Subject Requirements

Essential: Mathematics

Highly Desirable: Further Mathematics (especially with Statistics modules)

Useful preparation: Economics, History or Geography

Why Study Economics at Robinson College?

Robinson College offers a truly outstanding setting in which to study Economics - combining academic rigour, innovative teaching, and a close-knit, supportive community. Whether your interests lie in macroeconomic policy, decision-making under uncertainty, or data-driven empirical research, Robinson provides the expertise, resources, and environment to help you flourish. 

What sets Economics apart is the exceptional diversity and depth of our academic team. Our fellows and teaching members include leading researchers in fields such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, neuroeconomics, economic history, and behavioural science. From your first week, you will be taught and mentored by academics who are not only experts in their fields but also deeply committed educators - many of whom have won university-wide teacher awards. 

Our teaching follows Cambridge's renowned supervision system, with most supervisions provided in-house. This ensures intellectual consistency and enables close academic mentorship throughout your degree. These small group sessions challenge you to think clearly, write precisely, and develop your analytical skills in depth. 

Beyond academics, Robinson is known for its warmth and its inclusive community. Our Economics cohort brings together students from both the UK and around the world, creating a genuinely international environment where no single background dominates. Students work closely together in supervisions, study groups, and college life, forming lasting friendships and meaningful intellectual partnerships. Robinson is not just a place to study, but a place to belong. 

Economics Fellows and Lecturers at Robinson

Robinson College is proud to host one of the most intellectually diverse and interdisciplinary Economics teams in Cambridge. Our teaching and research span across macroeconomics, microeconomics, neuroeconomics, economic history and behavioural science, ensuring students are exposed to a broad array of methods, debates, and real world applications. Our fellows and teaching members are not only engaged researchers and experienced supervisors, but also award-winning educators whoa re deeply invested in student success. 

Dr Myungun Kim

Director of Studies in Economics at Robinson College
College Assistant Professor at Selwyn College

Dr Kim is a macroeconomist whose research focuses on productivity and business model innovation in the digital economy. He is currently leading a major research project funded by The Productivity Institute. At Robinson, he provides supervisions in macroeconomics, econometrics, and statistics, and oversees the academic progress and welfare of all undergraduate economists. He has been awarded the Faculty of Economics Best Teaching Prize for three consecutive years, and is known for combining high academic standards with personalised, supportive teaching. 

Professor Peter Bossaerts

Leverhulme International Professor of Neuroeconomics, University of Cambridge
Professorial Fellow, Robinson College

Professor Peter Bossaerts is a world-renowned pioneer in the fields of experimental finance and decision neuroscience. His distinguished standing in the academic community is underscored by his election as a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory, and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. 

Before joining Cambridge in 2022, his illustrious career included numerous senior appointments. Notably, he was the Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne, the William D. Hacker Professor of Economics and Management at Caltech, and the David Eccles Professor of Finance at the University of Utah. He has also held professorships at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and has taken on significant academic leadership roles, including serving as the Chair of the Division of The Humanities and Social Sciences at Caltech. 

His research integrates economics, neuroscience, and psychology to investigate human decision-making under uncertainty. He earned his Ph.D. in Management from UCLA. At Cambridge, he applies his groundbreaking experimental approach in his teaching, challenging students to move beyond the traditional models of economic and market behaviour. 

Dr Ian Rudy

Fellow and Director of Studies in Management Studies at Robinson College

Dr Rudy teaches mathematics to all first-year Economics students at Robinson, ensuring a strong quantitative foundation for the Tripos. He is also Director of Studies in Management Studies and has expertise in decision theory and management science. Known for his clear explanations and supportive manner, he plays a key role in easing students' transition into the mathematical demands of university-level economics. 

Dr Weilong Zhang

Senior Teaching Member in Economics at Robinson College
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge

Dr Zhang's research explores how personality traits influence economic decision-making, particularly in labour markets, households, and public policy. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and teaches microeconomics and labour economics at Cambridge. As a Senior Teaching Member at Robinson, Dr Zhang is involved in teaching undergraduates, helping students connect theoretical models to contemporary economic and behavioural issues. 

Mr Ruohan Qin

Senior Teaching Member in Economics at Robinson College
Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics at Magdalene College

Mr Ruohan Qin is a Senior Teaching Member at Robinson College and surrently serves as Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics at Magdalene College. He is also affiliated with Selwyn College as a College Teaching Associate. With a strong background in microeconomics, he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses across Cambridge, including microeconomics, labour economics, industrial organisation, and the economics of networks. 

Together, this outstanding team ensures that Robinson College Economics students benefit from a unique blend of rigorous economic training, historical and political insight, quantitative skills, and experimental and behavioral approaches. Whether you are interested in policy, theory, or real-world application, you will find expert mentors and engaging supervisors ready to support your academic journey. 

Application Information

Admission Assessments

Applicants must take the Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA)

For details, visit https://esat-tmua.ac.uk/about-the-tests/tmua-test/ 

Pre-registration is required and must be completed separately from your UCAS application

Written Work

No written work required.

Economics - Further information

Economics (information from Cambridge Undergraduate Admissions)

For incoming 1st year students, the following reading list will be helpful: Economics Reading List

Last updated July 2025