Master's Programs

Degrees designed with Nobel Laureates

Receive the highest quality training, developed with advice from our Scientific Council (including several Nobel Laureates in Economics)

Read about the BSE Scientific Council

Top 3 Economics research departments in Europe

Study with professors who produce top-ranking research in their fields. All BSE Master's courses are taught by PhD-holding faculty.

Browse BSE faculty by research area

95% career placement success rate

(data from BSE Class of 2023)

Increase your chances of landing your dream job with one-to-one guidance, access to recruiters, and exclusive resources from our dedicated Career Services team.

Learn about BSE Career Service

Barcelona, the city that connects us

Live the year of your life with a highly international cohort, and make lifelong connections with BSE alumni from more than 120 countries.

Explore the BSE Alumni Network

A Master’s Degree from the Barcelona School of Economics is an intensive nine-month graduate program (60 ECTS) for students who seek a rigorous but collaborative learning environment with top-ranking faculty and international classmates in one of the world’s most beautiful cities: Barcelona!

The objective of our Master’s programs is to prepare you for careers in Economics, Finance, or Data Science that require intense analytical thinking, strong quantitative skills, and the ability to work with colleagues from diverse academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds.

Recognized and respected by prestigious universities, companies, and organizations across the globe, a BSE Master’s Degree on your CV signals that you have what it takes to make valuable contributions in today’s knowledge-based economy.

We thank you for considering the Barcelona School of Economics for your graduate studies and look forward to receiving your application!

Applications for 2025-26 will open this fall

 

Application deadline for 2024-25: July 2, 2024.
Programs begin in September 2024.

 

If you apply before January 15, you will have preference in admissions and financial aid allocation, and you can expect a decision on your application around mid-February.

Stay informed about BSE Master's programs

Please provide your details if you would like our admissions team to contact you.
 

Master's Degree in Economics and Finance

  • Economics Program

    master program

    Director: Marta Reynal-Querol (PhD, London School of Economics)
    Deputy Director: Eulàlia Nualart (PhD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

    The Economics Master’s Program at the Barcelona School of Economics is designed to prepare students for technically demanding jobs and doctoral programs with a strong quantitative component.

    During the BSE Economics Program, students develop critical-thinking skills, gain an understanding of both economic theory and statistical techniques, and obtain a solid background in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics along with an understanding of their applications, with a special focus on data analysis.

  • Financial Economics Program

    master program

    Director: Filippo Ippolito (PhD, Oxford University)
    Steering Committee: Xavier Freixas (PhD, Université de Toulouse) and José-Luis Peydró (PhD, INSEAD)

    The Financial Economics Program will give you the strong modeling techniques, econometric tools, and advanced coding skills needed for the top jobs in banking, consulting and fintech.

  • PhD Track Program

    library exterior

    Program Director: Davide Debortoli (PhD, UPF)

    The PhD track of the Barcelona School of Economics Master's Degree in Economics and Finance is the first year of the PhD program at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

    The UPF PhD program attracts students of exceptional talent and provides a strong foundation, a stimulating environment, and worldwide placement in the most prestigious institutions, research centers, and universities. 

    Courses are designed and taught by BSE Affiliated Professors at the UPF Department of Economics and Business and the Center for Research on International Economics (CREI), two of Europe's top research groups.

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

  • Competition, Regulation, and Markets Program

    massimo motta

    Program Director: Rosa Ferrer (PhD, Vanderbilt University)
    Scientific Director: Massimo Motta (PhD, Université Catholique de Louvain)

    In the Competition, Regulation, and Markets Master's Program at the Barcelona School of Economics, students acquire the skills in demand at consulting firms and public authorities, including merger simulation, demand estimation and anticompetitive conduct damage estimation.

  • Economics of Energy, Climate Change, and Sustainability Program

    Two students look at slides on a laptop screen

    Program Director: Mar Reguant (PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
    Deputy Director: Albert Banal-Estañol (PhD, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

    In the BSE Economics of Energy, Climate Change, and Sustainability Program, students acquire an advanced understanding of the rapidly changing energy sector, learn how economic theory and data tools can be used to understand their functioning and trends, and develop the qualifications needed for solid placement in the field.

  • Economics of Public Policy Program

    group photo of students in the Economics of Public Policy program

    Program Director: Lídia Farré (PhD, European University Institute)
    Scientific Director: Joan Llull (PhD, CEMFI)

    The Economics of Public Policy Master’s Program at the Barcelona School of Economics trains students for analytical positions at public institutions, international organizations, consulting firms, research institutions, and think tanks.

  • International Trade, Finance, and Development Program

    fernando broner

    Director: Jaume Ventura (PhD, Harvard University)
    Scientific Director: Fernando Broner (PhD, MIT)

    The ITFD Master’s Program at the Barcelona School of Economics provides rigorous training in International and Development Economics. It is a broad and flexible program that allows students to specialize in one of four areas: International Trade, International Finance and Macroeconomics, Development Economics, or Empirical Methods. 

    ITFD students receive a thorough preparation in theoretical modeling, quantitative and empirical analysis, and handling of large datasets. Starting in September, students take refresher courses in Mathematics and Statistics, and introductory courses in Matlab, R, and Python. In the first term, they take core courses in Econometrics, Data Science, International Trade and Finance, and Economic Growth and Development. In terms two and three, students choose from a varied set of courses in different fields, ranging from the more applied and policy-oriented to PhD level courses. They also attend a series of policy lessons delivered by international experts and complete their Master Project, under the supervision of ITFD faculty.

  • Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets Program

    Hugo Rodriguez gestures with his hands while talking in a small patio filled with greenery

    Director: Hugo Rodríguez Mendizábal (PhD, University of Chicago)
    Scientific Director: Albert Marcet (PhD, University of Minnesota)

    The interaction between Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets permeates almost every aspect of modern economies. Students in the BSE Master’s Program in Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets will obtain relevant knowledge about central issues in Macroeconomics and Finance, together with the key tools, data, models, skills, and techniques that are used by today’s central banks and government agencies as well as private companies such as investment banks and consulting firms.

Master's Degree in Data Science

  • Data Science for Decision Making Program

    Professor Hannes Mueller gestures to notes written on a whiteboard at the front of a classroom while students watch from their seats

    Director: Hannes Mueller (PhD, LSE)
    Steering Committee: Christian Fons-Rosen (PhD, LSE) and Pau Milán (PhD, UPF)

    The Data Science for Decision Making Master's Program at the Barcelona School of Economics integrates key elements from Data Science and Economics to give graduates the ability to deal with all types of data and make the correct inferences from it.

    Our students learn cutting-edge machine learning methods and statistical models to extract information. They also acquire the ability to understand how choices affect outcomes. 

    Because data scientists need to be able to work in diverse teams under time pressure, our Decision Making Program puts a special emphasis on communication and team work. 

  • Data Science Methodology Program

    Data Science

    Director: David Rossell (PhD, Rice University and MD Anderson Cancer Center)
    Steering Committee: Christian Brownlees (PhD, University of Florence), Lorenzo Capello (PhD, Bocconi), Gábor Lugosi (PhD, Hungarian Academy of Sciences)

    The Data Science Methodology Master’s Program at the Barcelona School of Economics offers a unique combination of Statistics and Machine Learning theory, methods and applications.

    With our program’s faculty of expert researchers and developers, our students learn not only to use data analysis and decision making tools but also to develop new ones that go beyond the state-of-the-art — a key competitive advantage to meet the top challenges in industry and research. 

Choose BSE with confidence

Graduate school represents one of the most significant and potentially life-changing investments you can make, both for yourself and for your family. At the Barcelona School of Economics, we are dedicated to making sure that you get the maximum return on your investment — and we’ve got the credentials and track record to prove it.

Official recognized Master's degrees

All BSE 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”).

The Barcelona School of Economics has received institutional accreditation from the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU), the public agency entrusted with the assessment, accreditation and certification of quality in the universities and higher education institutions in Catalonia.


Read more about our commitment to quality

Strong foundations

Your Master's degree will be awarded jointly by the Barcelona School of Economics and our founding universities:

Both UAB and UPF rank consistently among the top higher education institutions in Europe and have strong reputations of their own in both academia and the professional world.

Awarded jointly with UPF:

  • BSE Master’s Degree in Economics and Finance

Awarded jointly with UAB and UPF:

  • BSE Master’s Degree in Data Science
  • BSE Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

Living in Barcelona

The Barcelona School of Economics offers a unique opportunity to study at an institution with a world-class faculty and colleagues while enjoying the cultural, social and recreational amenities of one of the world's most exciting cities. Barcelona provides a metropolitan, international environment, located on the shores the Mediterranean Sea. Come and take part in city traditions of delicious food and local music, enjoy getting around with easy public transportation systems, and during summer bask in the sun at the city's top destination: the beach. 

Find out more about what Barcelona has to offer