Master's Degree in Economics and Finance

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

Master's Degree in Data Science

Admissions

Career Services

Alumni Community

Economics Program

Financial Economics Program

PhD Economics Track Program

Go to Master's degrees

Close

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

International Trade, Finance, and Development Program

Learn International and Development Economics with world-class faculty

9 months
full time

17,500€

Face-to-face

English

60 ECTS

Campus: Ciutadella (UPF)

Program begins in September 2025

Application deadline for 2025-2026, is July 2, 2025

Learn more

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

Applications for 2025-2026 Master´s Degrees are now open!

Apply now

Master's Degrees

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

International Trade, Finance, and Development Program

About this Master’s program

This Program provides rigorous training in International and Development Economics. You will learn theoretical modeling, quantitative and empirical analysis, and handling of large datasets.

Discover what makes this program truly exceptional

1

Learn from Renowned Professors: The faculty have taught at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard and worked at the ECB, the IMF, and The World Bank.

2

Shape Policy Decisions: Develop highly rigorous analytical skills required to shape policy decisions across international economics.

3

Examine the world economy: Learn valuable toolkits to examine questions related to the world economy from theoretical and empirical perspectives.

4

Prepares you for Careers in: International organizations, government agencies, central banks, financial institutions, research and consulting firms and NGOs.

5

Taylor the program for your Career Goals: Take advantage of the broad set of elective courses.

Meet the Program Directors

Program Director

Jaume Ventura

Scientific Director

Fernando Broner

Ready to make a difference? This program is designed for

Students who are passionate about economics of international trade, finance and development. Here’s why it is perfect for you:

You have a strong quantitative background in Economics, Business, Engineering or Political Science.
You work at a private firm, research center, central bank, financial institution, or an NGO.
You are an aspiring PhD student and want a solid foundation in these fields.

What skills and knowledge will you learn?

Learn the skills needed to understand the economics of international trade, finance, and development.

Learn about the field

You will gain an understanding of the economics of international trade, finance, and development.

Knowledge of analytical tools

You will build an in-depth knowledge of the analytical tools of modern economics.

Extensive training in Econometrics

You will receive extensive training in econometric and statistical methods.

Apply theoretical and empirical tools

You will be able to apply theoretical and empirical tools to address pressing policy issues.

Professors

BSE Professors are renowned researchers who are published in leading Economics Journals.

ICREA-CREI and BSE

Vladimir Asriyan

CREI, UPF, and BSE

Fernando Broner

UPF and BSE

Christian Brownlees

UPF and BSE

Andrea Caggese

ICREA-UPF and BSE

Ruben Enikolopov

University of St. Gallen and CEPR

Simon Evenett

IAE-CSIC and BSE

Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell

CREI, UPF and BSE

Luca Fornaro

CREI and BSE

Elisa Giannone

Professor, GSEM-University of Geneva

Giacomo De Giorgi

UPF and BSE

Albrecht Glitz

UPF and BSE

Priit Jeenas

UPF and BSE

Humberto Llavador

UPF and BSE

Gianmarco León-Ciliotta

CREI, UPF, and BSE

Alberto Martin

UPF and BSE

Geert Mesters

UPF and BSE

Martí Mestieri Ferrer

Unit Head of Macroeconomic Research, Bank of Spain

Gabriel Pérez-Quirós

ICREA-UPF and BSE

Maria Petrova

GP

CREI, UPF and BSE

Giacomo Ponzetto

Assistant Professor, ESADE

André B.M. Souza

CREI, UPF and BSE

Victoria Vanasco

Director of CREI

Jaume Ventura

Program Schedule

In September, students are required to take the following brush-up courses: Calculus and Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics and Introduction to Matlab Programming.

Term 1: Core Knowledge (September - December)

Course title	Credits	Professor(s)
Mandatory
Quantitative and Statistical Methods I	6	Geert Mesters
International Trade	3	Jaume Ventura
International Finance	3	Fernando Broner
Economic Growth and Development	3	Luigi Pascali
Foundations of Data Science	3	André B.M. Souza
Introduction to R Programming	0
Introduction to Python Programming	0	Paul Rognon

Term 2: Applications (January - March)

*PhD-level courses. Subject to directors’ approval and shedules permitting

Course title	Credits	Professor(s)
Mandatory
Quantitative and Statistical Methods II: Development	6	Albrecht Glitz
Quantitative and Statistical Methods II: Finance	6	Christian Brownlees
Quantitative and Statistical Methods II: Macroeconomics	6	Luca Gambetti
Elective (Choose 15 ECTS)
Economics of Migration	3	Albrecht Glitz
Exchange Rates and Monetary Policy	3	Fernando Broner
International Macroeconomics	3	Luca Fornaro
The Energy Transition and Climate Change	3	Humberto Llavador
Development Economics	6	Gianmarco León-Ciliotta , Vasily Korovkin
Political Economy	6	Ruben Enikolopov
Advanced Topics: International Trade and Economic Growth*	3	Martí Mestieri Ferrer , Paula Bustos
Advanced Topics: International Trade and Geography*	3	Dávid Nagy , Elisa Giannone , Giacomo Ponzetto , Paula Bustos

Term 3: Advanced Topics and Policy (April - June)

*PhD-level courses. Subject to directors’ approval and shedules permitting

Course title	Credits	Professor(s)
Mandatory
Policy Lessons	3	Alberto Martin , Simon Evenett
Master Project	6	Fernando Broner , Geert Mesters
Elective
Quantitative and Statistical Methods III: Public Policy	6	Lídia Farré , Laura Mayoral
Quantitative and Statistical Methods IV: Nowcasting & Forecasting	3	Gabriel Pérez-Quirós
Perspectives on Globalization	3	Jaume Ventura
The Geopolitics of Trade and Conflict	3	Giacomo Ponzetto
Social Economics	3	Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell , Giacomo De Giorgi
Sovereign Debt and International Financial Markets	3	Fernando Broner
Macro-Finance	3	Dmitry Kuvshinov
Advanced Topics: Macrofinance*	6	Alberto Martin , Andrea Caggese , Priit Jeenas , Victoria Vanasco , Vladimir Asriyan
Topics in Macroeconomics VI: Cities and the Geography of Growth*	3	Dávid Nagy , Domenico Giannone , Giacomo Ponzetto

Master’s Project

Students use the tools and knowledge they've acquired during the Master’s to explore a topic of their choice for the Master’s project. It can be carried out individually or in groups.

Examples of Master's Projects

Class of 2023

From Trade Winds to Tsunamis: Examining the Effects of China’s WTO Integration on Chilean SMEs by Daniela Arellano, Dayitha Babu, Blanca Gené, Daniella Seberini, and Elizabeth Weathersbi.
Shaken Foundations: The Impact of the 2007 Peru Earthquake on Human Capital Accumulation by Luke Atazona, Lakshmi Castillo, William Cheeseman, Harry Morris, Cathal John Leslie, David Teixera Tillo.

Class of 2022

A Blessing or a Curse: Oil Dependence and Human Capital in Nigeria by Sarah Burkinshaw, Judith Indalecio, Jana Silberring, and Gregory Simkins.
Fleeing the Floods: The Local Health Effects of Internally Displaced Malawians by Benjamin English, Laura Prudencio, María Suárez, and Nolan Young.

Class of 2021

Where Does the Money Flow? Understanding Allocations of Post-Epidemic Foreign Aid by Ashley Do, Nicolas Legrain, Nadine Schüttler, and María Soares de Lima.

Master’s degree awarded by UAB and UPF

Upon successful completion of the BSE International Trade, Finance, and Development Program, students will receive a Master’s Degree in Specialized Economics Analysis awarded jointly with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF).

BSE Institutional Accreditations

Quality accreditations

All Barcelona School of Economics Master’s degrees have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorities within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).

Quality indicators for this Master’s degree

BSE commitment to quality

Placement rate

99%

Job titles: Analyst, Research Assistant, Consultant.
Industries: International Organizations, Consulting, and Financial Services.
Companies: Bank of England; Capital Economics; European Investment Bank; The World Bank.

Work Internationally

Cities with the most alumni

Barcelona

Paris

London

Frankfurt

Brussels

Testimonials

International Trade, Finance, and Development Program

Jiaxian Zhou Wu

ITFD is an intensive program that has significantly enhanced my analytical mindset. This program offers a wide range of subjects, from purely theoretical models to more empirical topics. Additionally, the professors at BSE are very approachable, and the quality of teaching is exceptionally high. Earning a master’s degree from this esteemed institution has increased my confidence for my future academic journey.

Read less

International Trade, Finance, and Development Program

Juliane Stolle

As a young professional with a few years of work experience in an international organization I wanted to strengthen my economic thinking, brush up my technical skills, and stay abreast of economic research. BSE has given me all that! ITFD has provided me with valuable toolkits to examine questions related to the world economy from theoretical and empirical perspectives, on which I will probably be able to draw throughout my whole career as an economist.

Read less

Why study a Master’s at BSE

1

Ranked among the best institutions in the world for research in economics by RePEc.

2

The development of BSE Master’s is guided by prestigious economists including Nobel Laureates.

3

The faculty is well-renowned.

4

Spend a year studying in the vibrant city of Barcelona.

Admissions and entry requirements

At BSE, we look for excellence. Key elements of a strong application are a high GPA, a sound statement of purpose, and standout reference letters. Strong knowledge of Economics and good quantitative skills are also recommended.

Master’s programs start: September 2025

Application deadline: July 2, 2025

Requirements:

An undergraduate/bachelor/grado/laurea, or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university (for Bologna degrees, a minimum of 180 ECTS are required).
University diploma in Economics, Finance, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or Business Administration. Students with academic backgrounds in other subjects will be considered.
An advanced level English: TOEFL score of 90 or above; IELTS Academic Test score of 6.5 or above; Duolingo English Test 120 points.

Candidates will also be evaluated on the following admission criteria:

Outstanding academic record.
Quantitative skills.
Reference letters.

Apply now

FAQs

Below you will find our most frequently asked questions but do not hesitate to contact the BSE Admissions Team to learn more about our Master’s programs.

Which rankings is the Barcelona School of Economics listed in?

Here you will find the Rankings BSE is listed in, including RePEc and QS

Can I apply to more than one program?

You may apply to three programs on your application for the same academic year

How can I apply for tuition fee funding?

You will automatically be considered for tuition fee funding when you apply

What level of English do I need for this Master’s?

An advanced level of English language is required: TOEFL score of 90 or above; IELTS Academic Test score of 6.5 or above; Duolingo English Test 120 points