Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Economics
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Two-year Research Master's Program
From upheavals in the housing market to high bonuses for bankers, from raising taxes to the global credit crisis, economics is no longer a straightforward matter of money and finance. Economics today is a multifaceted discipline with real impact on global politics, law, and society. In the Utrecht University MSc in Multidisciplinary Economics, you learn to cross the borders of economics into other scientific disciplines – a real strength of the Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) - in order to provide sound research and applicable solutions to real-world problems, now and in the future.
Research Expertise
The two-year Research Master in Multidisciplinary Economics is taught by academics and lecturers who bring the true excitement and breadth of multidisciplinary perspectives on economics into the classroom. This multidisciplinary context will encourage you to look at complex economics issues from different perspectives and help you to apply that knowledge in academia, industry, or government.
Program Outcome
The MSc in Multidisciplinary Economics gives you a unique qualification, which will enable you to work at a high level in a variety of economics-related fields. Over two years, you will:
- Receive training in economic research and analysis from top researchers at U.S.E.
- Gain a sound knowledge of quantitative methods, microeconomics and macroeconomics, finance and financial markets, international and public economics, labor economics, and organizational economics.
- Get involved in research projects conducted by the U.S.E. Research Institute.
- Pursue your own research interests.
- Explore economics in relation to a secondary discipline selected from history, geography, law, or social sciences.
Curriculum
In the Research Master in Multidisciplinary Economics you will focus on:
- compulsory first-year courses designed to give you a solid foundation in economics necessary to conduct economic research and analysis;
- looking at economic problems from the perspectives of other disciplines;
- a second year that you can tailor with elective courses that match your personal areas of research interest, to be chosen from a list of U.S.E. electives, complemented with electives from other research masters at UU, and with electives from the University of Groningen;
- developing interpersonal and social skills in a highly international program by working closely with fellow students;
- the development of essential research skills such as data handling, academic writing, and presentation.
Career Opportunities
The MSc in Multidisciplinary Economics is a comprehensive and versatile degree that thoroughly prepares you for a range of careers as a research-oriented economist in either the public or private sector. As a Research Master’s degree, it is also an excellent starting point for a Ph.D. Of the students who graduated in the last years, 100% found research-related jobs.
The MSc in Multidisciplinary Economics is a comprehensive and versatile degree that will leave you well prepared for a range of different careers. As a Research Master’s degree, it provides good preparation for a Ph.D.; content from the MSc often contributes towards your Ph.D. program, reducing the time spent in the doctoral program. In previous years, graduates from this program have gone on to work on a Ph.D. dissertation at various international universities. This MSc is also a great starting point for a research-oriented career in economics and finance.
Academic Career
Utrecht University School of Economics (U.S.E.) has an average of 12 Ph.D. students, each working towards their doctoral degree under the supervision of a professor. As the second year of the Research Master’s in Multidisciplinary Economics covers material from the Ph.D. program, you can complete your doctoral program in three rather than four years. During this time, you write and submit a thesis, and are encouraged and supported in establishing yourself as an academic researcher by publishing journal articles and contributing to local and international seminars and conferences.
Under the supervision of one or more specialists in the field, you are employed or receive a grant to write a Ph.D. dissertation on a (typically multidisciplinary) economics topic in which you become a specialist. Your research leads to publishable papers, and you become an academic at a university, or a research-oriented economist at a national or international organization, bank, or financial institution (see further information below). Former Research Master’s students have become Ph.D. candidates at Utrecht University, either within U.S.E. or at another UU department such as the Department of History and Art history; at another Dutch university such as University of Tilburg, Groningen University, Free University of Amsterdam; or at international universities such as Cambridge University, University of Edinburgh or the European University Institute Florence.
Professional Career
You may become an applied economist at a national or international organization such as a ministry, a central bank, a private bank, or a financial institution. You will apply the academic knowledge you have acquired during your studies to concrete, real-life problems. Depending on the type of function, you may follow such a path immediately after completing the Research Master’s or after first having completed a Ph.D. Former Research Master’s students who pursued such a career currently work at organizations like the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis or at international banks (for example the Asian Development Bank).