KCL vs DURHAM

Hi. I have offers from Kings and Durham for Bsc Econ starting this fall. I’m not sure which one to accept. I have offers from Australia too. University of Melbourne, Univeristy of Sydney and Australian National University. I’ve heard that KCL has better brand value and courses (and ofc London scene) but Durham’s econ degree is very good and reputable. P

Reply 1

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

20

Original post by student.is

Hi. I have offers from Kings and Durham for Bsc Econ starting this fall. I’m not sure which one to accept. I have offers from Australia too. University of Melbourne, Univeristy of Sydney and Australian National University. I’ve heard that KCL has better brand value and courses (and ofc London scene) but Durham’s econ degree is very good and reputable. P

I mean KCL has a very strong international reputation & has all the benefits of London.
KCL is not a top academic teaching Uni, they are mostly known for their research.

Durham is more academic & more prestigious. That being said KCL has everything on its doorstep, want to go finance your right there, you just have a lot more networking ability at KCL as well.

It's really what you prefer

Reply 2

toby4413

9

Original post by student.is

Hi. I have offers from Kings and Durham for Bsc Econ starting this fall. I’m not sure which one to accept. I have offers from Australia too. University of Melbourne, Univeristy of Sydney and Australian National University. I’ve heard that KCL has better brand value and courses (and ofc London scene) but Durham’s econ degree is very good and reputable. P

100 % Durham, I have just finished my first year econ at Kings and I regret it. Because the course is 'too easy' not intellectually stimulating enough. Since the course is only 2 yrs old, the teaching quality aren't great.

Reply 3

toby4413

9

Original post by toby4413

100 % Durham, I have just finished my first year econ at Kings and I regret it. Because the course is 'too easy' not intellectually stimulating enough. Since the course is only 2 yrs old, the teaching quality aren't great.

It's feels like a BA rather than a bsc course

Reply 4

.ACS.

19

Original post by student.is

Hi. I have offers from Kings and Durham for Bsc Econ starting this fall. I’m not sure which one to accept. I have offers from Australia too. University of Melbourne, Univeristy of Sydney and Australian National University. I’ve heard that KCL has better brand value and courses (and ofc London scene) but Durham’s econ degree is very good and reputable. P

Firstly, you have to decide on whether you want to study in the UK or in Australia. I think this difference is the most stark, as opposed to comparing Durham to KCL.

If you decide on the UK, then you should focus on whether or not you want to live and study in the very centre of a city, or in a much smaller campus based university (ie, Durham; remembering that Durham University is on the outskirts of the town itself).

Also, think about the modules on offer and the content covered. For reference, the Durham BA Economics handbook is here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/faculty.handbook/degrees/frameworks/l100.pdf
It gives links to every module covered (both compulsory and optional) so you can see what is taught and the level. Likewise, KCL has similar on their website. This is important because every university has a different emphasis. You need to think about your interests and determine whether or not the modules on offer are the sort of things you would enjoy covering.

Regarding content, etc., I would not listen overly to toby4413. He says the KCL is not mathematical, and suggests Durham instead, but in fact, Durham's course is not overly mathematical either. Indeed they pride themselves to an extent on focusing more on the economic intuition and understanding as opposed to being mathematical for the sake of it.

Good luck in your choice!

Reply 5

student.is

OP

2

Thank you so much. Are you/ were you a student at either of them?

Original post by .ACS.

Firstly, you have to decide on whether you want to study in the UK or in Australia. I think this difference is the most stark, as opposed to comparing Durham to KCL.

If you decide on the UK, then you should focus on whether or not you want to live and study in the very centre of a city, or in a much smaller campus based university (ie, Durham; remembering that Durham University is on the outskirts of the town itself).

Also, think about the modules on offer and the content covered. For reference, the Durham BA Economics handbook is here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/faculty.handbook/degrees/frameworks/l100.pdf
It gives links to every module covered (both compulsory and optional) so you can see what is taught and the level. Likewise, KCL has similar on their website. This is important because every university has a different emphasis. You need to think about your interests and determine whether or not the modules on offer are the sort of things you would enjoy covering.

Regarding content, etc., I would not listen overly to toby4413. He says the KCL is not mathematical, and suggests Durham instead, but in fact, Durham's course is not overly mathematical either. Indeed they pride themselves to an extent on focusing more on the economic intuition and understanding as opposed to being mathematical for the sake of it.

Good luck in your choice!

Reply 6

student.is

OP

2

Ohh. What exactly do you feel is lacking in the course? I had a friend who had done his management from kings but that was before they had the business school. He said that even he’s heard from his friends that the school isn’t well established especially for such a reputed university

Original post by toby4413

It's feels like a BA rather than a bsc course

Reply 7

student.is

OP

2

Ohh. What do you mean by KCL is not an academic university? I thought that post first year there is a lot of emphasis on academics

Original post by mnot

I mean KCL has a very strong international reputation & has all the benefits of London.
KCL is not a top academic teaching Uni, they are mostly known for their research.

Durham is more academic & more prestigious. That being said KCL has everything on its doorstep, want to go finance your right there, you just have a lot more networking ability at KCL as well.

It's really what you prefer

Reply 8

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

As above, bear in mind the KCL course is very new, and hasn't even had it's first cohort graduate yet. That may be worth bearing in mind; the course spun out of the pre-existing political economy and economics & management courses there, so it's likely to be more skewed towards those "applied" areas than highly mathematical economic theory.

If you would be happy living in Australia, and can afford it, all of those Aussie unis are extremely well regarded (the three of them are functionally the Oxbridge/Ivy league equivalents in Australia). However there are a lot of ifs and buts involved in study there, not in the least due to the finances involved (not only tuition fees, but living and importantly, travel costs). You should very carefully assess if that's a feasible option for you.

I agree with ACS that the first step is probably determining whether you want to study in the UK or Australia, which will immediately narrow your options down. Then you can decide between the remaining universities.

Reply 9

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

20

Original post by student.is

Ohh. What do you mean by KCL is not an academic university? I thought that post first year there is a lot of emphasis on academics

i meant generally speaking KCL is not considered elite academically (not subject specific),
its prestige is for its very strong researcher network with well known academics and is well known internationally.

whereas Durham is mostly well known for its academic standards, its quality of undergrad students is what it is known for...

Reply 10

Gbest

2

Original post by mnot

i meant generally speaking KCL is not considered elite academically (not subject specific),
its prestige is for its very strong researcher network with well known academics and is well known internationally.
whereas Durham is mostly well known for its academic standards, its quality of undergrad students is what it is known for...