Economics, master programme

Further information

Thomas Giebe, programme coordinator: ”If you are interested in analysing how the world works, economics is the subject for you”

As an economist, you study how different national economy aspects affect each other. This sounds like a broad field and that is exactly what it is. After completing your studies, you will have the opportunity to work both locally and globally. In the private sector as well as in the public sector. Economics is about being able to account for well thought-out reasoning and statistics to provide as good a basis as possible for different decisions in the private and public sector. It can be about political decisions that affect the population of a country, or decisions that affect the profitability of an individual company.

“The programme provides you with the knowledge and tools you need to be able to affect decision-makers with the help of numbers and logical reasoning”.

Economists work at many levels in society and it is common for economists to have an international career. Most of the teachers on the programme have great international experience and good contacts with higher education institutions abroad. Students on the programme are encouraged to study their third term abroad and are also prepared for third-cycle studies.

“If you are interested in mathematics and how society works, this is the programme for you. You will acquire knowledge and valuable tools that you can use to affect the economy and society in a positive direction.

Societal relevance

The economics profession is a profession of the future, as an increasingly complex and globalised economy requires societal actors to use economic analyses to inform their decision-making processes. The students in the programme become societal analysts with in-depth knowledge of socioeconomic issues and are equipped with relevant theoretical and empirical tools to analyse these issues. The specialisation with a focus on demographic changes and the analysis of the role of government to deal with these changes is likely to be highly valued on the labour market, as governments are faced with social challenges, such as migration and population ageing. A Master’s degree in economics provides a good foundation for analysing these and many other challenges in society.

Internationalization

Studies abroad can be pursued in the third semester. Internationalisation is an integrated part of the programme syllabus and learning environment. Students come from many parts of the world, which creates a genuinely international learning environment. Since development in the subject of economics largely takes place at an international level, the entire programme perspective is international.

Scope of Programme

All course literature in economics has an international perspective and the knowledge and skills obtained are broadly applicable. Both theoretical and practical applications are gathered from different parts of the world. Dialogue and exchange of experience between students from different parts of the world enriches the programme. In our courses in labour market economics, we illustrate how different people’s conditions (such as ethnic background) affect outcomes in the working life. In our courses in public economics, the role of government in the economy is analysed from different perspectives. For example, the government can equalise differences in outcomes, but also differences in opportunities (equal life chances). In our applications of basic economic theory, various sustainability perspectives, such as those in relation to environmental issues and the structure of public policy, are also addressed. The programme uses educational and examination formats that stimulate the students’ capacity for analysis, critical thinking, abstraction and theorisation.