manchester or nottingham economics

ive got offers from both uni of Nottingham and Manchester for economics Bsc, I was wondering which course / uni had the better reputation in terms of moving on to postgraduate study

Hi econ20022, I have graduated from BSc. Econ from LSE. If you intend to go into further study after BSc. I would suggest looking at research quality of both universities in league tables, which show their reputation. However, how well you do in your BSc. matters so much more - so I suggest looking into the course content to see if you will like what you study.

Research Ranking
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/economics?sortby=research-quality
It shows here Nottingham is far ahead in terms of ranking and I suspected that to be the case before looking it up

Entry Requirements
https://wearequrious.com/admissions/economics-courses-entry-requirements/
Nottingham's Economics course also have higher entry requirement standards which does help indicate its reputation as well. Better reputation mean being able to raise entry standards while taking in an acceptable no. of students.

I wouldn't worry too much about Qs rankings especially if you are looking into postgrad instead of direct employment - I mean they rank UCL at 8 but LSE at 44... Overall ranking/reputation wise both Manchester and Nottingham are in the Russell group so I wouldn't worry too much about that, perhaps Qs just ranked Manchester higher as they have more subjects on offer hence more well known same for the UCL vs LSE ranking. For me I would go for Nottingham - I'm sure LSE/Oxbridge admissions tutors emphasize on subject rankings and BSc entry standards more than the overall name. There may be a chance for LSE where interestingly there are much more postgrad students than undergrad and I do think students use LSE postgrad as a top-up degree from Russell Group. Not sure about oxbridge but I think if you do ridiculously well and get into the dean list there's always a chance.

But again, look into the course and the modules to see if you enjoy them enough to do well. Otherwise it will be a painful 3 years

Hi NiceEconTeachder, thanks for the reply.
My offer for Nottingham is A*AA and Manchester is AAB, from this I thought that Nottingham would have the better reputation. However, when looking at the QS world rankings, both of the courses where in the range 50-100 (it didn't specify where in the range they where) but for the QS world rankings of the unis themselves Manchester was 27th for 2020 and has been top 30 each year I could find, where as Nottingham was 96th for 2020.
How relevant is the overall uni ranking and would a first from either of these unis plus work experience give me a reasonable chance at a masters from a top uni such as Oxbridge or LSE.

Either of them are fine for an Oxbridge/LSE MSc (I'm at Nottingham now and heading to LSE for my master's this September). The reputation of your uni is actually pretty insignificant for this - what matters is your ranking in the cohort, how well the modules have prepared you for the MSc (they like the more rigorous/advanced modules), relevant internships, strength of your references, etc. Having said that, both Nottingham and Manchester have strong reputations in academia, and league tables don't fully reflect this.

I'd go for the one where you think you'll succeed most (the environment and available modules are important here). They both have study abroad opportunities, but maybe the partner unis at one appeal to you more (if you're interested in studying abroad).

Either of them are fine for an Oxbridge/LSE MSc (I'm at Nottingham now and heading to LSE for my master's this September). The reputation of your uni is actually pretty insignificant for this - what matters is your ranking in the cohort, how well the modules have prepared you for the MSc (they like the more rigorous/advanced modules), relevant internships, strength of your references, etc. Having said that, both Nottingham and Manchester have strong reputations in academia, and league tables don't fully reflect this.

I'd go for the one where you think you'll succeed most (the environment and available modules are important here). They both have study abroad opportunities, but maybe the partner unis at one appeal to you more (if you're interested in studying abroad).

thanks for the reply, it was really useful.
how hard did you find getting internships at Nottingham?

Hi NiceEconTeachder, thanks for the reply.
My offer for Nottingham is A*AA and Manchester is AAB, from this I thought that Nottingham would have the better reputation. However, when looking at the QS world rankings, both of the courses where in the range 50-100 (it didn't specify where in the range they where) but for the QS world rankings of the unis themselves Manchester was 27th for 2020 and has been top 30 each year I could find, where as Nottingham was 96th for 2020.
How relevant is the overall uni ranking and would a first from either of these unis plus work experience give me a reasonable chance at a masters from a top uni such as Oxbridge or LSE.

Then wouldn’t you firm Nottingham and insure Manchester based on those requirements?

Internships want people with good grades and relevant transferable skills developed beyond their degrees. How hard you find getting internships depends on how proactive you are in achieving these things. I've often wondered how anyone can leave Nottingham unemployed because there are so many opportunities to develop these things. I'm always receiving emails with information on networking events, hundreds of societies to join, things like 180 Degress Consulting and Enactus (where Nottingham has been the national champion most, if not every year since I started my degree), summer schools, etc.

I personally did a placement year and a summer internship during my degree. They aren't easy to get because you're competing with people at other unis too, but you shouldn't have many problems getting interviews if you have a proactive first year. And if you are having problems, the Careers Service will help you with your CV, do mock interviews, send you emails with info on cool internships at firms you might not have thought about, etc.

Again though, these things aren't exclusive to Nottingham - being at a place that you feel will motivate you to be proactive is important. Nottingham and Manchester have similarities but the differences might help your decision.