"The Master's introduced me to many of the modeling techniques I use for my research."
Patricia Gómez-González '09
PhD, MIT
Assistant Professor of Economics, Fordham University (New York)
Patricia Gómez-González '09
PhD, MIT
Assistant Professor of Economics, Fordham University (New York)
The Master's program in Economics takes a dual approach to economics to give students an excellent foundation and deep understanding of the field's fundamentals and applications, with a specific focus on data analysis. Students will learn how to use powerful analytical and quantitative tools, and they will design and conduct an independent Master's project.
At the beginning of the Master's students will be offered clear guidance on how to optimally tailor their course choice to their specific learning objectives and professional aspirations.
After the completion of this Master's program, students are fully prepared to start a PhD in Economics at any top university in the United States or Europe, including the PhD program at UPF (organized jointly with BSE).
Depending on the background of the student, the student may take a track on theoretical foundations of Economics and strong quantitative analysis, or a combination of this with more applied courses, such as Data Science courses.
The Economics Master's program offers a large variety of courses in Applied Economics to prepare students to fulfill the new demands of a highly competitive job market.
In particular, we offer Data Science courses designed for economists and other social scientists that allow students to acquire new skills besides traditional econometrics and quantitative analysis. A large variety of applied courses in specific fields will complement more general and technical courses.
By the end of the Economics Program, students will be ideally positioned to work in international organizations, financial institutions, consulting companies, private firms, etc. We work closely with all categories of employers to anticipate their professional needs and understand which skills are most demanded.
The Economics Program course list is broad enough to offer specialized training in a number of areas, such as:
In the three most recent cohorts of the Economics Program, 93% of graduates were hired for jobs related to the Master's Degree or gained admission to a PhD or other post-graduate program.
Some examples of first placements after completing the Master's include:
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 Economics cohorts
Select a project to view a summary on the BSE Voice, our student and alumni blog:
Upon successful completion of the BSE Economics Program, students will receive a Master's Degree in Economics and Finance awarded jointly with 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”).
The Economics Program provides a solid foundation for both professional and academic career paths.
Around 61% of recent graduates have used the Economics Program as a terminal Master’s degree that qualifies them for competitive, technically demanding jobs in the professional world.
Around 39% of recent Economics Program graduates have chosen to continue with more graduate or postgraduate study at top institutions all over the world. Some do so immediately after completing the BSE Master’s. Others choose to get one or more years of work experience, such as a central bank traineeship, before pursuing a PhD.
There are two PhD programs in the BSE community: the UPF PhD Program at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and the International Doctorate in Economic Analysis (IDEA) at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
While these PhD programs are organized jointly with the BSE, they each have their own distinct admissions processes.
UPF PhD Program
The main point of entry to the UPF PhD program is the BSE PhD Track Program. The PhD Track Program is Year 1 of the UPF PhD.
Students in the BSE Economics Program with outstanding performance in their courses have the opportunity to apply and be admitted to the UPF PhD before finishing the Economics Program. Those students will be asked to apply for admission to the UPF PhD at the beginning of the second term of the Economics Program. Admission will be decided in February. Admitted students will need to follow two years of coursework to move to the PhD research and dissertation phase.
UAB PhD Program (IDEA)
Entry to the IDEA PhD program is through the IDEA Master in Research. BSE students can visit the IDEA website to learn more about the admissions process, which is the same for BSE students and external applicants.
BSE master's graduates have gone on to enter some of the most prestigious and competitive doctoral programs in the world, including:
Examples of recent Economics placements:
Students who successfully complete the Economics 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 Specialized Economic Analysis:
A 20% discount will be applied on the second program's tuition fees. All BSE Alumni are eligible for this discount at any time.
69 students from 57 countries (91% international)
Most represented countries this year:
Most common undergraduate backgrounds:
Economics
An overview of Economics career paths for recent cohorts (Class of 2021, 2022, 2023)
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