Welcome to the School of Economics

Jonathan Argent

I initially registered in first year for Business Science Finance CA-Stream, very unsure of what I wanted to do. In my final year I changed to the Non-CA stream, reshuffling my courses towards better preparation for further study in Economics, which came to dominate my interests. I subsequently completed B.Com Honours in Economics (2008) and will register for a graduate degree in Economics in the US/UK in late 2009.

The defining feature of my experience within the School of Economics has been my interaction with the people in it. I have had the privilege of being taught by, and working for, some truly exceptional people. In my opinion, being involved with these people has taught me more than my actual coursework. This is not to take away from the coursework that I know has given me a solid foundation in the core skills of the professional economist, but rather a mark of the opportunities for learning and development available within the School of Economics.

Economics is a broad discipline that is well represented at UCT. Whether your interests lie in microeconometrics or environmental economics; labour economics or finance, you will find the support here that will allow you to develop these interests and find the opportunities you need to pursue a career within them.
 

Roscoe Roman

The UCT school of Economics is widely regarded as the best Economics department on the African continent and having completed undergraduate and graduate studies in the department I can see why it is so highly regarded.

The undergraduate curriculum consists of a series of tough yet challenging courses, which equip students with a solid conceptual understanding of core economic principles. Moreover, students are often required to grapple with many pressing and uniquely South African economic issues. At the graduate level many of the core economic principles taught at the undergraduate level are formalised and UCT grad students like their counterparts around the world, enter the muddy waters of “Bordered-Hessians”, “Hamiltonians” and “Separating Hyperplanes”. Things, however, do clear up and a rapid intellectual development is invariably the light at the end of tunnel.

In September I head off to cold England to read for an M.Phil in Economics at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. The prospect of being at one of the leading universities in the English-speaking world and studying alongside some of the brightest young minds is both exciting and terrifying. However, I know that my training and experience at UCT will stand me in good stead. I cannot begin to endorse the UCT Economics department enough, both for its relevant and challenging curriculum and also for its excellent academics and support staff.
 

Simon Halliday

Having studied a B.Soc. Sci for my undergrad, I realised that pursuing my interest in Economics would give me a good grounding for later policy work and research into the economic problems which our country faces. I have been overwhelmed by the number of opportunities presented to me by the department in terms of choice of study and my research interests. My masters thesis has involved sociology and genetics in addition to the customary approaches of economics.
 
Furthermore, the programme has offered me the direction and skills for further study, or the option to leave and work in either the private or public sectors.

I have been offered a full scholarship to study towards a PhD degree at the University of Siena under the teaching of Sam Bowles, Herb Gintis and Ugo Pagano. I will be taking up this opportunity in October.
 
Yearly student conferences with the Universities of Stellenbosch and the Western Cape offer interaction with students from other departments . Furthermore, when viewing the papers presented by UCT students the conference acts as testament to the high calibre of student that UCT produces.
 
I endorse UCTs Economics Department to any who would pursue a career in policy, development or other such allied pursuits
 

Daniel Trappler

I was unsure what to study when leaving high school so started off with an undergrad in Business Science, majoring in Economics. Given my experience of the subject in high school, I knew that Economics, as a discipline, does not narrowly restrict ones skill set, but rather challenges and develops ones mathematical, writing, and conceptual faculties.
 
As one progresses through the School of Economics, one is able to fine-tune ones interests into one (or more) sub-fields. I selected the finance and international trade options in completing my Business Science degree with honours in Economics. This I did concurrently with tutoring in the department, which is a great way to earn extra money; consolidate ones undergrad material; and is a great opportunity offered by the department to develop ones leadership skills.
 
Upon completion of my Business Science, I went straight into a two year Economics Masters degree, where I again In nearing the end of my masters degree, I began applying to major overseas investments banks, and was flown over to London for an interview with JP Morgan. After an intensive 8 hour interview process, competing against local graduates from Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE, I was offered a position in their London branch as a Junior Analyst. I am now about to commence a two month training programme in New York with other graduates from around the world, before settling for some years in the London financial services industry.
 
My experience at the UCT School of Economics was crucial in the development of both my analytical and inter-personal skills, and I cherish the memories and relationships made there. continued to specialise in the areas in finance, international finance, and international trade. My masters thesis focused on bilateral international trade exchange rate dynamics, which I completed whilst lecturing undergrad economics on a contract basis.
 

Margaret Irving

My undergraduate degree was a Philosophy, Politics and Economics Degree a radical change from my first year at UCT which was spent studying medicine. Despite some pressure to pursue a Commerce degree, I found Humanities subjects incredibly stimulating, requiring the application of a mix of technical, analytical and creative skills. I believe this was the best preparation I could have for postgraduate studies.

I have found the freedom to structure my degree using a balance of common sense and a healthy dose of genuine interest. I have also enjoyed disproving the fallacy that Humanities students cant do Economics. There is a fantastic semester exchange organised by UCTs International Academic Programme Office: I spent a semester at the University of California at Berkeley.

I recently received the fantastic news that I have been granted a 2-year scholarship to read for the MPhil in Economics at Oxford. After completing this qualification, I hope to pursue PhD studies with the intent of focussing specifically on the design of relevant and effective economic policy in developing country settings. Thereafter, I see myself working in a research environment such as an economic consultancy, treasury or a university.
 

Kate Orkin

I first got interested in this area through debating at high school and chose to study Economics, Politics and English for my undergraduate degree. I did a lot of community development work at university in education projects, and became particularly interested in education policy and local government capacity-development issues.
 
I chose Economics for Honours because I thought it would equip me with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative skills. I wasn't disappointed - I gained a solid background in Maths, Stats and theory. I had enormous flexibility in my elective options, enabling me to study survey methods, South African economic policy and African growth issues. The degree gave me a solid grounding and the flexibility to choose among a number of options for my Masters.
 
The Department is an incredibly exciting place to be. I've had opportunities to go to conferences and to do summer courses at universities we partner with. I've done research work and fieldwork. I've studied with fascinating people from all over Africa. Most importantly, I've had the privilege to be mentored by leading academics in their field, who are supportive and thoughtful and really care about their students.
 
I was awarded an SA-at-large Rhodes Scholarship and will read for the Mphil in Development Studies at Oxford. I was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. I hope to complete a PhD in the US after the MPhil and work for a multilateral organization like the World Bank or United Nat ions Development Programme. Afterwards, I would like to return to South Africa to work in the Treasury or the Ministry of Education.
 

Trevor Chuma

When I started studying at UCT in 2003 I was registered under a B.BusSc (Actuarial Science). In my third year, after having enjoyed most of my economics courses up until that time, I then decided to further my studies in the discipline by adding third year economics to my Actuarial Science stream. My passion for the subject grew as I tutored macroeconomics to 2nd year students- this also broadened my understanding of topical economic issues through intellectual debates with my tutees. It is towards the end of the year that I acknowledged that I thoroughly enjoyed my economics to the point of pursuing it even further to Honours level. I then formalized my decision by registering for B.BusSc (Economics) in 2006. Said a friend of mine of me, in reference to my decision to take the economics route, Trevor would much rather get a first class pass in economics than an exemption in Actuarial Science.
 
One of my lecturers said to me that I would learn more in my economics honours year than all my undergraduate years put together. That could not be truer. More than anything, Economics Honours has enabled me to develop into a far more lateral thinker and my decisions are always backed by a very thoughtful process. This has proved to be very useful thus far in my work experience in the private sector. My plans for further study are to write my CFA exams and hopefully qualify accordingly. Economics as a discipline offers learners a competitive advantage- needed in any industry-of being able to effectively apply your mind.
 

After completing my BBusSc (Economics) Honours, I took a two-year break from studying during which (in addition to some travelling) I did an internship in the Economic Analysis Unit of the national Department of Transport, and researched and wrote a chapter for a recently published book on BEE. In both cases I came to realise that often the most important thing about being an economist in the 'real world' is not necessarily the theoretical tools you may learn during your studies even though I did use many of these, especially in the latter case but rather how you approach problems. Coming back for the Masters program was challenging, particularly given its level of mathematical rigour. I hope to go overseas to study further and I feel much more confident doing so with the foundations I have acquired at UCT. Perhaps my only regret - shared with many of my colleagues is that I did not do more pure mathematics courses in my first degree.

The coursework isn't everything though; researching your own ideas and interests can be the most interesting part of an economics degree, so I would suggest taking full advantage of the wide-range of research expertise that is available covering areas as diverse as the philosophical foundations of economics, fiscal policy, experimental economics, advanced econometric techniques and the economics of AIDS to name just a few.
 

Neryvia Pillay

When I first came to UCT, I wasnt sure of what I wanted to study and I didnt really know anything about economics. I studied computer science for two years, but found that I enjoyed the economics and finance courses far more, and so I switched to a finance and economics degree.

It was only while doing my honours that I realised just what an exciting field economics is. A degree in economics provides you with an extensive skill set, from solid quantitative skills to a framework for analysing problems.

Studying economics at UCT has enabled me to learn from, and work with, some of the countrys top economists. Ive had opportunities to attend conferences and workshops and interact with international experts.

Economics is a diverse field, and you have the option to choose from a wide variety of specialisations here at UCT. I have been able to explore a broad range of research interests: my honours thesis examines discrimination in the labour market, while my masters thesis models the term structure of interest rates.

I am currently completing my masters thesis, and lecturing econometrics and quantitative methods in economics. I plan to begin a PhD at a US university next year.
 

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