Program overview
This two-stage graduate programme, run by the Faculty’s Graduate School, begins with an intensive Master of Science in Economics that is delivered in English to a small, selective cohort. The curriculum blends rigorous, PhD-level training in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics with opportunities to specialise across a wide range of topics offered by the WiSo Faculty. You will learn theoretical foundations, current research methods, and practical tools to design and carry out your own economic research.
The Master’s is designed both as a stand‑alone advanced degree for careers in research-oriented roles and as the first step toward a doctoral track: successful completion prepares you to continue directly into the programme’s second, PhD stage. Students who do not proceed to the PhD still leave with strong analytical and methodological skills that are attractive to leading institutions and companies.
Specialised courses are aligned with active research centres and initiatives at the faculty, including the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy, the Center for Social and Economic Behaviour (C‑SEB), and the Behavioural Management Science (BMS) initiative. You can concentrate on areas such as behavioural or public economics or advanced quantitative methods, and even take selected modules from related master’s programmes (e.g., Management or Political Science). Enrolment brings access to local research networks, seminars, workshops, events, and exclusive workspaces and IT facilities at the research centres.
Key facts and requirements
This two-stage Master's curriculum is built around 120 ECTS and combines a research-focused core, a subject specialisation, a supplementary component, and a Master's thesis. The 36-ECTS core delivers the advanced, research-oriented foundations you need in microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, econometrics and mathematics. Through these core modules you will learn to read and interpret scientific literature and to tackle economic questions at a high theoretical and empirical level.
In the specialisation phase you pick four courses tailored to the research field you plan to pursue, with the option to widen your grounding by taking any core courses you missed earlier. A distinctive element is the requirement to join two reading groups in microeconomics, macroeconomics or econometrics: in these seminars you read and discuss recent research papers, developing the critical appraisal and discussion skills essential for academic research and evidence-based policy analysis.
The supplementary section lets you sharpen a specific research profile or broaden your skillset, depending on whether you want deeper specialisation or more diverse expertise. After successfully completing stage one of the programme you can either continue directly into the programme’s PhD/dissertation phase or finish with the Master of Science and enter the job market—graduates leave prepared for advanced research roles or high-level positions in institutions and companies.
Requirements and structure (concise)
A completed Bachelor's degree is required. If you are still finishing your Bachelor's, you may apply provided you have already earned at least 80% of the required credits; any remaining credits must be completed by 30 September. Even in this provisional case, the programme’s admission conditions — including the minimum overall grade — must be met based on the exam results available when you submit your application.
The programme requires a minimum overall Bachelor’s grade of 2.5 (German grading scale). There are also specific subject-related credit requirements in economics-related fields and in quantitative methods. International applicants should verify how their degree and grades are converted to the German system and consult the programme website or admissions office for the full list of supporting documents and any country‑specific details.
Requirements (bullet points)
For the full list of requirements and any country-specific guidance, please consult the programme’s official webpage or contact the admissions office.
Winter Semester (International)
31 March 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
31 March 2026
The MSc is explicitly research-focused and prepares students to continue into the programme’s PhD stage or other doctoral programmes. Graduates will have strong training for academic careers (research and teaching) and the methodological skills needed to conduct original empirical and theoretical work.
If you choose not to pursue a PhD, the advanced analytical and econometric training prepares you for high-level roles in research institutions, central banks, policy organisations, economic consultancies, finance and data-driven positions in industry where rigorous quantitative and theoretical skills are required.