Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis: Competition, Regulation, and Markets Program

Program Director

rosa_ferrer_barcelonagse

Rosa Ferrer

PhD, Vanderbilt University

UPF and BSE

Scientific Director

faculty

Massimo Motta

PhD, Université Catholique de Louvain

ICREA-UPF and BSE; former Chief Competition Economist, European Commission

Our Master's program in Competition, Regulation, and Markets, teaches you the skills in demand at consulting firms and public authorities. Including merger simulation, demand estimation and anticompetitive conduct damage estimation.


Barcelona School of Economics Master's program in Competition, Regulation, and Markets ensures that graduates have both an advanced understanding of the interaction between theory and practice as well as the qualifications necessary for solid placement in the field.

The program presents students with a learning progression, starting from the basic necessary conceptual frameworks and economic tools, and then introducing core issues in Competition Policy and Market Regulation with the help of leading specialists in each field.

Students will examine real-world competition policy cases and demonstrate how regulation works across specific industries such as digital markets, energy, and telecommunications, and will design and conduct an independent master's project in their domain.

Students will have a wealth of opportunities to complement their coursework with conferences and seminars in various fields of specialization.

Study with expert practitioners and researchers

Teaching faculty include industry experts such as Massimo Motta, former Chief Competition Economist at the European Commission. Professor Motta has been involved with the Master’s program since its foundation and brings many years of experience both in the classroom and in the practice of competition policy. 

In addition, students learn state-of-the-art quantitative methods from Frank Verboven, a world expert in empirical methods for the measurement of market power and competition, as well as Mar Reguant, a global expert in environmental regulation and electricity markets. Students will also attend lectures with top practitioners such as Carles Esteva Mosso, former Deputy Director-General at DG Competition, who was in charge of Merger Control and State Aids at the European Commission.

Program Structure

This Master’s program is part of Economic Policy and Markets. This means you will be able to choose from different courses that are also available in the Economics of Energy, Climate Change, and Sustainability Program and the Economics of Public Policy Program. These three programs share the same fundamental basic courses that will provide you with an in-depth knowledge of how economic policy and markets work. At the same time, each program provides its own specialization courses that will make you an expert in one of the specific fields.

Program schedule: 

Students must complete 60 ECTS (a total of 12 mandatory courses and 2 elective courses of 3 credits)

A master project, which will be supervised in regular meetings with an advisor, will allow students to put their knowledge into practice and improve their writing and exposition skills.

The course offer displayed is for next year's edition. Course offer is subject to change.

Course list for current students

 

Master project

The master project is a required component of all BSE Master's programs. Working individually or in groups, students use the tools and knowledge they've acquired during the entire year to explore a topic of their choice. A professor supervises throughout the project.

Examples of master projects from recent Competition, Regulation and Markets cohorts

Select a project to view a summary on the BSE Voice, our student and alumni blog:

Class of 2022

Master's degree awarded

Upon successful completion of the BSE Competition, Regulation and Markets 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).

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”).


What skills and knowledge will I acquire in this program?
  • Orderly thinking in Economic concepts, especially Microeconomics, Industrial Economics, Information Economics, Game Theory, and Strategic Behavior
  • Confidence in the fundamentals of competition law and its history
  • Understanding of theory and models of regulation, and in particular the basic regulatory frameworks of main industrial sectors
  • Ability to publicly present cases, and development of analytical skills for discussion and argument from different points of view
  • Communication through written technical reports containing real data analysis, analysis of economic literature, and selected project themes
  • Expert subject knowledge in discussion of formalized theory on competition policy 
Who will benefit from this program?
  • Students with a background in Economics or Business with a strong interest in microeconomics
  • Graduates in Engineering or Law who want to build their knowledge of economics, markets, and organizations
  • Workforce professionals seeking in-depth training in competition and market regulation policies
  • Researchers or professionals at antitrust authorities looking for advanced techniques and tools
  • Aspiring PhD students looking for a rigorous economic master program in Competition Policy and Market Regulation
Who hires Competition graduates?
  • Consulting Firms
  • Government & Authorities
  • Financial Services
  • Research & Academic Institutions
  • Other Industries

Examples of recent professional placements:

  • Charles River Associates - Intern (Brussels, Belgium)
  • Compass Lexecon - Research Analyst (Brussels, Belgium)
  • Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore - Competition Analyst (Singapore, Singapore)
  • Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) - Economic Intern (London, United Kingdom)
  • GSMA - Economist (London, United Kingdom)
  • KPMG - Junior economist (Madrid, Spain)
  • Lear Economics - Internship (Rome, Italy)
  • Ministry of Economic and Finance  - Economist (Lima, Peru)
  • OFGEM - Wholesale Markets (London, United Kingdom)
  • Oxera - Analyst (London, United Kingdom)
  • RBB Economics - Associate (Madrid, Spain)
  • The Brattle Group - Research Analyst (London, United Kingdom)

More information about alumni career paths

Can I enter another BSE Master's directly from this program?

Students who successfully complete the Competition, Regulation and Market Program are eligible for direct admission to the following programs, if they stay for a second consecutive year:

Master’s Degree in Data Science:

OR

Master’s Degree in Economics and Finance:

A 20% discount will be applied on the second program's tuition fees. All BSE Alumni are eligible for this discount at any time.

Read more about taking a second BSE Master’s degree

Faculty

Students

Competition Student Profile 2023-24

19 students from 14 countries (100% international)

Most represented countries this year:

  • Italy and United Kingdom (3 students each)
  • Mexico

Most common undergraduate backgrounds:

  • Economics and Finance
Chart displays years of work experience. 6 students have 0-1 years of experience. 3 students have 1-2 years , 10 students have 3-5+ years

Alumni

Competition alumni career paths

An overview of Competition career paths for recent cohorts (Class of 2020, 2021, 2022)

  • Most Competition alumni (98%) enter or return to the professional work force
    2% continue their education in a PhD or other post-graduate program
  • Most common industries:
    Consulting, Government and Authorities
  • Cities with most Competition alumni:
    Brussels, London, Madrid, Rome, Lima
Compeition and Market Regulation Placement by Industry
  • frontier-economics
    alumni

    Samantha Catalina Guerrero '18

    Analyst
    Originally from
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    Currently living in
    Madrid
    Spain
    I wanted to go back to basics and become a fully-fledged economist, not a banker. I had the opportunity to see first-hand how a regulation affects the business as usual of the banking sector. That’s when I decided to apply for a Master's in Competition and Market Regulation at the Barcelona School of Economics and I moved my life to Barcelona. The masters surpassed all of my expectations. The professors that teach here are world renowned, the lectures are structured in a way that gives us a theoretical and practical approach, and the job market is looking for people that have the skills that graduates from this program have.
  • logo
    Borbala Szathmary

    Borbála Szathmáry '11

    Director of Economics
    Originally fromHungary
    Currently living inUnited Kingdom
    It's a very good and well-regarded program. The knowledge acquired is very relevant for everyday competition work so it is worth investing in getting the most out of the courses; it definitely pays off later.  The quantitative course was particularly helpful in that it covered techniques that are routinely used in competition cases. The curriculum was broad enough to give an overview of a wide range of competition and regulatory matters but also very practical. I still go back to my notes time to time when working on new issues!