Utrecht University School of Economics (USE)

The Economics department presents itself as the Utrecht University School of Economics, both nationally and internationally, using the acronym USE.

Mission

USE aims to create a distinct profile for itself as a recognised centre of expertise for multidisciplinary economics teaching and research, aimed at practical purposes and policy. Its starting point is a strong economics profile emphasising the institutional, historical and spatial dimensions of economic issues as well as the integration of and collaboration between general economics and business economics. The USE objectives are:

• training new generations of international students as highly qualified economists who can look beyond the boundaries of their own discipline and tie in with insights from other disciplines;
• educating young people as independent thinkers and critical university graduates with excellent professional skills;
• conducting groundbreaking economics research; 
• contributing to solutions for social issues with an economics dimension.

Strategy

The USE strategy focuses on:

• further internationalisation of students and lecturers;
• further internationalisation of the academic programmes through exchange programmes and the development of joint programmes with strategic partners;
• further development of talent and career-planning policies;
• honing the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in order to improve access to the labour market;
• boosting the research programmes by organising them into focus areas and giving them mass.

A new Strategic Plan for the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance is being developed and likely to be completed towards the end of 2009. This plan will incorporate USE’s strategy.

Every year, USE reports on its activities and results in the Annual Review. The Annual Review can be found on the USE website. Printed copies can be ordered through the Office of the Managing Director.