This section of the Handbook will provide further detail on module choices, registering for and changing your optional modules and your timetable.

Core and optional core modules

As outlined in the previous section of the Handbook, in each year of your Degree you will be required to take a given number of core or optional core modules. You can find the required core and optional core modules in each year for your Degree in the section on Degree Course RegulationsLink opens in a new window. In each year of your degree, most students (excluding L116 in Year 2) can also choose a number of optional modules.

Optional modules

There are many modules available across the University and a Module CatalogueLink opens in a new window is compiled to help you view them. If you are considering an external option (outside of Economics), you should contact the department concerned for more information about the module content and how to register for that module, without forgetting that you must register all your module choice(s) on the eVision Module Registration system. In some modules there are limits on numbers and applications have to be made by a given date. You must confirm with the relevant department that you are accepted for the module(s) and that the timetable is feasible for you. Note that some departments hold ballots and if your chosen option is one that is balloted then you must await on that result before confirming your choices. Most departments provide the information in online handbooks or on websites.

Note that module registration is open for the first 2 weeks of term 1 and 3 weeks of term 2. After week 3 of Term 2 your registration is binding.

Approved options

These are external modules that students in the Economics Department have previously taken and so the Economics Department has already approved them. Modules are only approved on the basis that they are of the appropriate level (e.g., “any approved Final Year option” means modules with 300 codes). Thus, for many degree courses and cohorts, the choice of options is wider than the department lists published.

Approved modules do not require you to complete an unusual module request form, but it is still your responsibility in choosing your modules to ensure that you have met all relevant pre-requisites and have obtained permission from the department offering the module. You must also ensure that the modules you choose meet your degree course regulations. Therefore, even if an external module is on the approved module list, there is no guarantee that you will be permitted by the other department to take it. Once confirmed by the Economics Department, you must then register with the external department and on eMR.

NB — you will NOT be permitted to take 100-coded modules in your Second or Final Year.

View the lists of approved modulesLink opens in a new window taught by other departments by year of study: L100 (Economics), L116 (Economics and Industrial Organisation), LM1D (EPAIS), and Mathematics and Economics (GL11) on the relevant year module webpages.

Note that some of the modules in the lists are core or optional core on some Economics-based degree courses and some modules we offer are only for students outside of Economics and hence may not be available to you.

Unusual options

If you wish to take an option module that is not listed as 'an approved option' under your degree course regulations, please submit an unusual option formLink opens in a new window. You must make a case based on special individual circumstances, because permission will not necessarily be granted under normal circumstances. Requests to take modules that contravene your degree course regulations will not be permitted and it is your responsibility to check this. Your request will be considered on its merits by the module approval team, who work under the Director of Undergraduate Studies. They will make a decision, after checking for consistency and fair treatment. However, please note that a request to take an option module in order to obtain exemption from examinations for professional qualifications in the future will not be sufficient.

A guide to other departments

The module code tells you which department is responsible for teaching any particular module. To obtain more details of the module you must contact the Undergraduate Office of the department concerned. Some of the departments from which modules are often taken are listed below. For all other departments, you should check the University webpages. You are encouraged to use the email address below to contact these Departments or to go to their UG office in person.

Key things to consider when choosing your optional modules

When considering which optional modules to take, please ensure you take account of the following:

First year students

As a first year student, you have some flexibility in terms of how many optional modules you can take. For those on L100 and LM1D, you must take at least one 15 CAT module, such that your total modules in your first year add up to at least 135 CATS. However, you can take one 30 CAT module or two 15 CAT modules.

For those on L116, you must take at least one 30 CAT module or two 15 CAT modules, such that your total modules in your first year add up to at least 135 CATS. However, you can take one 30 CAT module and one 15 CAT module, or three 15 CAT modules.

When deciding whether to take an extra module and hence additional CATS, you should consider the extra workload that this will involve, including additional assessments and examinations and whether this will have a detrimental impact on the marks you obtain on your core modules. If you do choose to take the extra 15 CAT module, you should select them such that you have a balanced load across the Autumn term (term 1) and the Spring term (term 2).

Module availability

For the current academic year we will be running the Economics modules listed on our website. Although we try to run all optional modules on the pre-registration lists, occasionally, we have to withdraw a module due to staff availability. If this is the case, you will be informed as soon as possible.

Your timetable

The lecture timetable for Economics modules can be viewed hereLink opens in a new window. It includes the times of the in-person lectures for each module, including the optional modules. Your personal timetable can be viewed through Tabula. It will be complete when you are registered for all modules, core and optional, and you have signed up to, or have been allocated to your module Support and Feedback classes and any other timetabled teaching.

Timetable clashes

Check your timetable for clashes as you select your modules and your times for module Support and Feedback classes. Make sure that you check BOTH the Spring term and Autumn term for all of your modules, as sometimes Lecture times and module Support and Feedback class times may change across terms. If there is a clash, you need to take action to resolve it. If a lecture for an optional module you wish to take clashes with a lecture for one of your core modules, this cannot be resolved and you will have to choose another option. But if it clashes with a module Support and Feedback class, or one of these class times clashes with another, you may be able to solve this problem. You can move yourself to another module Support and Feedback class in the first three weeks of term if places remain unfilled. Please note that your class tutor cannot permit you to switch groups and you must contact the UG Office if you need to change your class time.

Given the flexibility in options that we allow, it is impossible to guarantee that every permitted combination of optional modules is feasible due to clashes; this is particularly true in the Final Year, where there is a lot of choice. Remember when checking the timetable it is important that you check both terms 1 and 2. In particular, Final Year students taking EC331 need to ensure that they can attend the class for their particular EC331 group across the two terms. If you sign up for a module that you later discover your timetable does not permit you to take, there may be little that can be done to change your registration.

Timetabling complexities can delay the posting of module Support and Feedback class membership lists and times of meetings as well as forcing last-minute changes. Please check your email, Tabula and the Current StudentsLink opens in a new window section of the Economics Department website for information on lecture and class times and any enforced changes. If you have any queries, discuss them with the module lecturer (during their Advice and Feedback hours) or with the UG Office.

Watching the first couple of in person lectures is a good way of making sure you make the right choice.

How your choice affects later years of your degree course: Pre-requisites

In some cases your choice of first year options can affect your range of choices in other years. Some modules do have pre-requisites, i.e., modules which you must previously have taken in order to give you the relevant background knowledge. If you do not have relevant pre-requisites, you will not be permitted to take a module, so it is important to check the optional modules in later years of your degree, particularly the final year, to ensure you choose the correct modules in years one and two. To give you an idea of what lies ahead, please see the full degree course regulations for the Second and Final Years of your degree course.

Policies of external departments on module registration

Some departments (Politics & International Studies, WBS, History, and Law, amongst others) limit the number of students allowed to take some modules. If a module is over-subscribed, places are allocated sometimes by ballots, sometimes on a 'first come, first served' basis. To find out whether rationing is in operation on a module you wish to take, you should check the website of the relevant department or email the department concerned as soon as you can. If there is no rationing, please make sure that you inform the relevant department’s Undergraduate Office that you are registered on their module. If you are unsure about how to register for an external module, you should talk to that Department's UG office. Once registered, you must then register all of your modules on eMR.

Autumn and Spring term modules

All modules with an examination component (whether they are taught in the Autumn, Spring, or throughout the whole academic year) will be examined in the Summer term examination period.

For students in all years, we strongly advise you to take an approximately balanced CATS load across both terms. Should you wish to take an imbalanced number of CATS across terms, we advise that it is better to take the greater number of CATS in Term 1, in order to possibly make amendments in Term 2. For Final-year students, we stipulate a maximum of 75 CATS per term. We advise that Final-year students do not take more than 60 CATS in Term 2.

Registering for your optional modules

The following section outlines the steps you must take to register your optional modules each year. Please read the following information carefully, as incorrect module registrations can have serious consequences.

Pre-registration of optional modules

Current economics students and joint degree students who will be entering their Second or Final years of study, and external students wishing to take an economics module as an option, are required to pre-register their module choices. Pre-registrationLink opens in a new window opens in the Summer Term (Term 3) and is compulsory. If you are entering into your Second Year of study you will be prompted to complete the pre-registration form for second year studentsLink opens in a new window at the appropriate time. If you are entering into your Final Year of study, you will be prompted to complete the forms linked to your degree course from the Pre-registration pageLink opens in a new window. You will be contacted by email when this system is open and will receive guidance on making your module choices in the respective 'Exams Briefing' sessions in term 3.

Other departments may have similar policies for pre-registration of modules and you should check with them for this information, in terms of when and how you can pre-register. Be aware that WBS modules fill up very quickly and places cannot be guaranteed to any students from Economics. You will need to register on my.wbs and eMR. If you wish to apply to study language modules as part of your degree course, you need to check the Language Centre's website or contact their UG office at the start of the Autumn term to register.

Please consider your choices carefully; it helps us to plan the timetable and other resources needed for each module, so gathering meaningful information on what you want to study next year is very important. There is no commitment on either side from pre-registration so you will be able to change your modules at the start of the academic year, and we cannot guarantee that a module will run in the next academic year.

Please note that if the Department of Economics does need to cap any of its modules, priority will be given to those students who followed departmental policy and did complete module pre-registration.

eMR (eVision Module Registration)

At the beginning of the Autumn term you will be asked to register your final module choices on the University-wide eMR system. You must do this irrespective of whether your module choices have changed since pre-registration and irrespective of whether your module is approved.

When registering your choices ensure that you have selected the appropriate CATS and assessment group for the chosen module. Economics students are not allowed to select modules for audit only.

Please note that you cannot take an external option unless you have been accepted on the module concerned by the department that offers it. When you have been accepted by the outside department, registered with them and checked that you have fulfilled any conditions they set, you must also complete your online eMR. If you do not do this, you will not have fully registered for that module.

Changing your optional modules

The module registration system (eMR) closes at the start of week 3 for Term 1 and week 17 for Term 2, so once you have chosen your optional modules, you will have a short window in which you can change them. You are not permitted to change between two modules taking place in the same term after eMR has closed in the relevant term. For example, if you are taking a 15 CATS module in Term 1 and wish to change to another 15 CATS module also in Term 1, you will not be permitted to make the change once close of business on Monday of week 3 of Term 1 has finished. You can switch from a Term 1 module to a Term 2 module so long as this is done before the end of week 17, but you will NOT be permitted to switch modules if you have already submitted assessed work for that module that is worth 10% or more of the total mark for that module.

You are advised to make any changes as early as possible, as you may find it very difficult to catch up. If you do change your modules, it is your responsibility to catch up on any missed work and this cannot be used as a mitigating circumstance, should your performance in any module be adversely affected. Before making a change, you must first find a place on a new module. If it is an external module, you must gain the permission of the relevant department and follow that department's registration procedures and if needed, complete an unusual option form, before amending your online registration and informing the UG Office.

Before the end of week 3 of Term 2, it is your responsibility to make sure you are registered for the correct modules on eMR for both Terms 1 and 2. If you fail to do this, there can be serious consequences in terms of which exams you are required to sit. Please check the list of modules you are taking on Tabula and if you notice any missing modules or modules listed which should not be there, you need to contact the UG office urgently.

Restrictions and pre-requisites

In each of your Second and Final years, you are required to take modules totalling 120 CATS.

You may not over- or under-load on CATS points in the Department of Economics.

It is important that you register for modules with the correct CATS weightings. Please check the Your Modules and TimetableLink opens in a new window section for further information. You should check with the module leaders exactly what this will mean in terms of extra input from you, especially regarding the nature of the assessment methods. Furthermore, modules weighted at less than 15 CATS in your Second and Final Years are not normally permissible (excluding GL11). If you wish to take modules that contravene this, you should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Certain combinations of modules are not permitted, while some modules require certain pre-requisites.

It is your responsibility to check that your choice of options satisfies these criteria. The UG Office will check your final choices of modules in the early part of the Autumn term. If your choices are found to contravene the degree course regulations and restrictions, you will be required to change your choices.

• In the Economics Department, First Year modules have codes of the type EC100, Second Year modules have codes EC200, and Final Year modules have codes EC300. Unless your degree course regulations specify otherwise, you will NOT be permitted to take Economics modules coded for a year of study other than your own.
• For quantitative modules in mathematical economics, statistics and econometrics, as well as some of the more technical modules, the module pre-requisites are specified in the pre-requisites table below. For non-quantitative modules not specified in the table, note that normally EC200 coded modules have the minimum pre-requisite that you should have taken EC108 and EC109, or EC107 or EC106, plus EC120. EC300 coded modules normally have the minimum pre-requisite that you should have taken either EC201 and EC202, or EC204.
• External students wishing to take economics modules should note that, typically, EC200-coded modules assume that students have taken appropriate EC100-coded modules and that EC300- coded modules assume that students have taken relevant EC200-coded modules. External students wishing to register for either an EC200 or an EC300-coded module should check with the UG Office on the nature of the appropriate pre-requisites.

Language modules

If you are interested in one of the exchange schemes with institutions abroad offered by the Department of Economics, or one of our partner departments in respect of joint degree students or at the University level, it is useful to take an appropriate language option. If you are going to France, Spain or Germany, it is a requirement to have taken an appropriate language option.

Language modules are offered by the University’s Language Centre, and also by the French, German, and Italian Departments. You can find more details of the language modules on our website. However, you should also consult these departments for the full range of modules and prerequisites. Language Centre staff advise you to select the level most suitable for your background and existing language ability. However, this must be within the parameters of the rules below regarding the permitted level of modules taken in the Second and Final Years.

It is always best to start a language in your First Year. Language modules are typically offered at 24 or 30 CATS and hence if you wish to pursue a Language module in your First Year and you are on either BSc Economics or BA/BSc EPAIS, you will be required to take more than the minimum number of CATS. Some degree courses run by Economics, but not BSc Economics and Industrial Organisation (L116), allow you to start an accelerated language module in your Second Year. You cannot start an accelerated language module (or equivalent, e.g. French 2, Japanese 2) in your Final Year.

The following rules govern the choice of all language modules in the Second and Final Years of all Economics courses within the Department (excluding the Modern Languages and Economics Degrees), regardless of whether the module is offered by Language Departments or the Language Centre. They are intended to ensure that, if languages are to make up a significant proportion of your final degree credit, you will have reached a level of proficiency in that language which measures up to the standards employers expect of a Warwick degree in an Economics-related subject.

• No more than 30 CATS of language options may be taken in each year.
• You may only take LL200 coded modules or higher in the Second Year.
• Final Year students: if you have not studied a language during your First or Second Year, you are permitted to take a language module in your Final Year, only if that language is at an advanced level (Level 6).*
• You cannot study two languages, so any language module taken must be in the same language as previous language modules and must show progression.
• A language module does not count as a 300-coded module, unless it is a level 6 module (e.g. French 5, Spanish 5 or above).
• A language option may not be taken in your first language under any circumstances.

* If you are an L116 student wishing to begin a new language, you must start the language in the First Year.

IATL interdisciplinary modules

There are a number of undergraduate modules available to Second- and Final-Year Economics students which are delivered by the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL). If you wish to take an IATL module, you must choose to take the 15 CATS variant of the module. You are only permitted to take 15 CATS of IATL modules across your Second and Final Years combined. The list of approved modules can be found by scrolling down on the department's second yearLink opens in a new window and final yearLink opens in a new window module pages. Please check this carefully as restrictions may apply. You should speak directly to IATLLink opens in a new window about the modules to gain their permission to take the module, as places are limited.