Master's Programme in Economics

Academic year 2023/2024

120 credits
Autumn 2023, Uppsala, 100%, Campus
Programme syllabus and outline

Overview
Programme
Career
Admissions
Contact and further resources

The Master's Programme in Economics at Uppsala University provides you with a solid basis in economic theory, statistics and econometrics and also gives you very good skills in analysing empirical data and evaluating public policy. We focus on understanding and evaluating economic policy, providing you with state-of-the-art training in analysing real-world data. You will have ample opportunities to specialise in different fields, including public, labour, macro, political economics and more.

Why this programme?

The Master's programme in Economics is designed to help you achieve the skills needed in your future careers. This programme is consistently ranked as one of the top programmes in economics in Sweden. Our students come from all over the world and are trained to become professional economic analysts.

During the programme, you can expect to

be a part of one of the top economics programmes in Sweden.
collaborate with and visit potential employers such as ministries, research institutes, banks and other organisations.
be a part of a department with very strong research in public economics, labour economics, macroeconomics and applied microeconometrics.
get opportunities to study outside Sweden as an exchange student, as the programme contains mostly elective courses.

Student profile

You have studied economics specifically for at least a year in your Bachelor's studies and have also taken some courses in statistics. You are now looking for a programme that gives you a strong theoretical foundation as well as tools and practical experience in applying your skills in different areas.

Degree

The programme leads to a Master of Social Science (120 credits) with Economics as the main field of study.

Programme

The standard outline can be customised to suit students with different prior knowledge and needs.

During the first semester, you study standard courses in micro and macro theory and analytical methods. Each course consists of 7.5 credits. During the first part of the semester, you study Microeconomic Theory and Analytical Methods. The courses taken during the second part of the semester are Topics in Microeconomics and Macroeconomic Theory. The courses run in parallel within each half semester.

The second semester is devoted to courses in statistics, econometric theory and applied econometrics. Each course amounts to 7.5 credits.

The courses of the third semester aim to broaden the knowledge attained during the first two semesters. You can choose from several more applied courses at the department. The department offers the following elective courses: Financial Theory, Applied Macroeconomics, Advanced Public Economics, Health Economics, Political Economics and Labour Economics.

The final semester is devoted to the writing of your Master's thesis amounting to 30 credits. The course requires knowledge of quantitative skills at the advanced level.

Courses within the programme

The standard outline of the programme is as the following:

Semester 1: Micro and macro theory and analytical methods

Semester 2: Statistics and Econometrics

Semester 3: Optional advanced courses

Semester 4: Master's thesis

Learning experience

The programme is given on a scientific basis and is anchored in research. At the beginning of the programme, the courses are mostly taught through ordinary lectures. Further into the programme, the proportion of more interactive seminars increases.

In a seminar, you present your ideas and discuss with your classmates regarding a course book or a work you have conducted; while the teacher usually only moderates the discussion. The aim is to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills. All the students are expected to be active participants in all forms of discussions.

You will gradually acquire professionally relevant and research-based knowledge and skills. The progression in the Master's Programme in Economics aims at gradually developing a higher degree of intellectual maturity and greater insights into the more complex issues within the subject. This, together with training in independently formulating and solving problems, will prepare you for the Master's thesis.

The programme is offered in Uppsala and the language of instruction is English.

Career

The Master's Programme in Economics makes you well prepared for highly qualified analytical and investigational work at public authorities and in public administration, at research institutes, banks and other financial firms, organisations, large firms etc, both in Sweden and internationally. It also provides the prerequisites for PhD studies in economics.

Our previous graduates work in public and private sectors in Sweden and abroad at, for example:

Nordea
Quantify Research
The Swedish Tax Agency
Practical Action (UK)

Job titles include:

Project Manager
Lead Analyst
Analyst, etc.

Career support

During your time as a student, UU Careers offers support and guidance. You have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities and events that will prepare you for your future career. Learn more about UU Careers.

Admissions

Below you will find details about eligibility requirements, selection criteria and tuition fees. For information on how to apply and what general documents you need to submit, check the application guide. For this programme, you only need to submit the general supporting documents, as no programme-specific document is required.

Master's Programme in Economics

120 credits

Autumn 2023, 100%, Campus

Location: Uppsala

Application deadline: 16 January 2023

Application code: UU-M2270 Application

Language of instruction: English

Requirements:

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is 60 credits in economics and 15 credits in statistics (or closely related subject).

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Selection: Students are selected based on an overall appraisal of previous university studies.

Tuition fee-paying students and non-paying students are admitted on the same grounds but in different selection groups.

Fees:

If you are not a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees. Fees cover application and tuition only and do not cover accommodation, academic literature or the general cost of living. Read more about fees.

Application fee: SEK 900

Tuition fee, first semester: SEK 50,000

Tuition fee, total: SEK 200,000