Hi, I've just come across this thread and thought I might have some (hopefully) helpful input.
I study
BSc (Hons) International Development with Economics at the University of Bath and am in my second year here. While in sixth form I also took English Lit., alongside Politics, Philosophy and History. In the year prior to joining I also took my Maths A-Level (not exactly the wildest gap year...)
Any combination of subjects is likely helpful for the course given the varied, analytical nature of our learning. You do not need to have a huge understanding of economics or maths, though it does help. I was quite apprehensive regarding the economics part of the course when I was applying. However, we are taught the basics from scratch when we arrive - very quickly though! After a couple of compulsory modules in 1st year, you are then able to reduce your economics units or take additional ones depending on your preference.
The thing I enjoy most about my course is variety. In each unit we are encouraged to follow our own interests and to feature these in our work. For example, we had a market study where we could choose our market. This led to some particularly varied and interesting work, topics such as;
Gender Reassignment Surgery in Iran,
Abortion in Uganda and
Chocolate in Brazil.My course is part of the Department of Social & Policy Sciences, here's some information
about the department and some recent achievements and research proposals. In my view, having such prominent lecturers has helped to engage everyone on the course, and has brought in really valuable insight from leading researchers.
If you have any questions about the course at Bath, or anything regarding International Development at university, feel free to quote me.
Hollie
International Development with Economics - 2nd Year