Take our quiz to find out what your revision personality is! >>

A levels economics computer science maths

Hi I just gave my exams and I'm going to be taking admission for a levels. But I'm confused about the 3rd subject i should take. I want to take a degree in tech or engineering probably. In gcse the subjects I took were business economics and CS and maths was compulsory. I am thinking to take CS maths and economics in a levels. I'm not sure if I should take economics. Personally I am very interested in economics so would it be ok for me to take it. Will I have multiple career opportunities to take and will i be able to get into a good university with this combination? I don't want to take physics as I am not interested in it and I didn't take it in IGCSE either. Is there another subject i should take

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Harunosakura

I want to take a degree in tech or engineering probably
Engineering is not a small niched branch of STEM. It's a pretty big field with dozens of branches. Which area of engineering are you specifically referring to, especially when you say you don't like physics? Bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer engineering, software engineering?

In terms of UK degrees (I don't know which country you're from, since you mentioned iGCSEs), maths + 2 other subjects alone would allow you to study the following degrees:

•

Economics (both quantitative and nonquantitative - pick the quantitative degrees where possible, they require maths and sometimes further maths)

•

Computer science and software engineering

•

Actuarial science and financial mathematics

•

Maths (at mid tier universities, and for top tier universities, you are looking to have further maths if possible)

•

Data science and data analytics

•

Anything that only asks for 3 A Levels in random subjects

To get into engineering, you usually need to couple maths with a science. If you don't like physics, then most of the engineering disicipline won't be available to you. The only fields then are bioengineering (requires biology), chemical engineering (chemistry), or something in tech (no science required).

I am thinking to take CS maths and economics in a levels. I'm not sure if I should take economics.
Economics and computer science at A Level aren't required subjects for economics or computer science degrees at university level. The only time I would consider doing them is if they're subjects I really want to do or I think I could get really high grades in them.
Having said that, there are some top tier universities that are a little picky about which subjects you pick for your application, so it might be worth your while to check what the specific entry requirements are for the specific degree courses that you want to do.

Economics at A Level (if iAL is anything like UK's AL), then there's little to no maths involved. There would be a number of economic theory and models to remember though. I find it an interesting subject, but then I have degrees in them so I am biased.
As far as I know, economics whilst being academic is not one of those subjects where you need to be a stellar student in order to get a good grade in it. Having said that, you still need to work hard in order to get good grade in it.
If you want to take a look at the material before deciding, pick up an A Level textbook on economics and see if you can read a few chapters and still remain interested. If you are, you're fine.

Will I have multiple career opportunities to take and will i be able to get into a good university with this combination?
If you don't have maths in your A Levels, you are going to shoot yourself in the foot if you are intent on doing economics or computer science. Further maths is recommended for certain degrees, but unless you know which specific degrees at which specific universities you want to do it at, it's somewhat difficult to advise.

I find maths being one of the subjects that opens the most doors in terms of the choice of degrees that you can do. The areas where maths would not get you particularly far is if it's in areas like history, chemistry, biology, most things in life sciences, classics, modern languages, some literature degrees, and some geography degrees, because they require subjects other than maths. Having said that, maths is still a highly respected subject, so having it in your arsenal can still make your application look good as a third subject.

Career opportunities would depend on the individual and the sort of thing you are after. I don't know what other industries you are interested in getting into other than tech and engineering, so I can't say specifically. In the UK, about 200/800 careers would require you to have studied at university for a degree in order to get into the field (most can be done via apprenticeships, degree apprenticehips, professional qualifications, or require no prior qualifications). I don't know what it's like in your country, so I can't specifically comment.
Your degree alone does not guarantee you a job and it definitely does not guarantee you a foot in the door. Having it might mean you are qualified to do the job, but it does not mean it exclusively allow only you to do the job. Career hunting will require more than qualifications to get anywhere.

To me, the combination of A Levels that would allow you to do the most degrees out there are 3 sciences + maths. Since you don't like physics and you did not mentioned anything about doing a science, I presume you want to only look into things that accept either maths + any 2 random subjects or any random 3 A Levels. This maths combination alone would open a large number of doors in the UK even if you don't do a degree.

If you can be more specific about what you want, as well as which country you are from, I might be able to shed some light into what you can look into.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Articles for you

What A-level subjects do you need for the degree you want to study?

Artificial intelligence and robotics degree personal statement example (1a) with review and advice

What A-levels do you need to study maths?

These YouTubers can help get your exam revision on track