integrals including change of co-ordinates by Jacobians. Green's theorem in the plane. (f) Probability as a measurement of uncertainty, statistical experiments and Bayes' theorem. Discrete and continuous distributions. Expectation. Applications of probability: Markov chains, reliability theory. Students must have A-level Mathematics Grade 'B' or above or equivalent. | MTHB4006Y | 40 |
| ECONOMICS FOR BUSINESS This module addresses some of the key questions in business economics: How do individuals make decisions? How are the optimal decisions made using marginal analysis? What is the logic behind the internal organisation and structure of firms (vertical integration and diversification)? How does the macroeconomic environment impact on the firm? To answer these questions, it explores some of the central concepts and develops some of the methods used in economic analysis. | NBS-4003Y | 20 |
| INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING This module provides a foundation in the theory and practice of accounting and an introduction to the role, context and language of financial reporting and management accounting. The module assumes no previous study of accounting. It may be taken as a stand alone course for those students following a more general management pathway or to provide a foundation to underpin subsequent specialist studies in accounting. | NBS-4001Y | 20 |
| MATHEMATICS FOR ACTUARIES This module introduces key concepts in set theory, linear algebra and core financial mathematics for actuarial science or business statistics students. THIS MODULE IS RESERVED FOR STUDENTS ON ACTUARIAL SCIENCES AND BUSINESS STATISTICS ONLY. More... | CMP-4003A | 20 |
| PROGRAMMING FOR APPLICATIONS This module gives an introduction to computer systems and to programming using Java. The module assumes no prior knowledge of programming and is aimed at the non-specialist. This module is an alternative pre-requisite for a number of second level CMP modules, including CMPC2M11 and CMPC2G04. More... | CMP-4009B | 20 |
Compulsory Study (100 credits)
Students must study the following modules for 100 credits:
| Name | Code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| APPLIED STATISTICS B THIS MODULE IS RESERVED FOR ACTUARIAL SCIENCE AND BUSINESS STATISTICS STUDENTS. This is a module designed to give students the opportunity to apply statistical methods in realistic situations. While no advanced knowledge of probability and statistics is required, we expect students to have some background in probability and statistics before taking this module. The aim is to introduce students to R statistical language and to cover Regression, Analysis of Variance and Survival analysis. Other topics from a list including: Extremes and quartiles, Bootstrap methods and their application, Sample surveys, Simulations, Subjective statistics, Forecasting and Clustering methods, may be offered to cover the interests of those in the class. More... | CMP-5019B | 20 |
| DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND APPLIED METHODS BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE MTH-1A5Y IN TAKING THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT TAKE ENV-2A21 OR ENV-2A22 (a) Ordinary Differential Equations: solution by reduction of order; variation of parameters for inhomogeneous problems; series solution and the method of Frobenius. Legendre's and Bessel's equations: Legendre polynomials, Bessel functions and their recurrence relations; Fourier series; Partial differential equations (PDEs): heat equation, wave equation, Laplace's equation; solution by separation of variables. (b) Method of characteristics for hyperbolic equations; the characteristic equations; Fourier transform and its use in solving linear PDEs; (c) Dynamical Systems: equilibrium points and their stability; the phase plane; theory and applications. | MTHA5004Y | 20 |
| FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING The general aim of the module is to study the theory and practice of financial accounting and reporting. This includes an examination of current and legal professional requirements as they relate to limited liability companies in the UK. Some international issues, for example in relation to the US and the European Union, are also considered. | NBS-5002Y | 20 |
| FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS This module builds on fundamentals of compound interest introduced in CMPC1F07 to show how the key concepts introduced can be used in practical financial applications for Actuarial Science or Business Statistics students. THIS MODULE IS RESERVED FOR ACTUARIAL SCIENCE AND BUSINESS STATISTICS STUDENTS. More... | CMP-5009A | 20 |
| STATISTICAL METHODS This is a first course in statistics. It introduces the essential ideas of statistics deriving the necessary distribution theory as required. The aim of the course is to discuss the essential concepts in statistics rather than just to give a list of techniques for specific problems. The focus will be on developing ideas in distribution theory and inference based on the likelihood function. In consequence in addition to ideas of sampling and limit laws, it will cover maximum likelihood estimation and inference based on the likelihood ratio. Some Bayesian ideas and some nonparametric ideas will be introduced. While this course deals with concepts we shall aim to show how these are motivated by real problems. More... | CMP-5018A | 20 |
Option A Study (20 credits)
Students will select 20 credits from the following modules:
| Name | Code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUSINESS AND COMPANY LAW This module provides an introduction to contract and company law. It is designed primarily for students on Accounting related degrees who intend to pursue a career in the accountancy profession. The module should also be of interest to students contemplating a career in business or commerce. | NBS-5004Y | 20 |
| BUSINESS FINANCE This module sets out the basic principles of financial management and applies them to the main decisions faced by the financial manager. For example, it explains why the firmâs owners would like the manager to increase firm value and shows how managers choose between investments that may pay off at different points of time or have different degrees of risk. Moreover, it discusses how companies raise the necessary funds to pay for these investments and why they might prefer a particular source of finance. Additionally, it provides a broad introduction to the financial landscape by describing the main features of financial markets, the major players operating within them, the role of financial institutions in the economy and how securities are traded and valued by investors. Overall, this module presents the tools of modern financial management in a consistent conceptual framework. | NBS-5008Y | 20 |
| DATABASE SYSTEMS This module introduces most aspects of databases, database manipulation and database management systems. The module is based on the relational model. The students will explore the tools and methods for database design and manipulation as well as the programming of database applications. Part of the practical experience gained will be acquired using a modern relational database management system. Students will also gain programming experience using SQL, and using the Java JDBC interface. A high level language programming module is a pre-requisite. More... | CMP-5005B | 20 |
| INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS This module develops understanding of the international economy. In Part 1 it considers international trade. We ask who benefits from trade, who it can harm, and relate our insights to the current debate about globalization. In Part 2 we consider currency markets, the central banks, interest rates, exchange rates, and the balance of payments. Part 3 turns to multinational firms, asking why they have grown so fast, and what is their impact. | NBS-5016Y | 20 |
This is your defined choice selection range.
Compulsory Study (60 credits)
Students must study the following modules for 60 credits:
| Name | Code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ADVANCES STATISTICS This module covers three topics in statistical theory. For this year they are Regression and Linear Model, Generalised Models and Non-parametric Methods. The first two topics consider both the theory and practice of statistical model fitting and students will be expected to analyse real data. The third topic is chosen to be a contrasting one. Non-parametric methods are a vital part of the statisticians armoury and cheap computing makes such techniques very powerful. We look at the traditional permutation based methods as well as the empirical distribution function. More... | CMP-6004A | 20 |
| STATISTICS PROJECT Major objectives of this module are to enable students to gain experience of independent project work from a technical and an organisational standpoint, to help students develop oral and written communication skills, to familiarise students with research resources and practices common in statistics, and to introduce students to activities that are similar to those that they are likely to encounter in their careers. Each student will be allocated to a supervisor who will offer technical guidance and will advise on presentation of the assessed work. More... | CMP-6028Y | 40 |
Option A Study (60 credits)
Students will select 60 credits from the following modules:
| Name | Code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUSINESS AND COMPANY LAW This module provides an introduction to contract and company law. It is designed primarily for students on Accounting related degrees who intend to pursue a career in the accountancy profession. The module should also be of interest to students contemplating a career in business or commerce. | NBS-5004Y | 20 |
| BUSINESS ETHICS As business in the 21st century assumes a position of unprecedented power and influence throughout the world, understanding its moral significance - in particular the impact on stakeholders - becomes increasingly important. This module explores some of the ethical questions raised by modern business practice in a global context. The module draws upon a range of ethical theories based on the philosophy of Aristotle, Kant, Mills and others but no prior knowledge of philosophy is required. | NBS-5006Y | 20 |
| BUSINESS FINANCE This module sets out the basic principles of financial management and applies them to the main decisions faced by the financial manager. For example, it explains why the firmâs owners would like the manager to increase firm value and shows how managers choose between investments that may pay off at different points of time or have different degrees of risk. Moreover, it discusses how companies raise the necessary funds to pay for these investments and why they might prefer a particular source of finance. Additionally, it provides a broad introduction to the financial landscape by describing the main features of financial markets, the major players operating within them, the role of financial institutions in the economy and how securities are traded and valued by investors. Overall, this module presents the tools of modern financial management in a consistent conceptual framework. | NBS-5008Y | 20 |
| DATABASE SYSTEMS This module introduces most aspects of databases, database manipulation and database management systems. The module is based on the relational model. The students will explore the tools and methods for database design and manipulation as well as the programming of database applications. Part of the practical experience gained will be acquired using a modern relational database management system. Students will also gain programming experience using SQL, and using the Java JDBC interface. A high level language programming module is a pre-requisite. More... | CMP-5005B | 20 |
| FINANCIAL MODELLING This module intends to build a bridge between the theories that are introduced during the NBS-2F2Y module and financial practice. The module will enable the student to analyse financial models using real datasets and spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel). Applications will include models of valuation, capital appraisal, portfolio choice and risk management. An important part of the module will introduce basic statistical methods and their use in financial modelling. Overall, the module will provide a comprehensive overview of the tools used by financial advisors, researchers and industry consultants. | NBS-6007Y | 20 |
| INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS This module develops understanding of the international economy. In Part 1 it considers international trade. We ask who benefits from trade, who it can harm, and relate our insights to the current debate about globalization. In Part 2 we consider currency markets, the central banks, interest rates, exchange rates, and the balance of payments. Part 3 turns to multinational firms, asking why they have grown so fast, and what is their impact. | NBS-5016Y | 20 |
Disclaimer
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.
Entry Requirements
- A Level:
- ABB (including A in Maths)
- International Baccalaureate:
- 32 points overall inc. 6 in HL Mathematics
- Scottish Highers:
- AABBB (including Maths)
- Scottish Advanced Highers:
- ABB (including Maths)
- Irish Leaving Certificate:
- AABBBB (including Maths)
- Access Course:
- See below
- European Baccalaureate:
- 75% overall (including Maths)
Entry Requirement
2014
Typical A level offer: ABB including A in Mathematics
Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 32 points including one HL Mathematics at 6 and one other HL subject at 5
All equivalent qualifications considered, please contact the university for further information
Students should also have GCSE English (grade B) and Mathematics (grade B)
Students for whom English is a Foreign language
We welcome applications from students from all academic backgrounds. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading). Recognised English Language qualifications include:
- IELTS: 6. overall (minimum 5.5 in any component)
- TOEFL: Internet-based score of 78 overall (minimum 20 in Speaking component, 17 in Writing and Listening components and 18 in Reading components.
- PTE: 55 overall (minimum 51 in any component).
If you do not meet the University's entry requirements, our INTO Language Learning Centre offers a range of university preparation courses to help you develop the high level of academic and English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.
Interviews
The majority of candidates will not be called for an interview. However, for some students an interview will be requested. These are normally quite informal and generally cover topics such as your current studies, reasons for choosing the course and your personal interests and extra-curricular activities.
Gap Year
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year, believing that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry and may wish to contact the appropriate Admissions Office directly to discuss this further.
Special Entry Requirements
Grade A in A-level Mathematics or equivalent.
Intakes
The School's annual intake is in September of each year.
Alternative Qualifications
We encourage you to apply if you have alternative qualifications equivalent to our stated entry requirement. Please contact us for further information.
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 45 credits at Level 3, including 12 Level 3 credits in Mathematics.
GCSE Offer
Students are required to have Mathematics and English Language at minimum of Grade B.
Fees and Funding
Undergraduate University Fees
We are committed to ensuring that Tuition Fees do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. Full time UK/EU students starting an undergraduate degree course in 2013 will be charged a tuition fee of £9,000. The level of fee may be subject to yearly increases. Full time International students starting an undergraduate degree course in 2013 will be charged a tuition fee of £12,300. The level of fee may be subject to yearly increases.
Scholarships and Bursaries
Home/EU - The University of East Anglia offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships. To check if you are eligible please visit http://www.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/finance/university-financial-support.
International Students - The University offers around £1 million of Scholarships each year to support International students in their studies. Scholarships are normally awarded to students on the basis of academic merit and are usually for the duration of the period of study. Our University international pages gives you more details about preparation for studying with us, including Fees and Funding http://www.uea.ac.uk/international
How to Apply
Applications need to be made via the Universities Colleges and Admissions Services (UCAS), using the UCAS Apply option.
UCAS Apply is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time Undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom. It is made up of different sections that you need to complete. Your application does not have to be completed all at once. The system allows you to leave a section partially completed so you can return to it later and add to or edit any information you have entered. Once your application is complete, it must be sent to UCAS so that they can process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The UCAS code name and number for the University of East Anglia is EANGL E14.
Further Information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances with the Admissions Office prior to applying please do contact us:
Undergraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
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