Economics
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Economics Summer Courses
Explore how individuals, businesses and governments make decisions about resources, markets and society with Atlas Summer Courses. Our two-week Economics summer courses, available for students aged 13–15, 16–17 and 18–24, give you the opportunity to investigate economic ideas and apply them to questions about the world around you.
Through academic teaching and independent study, you'll explore how economists analyse choices, markets and wider economies while developing your ability to interpret evidence, evaluate competing arguments and approach complex problems logically.
What's Included?
Your residential Economics summer course includes academic teaching, accommodation, meals, a certificate on completion, airport transfer from Heathrow and insurance.
Choose from Plus, Superior and Premier packages, with accommodation and additional benefits varying by package.
What Is Economics?
Economics explores how individuals, businesses, governments and societies make choices when resources are limited.
At an individual level, economists might investigate why consumers make particular choices or how businesses respond to changing prices. At a broader level, economics can help us examine questions surrounding employment, inflation, economic growth, inequality and international trade.
Studying economics also means learning to work with models, evidence and competing explanations. Economic decisions often involve trade-offs, and different policies can create different consequences for individuals and society.
An Economics summer course gives you the opportunity to explore these ideas beyond your usual studies and develop a more analytical understanding of how economies and markets work.
What Will You Study on an Economics Summer Course?
There is no prescribed syllabus that every student follows. Atlas Summer Courses tutors create their own syllabi, drawing on their expertise while taking the interests, abilities and learning needs of their students into account.
Depending on your course and age group, you could explore areas such as supply and demand, markets, incentives, economic growth, inequality, international trade or government intervention.
You might consider questions such as:
- Why do prices rise and fall?
- How do consumers and businesses respond to incentives?
- What happens when markets don't produce efficient outcomes?
- What causes economies to grow?
- How can governments respond to inflation or unemployment?
- Why do countries trade with one another?
The depth and approach will reflect the age group you're studying with. Tutors can also develop the course around their own areas of expertise and the interests of their students.
Any syllabus shown on our website is an example from a previous course rather than a guarantee of the exact topics you'll study.
How You'll Learn on an Economics Summer Course
How you'll study Economics depends on your age group, with each programme designed to provide an appropriate level of academic challenge and independence.
Ages 13–15
24 hours of small-group seminars
You'll take part in eight seminars where you'll explore economic ideas through interactive discussion, case studies and activities. You'll be encouraged to examine evidence, consider different explanations and apply economic thinking to real-world questions.
12 hours of private study
Between seminars, you'll complete independent work that could involve reading, researching an economic question, analysing information or preparing a presentation.
Ages 16–17 and 18–24
18 hours of small-group seminars
You'll take part in six three-hour seminars, exploring economic ideas through discussion, case studies and activities.
2 hours of tutorials
You'll have one tutorial each week, providing a focused environment in which to discuss the essay or problem sheet you've been working on and receive detailed feedback.
Around 20 hours of private study
You'll complete reading in preparation for seminars and work independently on an essay or problem sheet for each tutorial.
Across all age groups, you'll be encouraged to participate actively, engage critically with evidence and develop the confidence to analyse economic questions independently.
Who Are Our Economics Summer Courses For?
Our Economics summer courses are designed for students who are curious about how economies work and why individuals, businesses and governments make the choices they do.
You don't need to have studied Economics before. The courses may particularly appeal to you if you're interested in current affairs, business, markets, public policy or the economic forces affecting everyday life.
You'll develop transferable skills including analytical reasoning, interpreting evidence, critical thinking, problem-solving, independent study and communicating complex arguments clearly.
If you're interested in related subjects, you can also explore our Economics and Finance summer courses, Business and Economics summer courses and PPE summer courses.
Learn from Expert Tutors
Atlas Summer Courses tutors are experienced educators and subject specialists active across academia, industry and education.
They bring their own academic expertise and interests into their teaching and have the freedom to shape their syllabus around both their specialism and the students in their group. This allows each Economics summer course to explore different economic questions and approaches while responding to relevant developments within the field.
Tutors are confirmed closer to the summer, so profiles on our website are examples of tutors who have previously taught with us rather than confirmation of who will teach your course.
Where Can Economics Take You?
Economics connects with a wide range of subjects across the social sciences, business and quantitative disciplines.
Students interested in the field may go on to study Economics itself or related subjects such as finance, PPE, business, politics, international relations or development economics.
The analytical, quantitative and problem-solving skills associated with Economics can also support future paths across finance, banking, business, consulting, government, public policy, research and international organisations.
An Economics summer course gives you the opportunity to explore the subject before making longer-term academic decisions and discover which areas of economics interest you most.
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FAQs about Our Summer Courses
No. You don't usually need to have studied your chosen subject before joining an Atlas Summer Courses summer course. Courses are designed for the relevant age group, and tutors can adapt their approach to the abilities, interests and experience of the students in their group.
There is no fixed curriculum that every student follows. Our tutors create their own syllabi based on their academic expertise and the interests and learning needs of their students.
This means the exact topics can vary between courses and years. Any syllabus or topics shown on our website are examples from previous courses and shouldn't be taken as a guarantee of exactly what you'll study.
Teaching depends on your age group. Students aged 9–12 and Scholars aged 12–14 learn through structured, interactive small-group classes. Students aged 13–15 combine small-group seminars with private study, while students aged 16–17 and 18–24 experience seminars, tutorials and independent study.
Across our programmes, teaching is designed to encourage active participation, questioning and independent thinking rather than simply listening to lectures.
Your course includes your academic programme, accommodation, meals and a certificate on completion, alongside the activities and experiences included within your programme.
What's included can vary depending on the programme, age group and package you choose, so we recommend checking the individual course details for the full inclusions before applying.
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Choose from over 40 subjects taught through flexible, age-appropriate programmes. Our tutors adapt their teaching methodologies to different age groups and shape course content around students’ interests, rather than following a fixed curriculum.
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