Research Master Multidisciplinary Economics
Coordinator: Prof. dr. Wolter Hassink
Specialisation
Would you be interested in studying Economics in addition to another discipline? Are you curious and analytical by nature, do you enjoy examining matters in a greater level of depth and are you good at managing your own time? In that case the two-year Research Master Multidisciplinary Economics programme, as offered by Utrecht University School of Economics (USE), could be just the thing for you. Students who follow this Master’s programme are guided to the frontiers of modern economic theory.
The Research Master in Multidisciplinary Economics aims at educating highly qualified economists who recognise that a successful solution of solving economic problems requires not only an excellent economic expertise, but also the ability to cross the border of one’s own discipline by making use of the techniques and insights of other disciplines, in particular the disciplines of law, geography, history, and the social sciences.
Programme
The Research Master in Multidisciplinary Economics is a two-year programme (120 ECTS). Students will obtain a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Multidisciplinary Economics.
First year programme
The first year of the Research Master in Multidisciplinary Economics consists of 60 ECTS, of which the majority consists of mandatory courses (see table below). The only exception is the research methods course in period 3, for which students can choose the version of the course that relates to their selected discipline (Law, History, Social sciences or Geography).
Second year programme
In the second year of the Research Master, students have to take electives (25 ECTS in total), for which courses offered by USE and the economics department Groningen. The elective courses should be related to the topic of the master thesis. By the end of the first year, each student will have a meeting with the master coordinator, in which the specialization of the second year is discussed. Of course, it is possible to take elective courses from other research master programmes at Utrecht University also. In addition to the electives, students will take the research seminar (5 ects). This course pays attention to two issues that are important in the careers of researchers. The first issue is that researchers will attend frequently research seminars during their career. The second issue is how to write and present research proposals for funding of research projects. The second year will end with an individual thesis of 30 ects, in which the students conduct independent research and report the outcome in a research report. There are various possibilities for the completion of the thesis: research within a self-chosen subject, research within the context of one of the research programmes of the participating departments and a combination of disciplines, or research at an external research institute, the government, or a company.
|
Research Master Multidisciplinary Economics
Programme year 2 |
|
Semester |
Period |
Course |
ECTS |
|
1 |
1 & 2 |
Electives |
25 |
|
1 |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
Research seminar |
5 |
|
2 |
3 & 4 |
Thesis |
30 |
|
Total year 2 |
60 |
Application form for the optional courses year 2. (pdf) Please hand it in at the Student Desk for approval of the Exam Committee.
Career prospects
The aim of the Research Master Multidisciplinary Economics is to provide students with the academic knowledge and research skills necessary, to become an economist qualified to do state of the art research in economics while recognizing and understanding the relevance of the Institutional, Historical and Spatial dimensions (IHS-dimensions) of many of the questions that economists face in both the research and policy arena.
Graduates may apply for a PhD Programme (the so called AIO position).
Since you will have already completed part of this programme during the Research Master, the PhD Programme will take 3 years instead of 4 years. However, graduates do not need to stay at a university, as this Programme will also prepare you for a career with such institutions as the IMF or in banking, for instance.