Seeking Advice: Choosing Between a Chemistry Degree and an Economics Degree

Hello everyone!

I'm currently facing a dilemma and would greatly appreciate some guidance from those who have experience in either a chemistry degree or an economics degree. I'm torn between these two fields of study and would love to hear about your personal experiences to help me make an informed decision.

First and foremost, I'd like to know more about the workload and time commitment associated with each degree. If you've pursued a chemistry degree or an economics degree, could you please share the number of hours you typically dedicated to your coursework each week? How heavy was the workload, and did you find it manageable alongside other commitments?

Moreover, I'm curious to learn about the practical aspects of each course. For those who pursued a chemistry degree, what were the laboratory sessions like? Is it anything like A -level and what are the exam questions like? Furthermore, what topics do you learn about. On the other hand, for those who pursued an economics degree, what types of assignments or projects did you encounter? What is the general outline of the course ( I did not study economics at A-level and so am not familiar with what topics could be interesting)

I truly appreciate any insights, anecdotes, or advice you can provide. Your perspectives will play a significant role in helping me make an informed decision about my future academic and career path.

Thank you in advance for your valuable input!

Best regards,
snappyanvil

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by snappyanvil

I haven't done a chemistry degree yet, so I can't give you a fair opinion on it. Both are subjects that I am interested in as well.

First and foremost, I'd like to know more about the workload and time commitment associated with each degree.
The number of hours is pretty standard; you're expected to do 30-40 hours a week. If you're not in lectures or seminars or working on assignments, you're expected to be in the uni library reading up stuff. The more hours you put in, the higher the grade.

How heavy was the workload, and did you find it manageable alongside other commitments?
I went to 2 different unis, and the workload would depend on the number of modules you're doing. If you go to a uni that does 6 modules a year, you will find things significantly more manageable than one that does 8 (include another 10-20 hours a week).
I try to limit going out to one night per 2 weeks. I would attend at most 2 clubs per week (1 being ideal). I fit everything else around my schedule.

what types of assignments or projects did you encounter?
Typical assignments are essays. However, you would occasionally get the odd assignments as presentations, group work, and stats reports.

What is the general outline of the course?
Any typical economics degree would include modules in macro, micro, and econometrics. Any other modules in economics are derived from those in these 3 main modules. Macro is probably the easiest and the most popular (most people who go on to do PhDs and master's do them in macro topics). Micro involve th emost maths. Econometrics is just stats.
The range of modules that you can pick can range from a large pool and can vary depending on what the university specialises in. I picked modules that are most closely aligned with financial/banking economics, so I can give you an idea of that if you wish.
Range of topics can include: industrial economics, financial economics, banking economics, experimental/behavioural (involes psychology), mathematical economics (incredibly math heavy), econometrics, business economics, international economics, exchange rate, labour economics, public policy/welfare economics, economic history (more history than economics), developmental economics (more development than economics), agricultural economics, health economics, real estate economics. The most popular being financial economics, because for some reason people think that by doing a degree in economics can help people work in the financial industry (you don't need it).
You can then have very niched topics that you might not necessarily be able to find degrees for e.g. economics of biology, econophysics, black market economics, economics of engineering, economics of education.
You can then have joint degrees in economics that would cover disciplines in law, finance, business/management, psychology, maths, history, philosophy, politics. The most common are finance and business/management.
Masters' degrees in economics can be significantly expensive, and it's a popular subject. In all likelihood, a master's in chemistry would not come anywhere near as expensive as a master's in economics.

In essense, economics is a framework that could be applied to almost anything if you try. For example, I could look into the economic analysis of certain laws being implemented, or the economics of how much processing power is used in a particular software, or the economics of the dating market. These topics can be a bit unorthodox, so you can expect a few raised eyebrows, but the principle works - economics is about the analysis of limited resources (so long there is a constraint and you can put a number on it, you can apply economic frameworks to it).

What topics you find interesting in economics depends on your personal preference. I have a thing for finance, business, history, real estate, and development. If you want a better idea on whether you would like the degree, I would recommend you pick up one of the following books:

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Any book by Gregory N Mankiw (I have Principles of Macroeconomics, but Principles of Economics is just as good)

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Books by David Begg, but I prefer Mankiw's more

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The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford

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Most books in the Schuam's Outline series

I particularly like to see economics applied in different scenarios, so the Freakanomics series is right up my street.
I would still read books and articles regarding finance, economics, and business in my spare time. However, I still look into developmental economics , mathematical economics, as well as look into economic history. What I learn in my degree, I would still continue to read about afterwards. It's an interest.

I also have a thing of looking into chemistry, but I don't think I have come across a good book that would give you a general idea of what the subject is like, so I would keep tabs on this thread to see if there are any contributors who would volunteer such information.

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