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Economics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

MSc Economics is an intensive one-year degree with a highly quantitative approach to understanding the complex, rapidly shifting and uncertain modern global economy. This degree will build on your passion for Economics, training you to use theories, analytical tools and data to find answers for a wide variety of economic questions. 

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£28,100
£14,050
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£37,500
£18,750
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 01 May 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in Economics with a significant quantitative component from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with a qualification of an equivalent standard in another quantitative discipline, such as statistics, mathematics, or physics, may also be considered. Please note that competition for places is strong so meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission.

Applicants whose studies for their undergraduate degree have been undertaken wholly or mainly at a university located outside the UK must upload to the application form their GRE General Test score report. The quantitative GRE score must be 162 or above (post-August 2011 scores). Applicants in the final year of their undergraduate studies must upload to their application a complete list of the courses they are taking in their final year.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The programme is aimed at students with a strong analytical and quantitative background, and will prepare you for a career in international institutions, academia, government and industry. You will learn modern theories and methods of Micro and Macroeconomics and Econometrics as well as transferable skills such as critical analysis, problem-definition and tackling technical challenges.

Who this course is for

Because of the focus on analytical rigour and research methods, the ideal candidate has a strong interest in and enthusiasm for economic theory. You may be a professional economist with research-oriented interests or someone interested in pursuing an Economics PhD.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL Economics has an outstanding international reputation in the areas of applied microeconomics, labour economics, development economics, economic theory, experimental economics, econometrics, and macroeconomics. The department is a global leader in policy-oriented research, with members actively involved in policy design and evaluation. The Research Excellence Framework 2021 ranked the UCL Department of Economics as the top department in the UK for 4* world-leading research outputs and research environment. The high quality and policy impact of research undertaken by faculty are reflected in an excellent teaching and research environment for graduate students.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The UCL Economics MSc is a passport to a career in major national and international institutions that demand a deeper, more rigorous analytical reasoning in economics. In these roles, MSc graduates draw on a theoretical grounding and wealth of practical analytical tools to formulate relevant questions in economics and produce high-quality economic analysis valued by employers and prestigious PhD programmes. Students benefit from the international reputations of the programme's academic staff and the academic excellence and international perspectives of their fellow MSc students.

Employability

According to the Graduate Outcomes survey (2017/18 – 2020/21), recent graduates go on to a variety of roles including those in the civil service (eg, Cabinet Office, Department for International Trade, HM Treasury), central banks (eg, Bank of England, European Central Bank), regulators (eg, Competition and Markets Authority, Ofcom), consultancy (eg, Charles River Associates, Compass Lexecon, Economic Insight, EY, Frontier Economics, NERA Economic Consulting, Oxford Economics), think tanks (eg, Institute for Fiscal Studies) and the financial sector. Many of our students also continue with their studies, entering PhD programmes at world-renowned institutions including UCL, Cambridge, and Warwick.

Networking

Students will have the opportunity to meet leading academics and experts in the subject field during their studies.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and practical and problem classes.

The MSc degree is awarded on the basis of written, final examination papers and the research dissertation.

Each 15 credit module involves 150 learning hours. This includes lectures, seminars, tutorials, problem classes, assessment and independent study.

Modules

You will undertake 8 taught modules and the research dissertation.

Full Time Structure:

In the summer before Term 1, you will complete an online, self-paced foundation module in Maths & Stats. You will take the final exam on the Maths & Stats module in the first week of Term 1.

In Term 1, you will take four compulsory modules.

In Term 2, you will take four optional modules and write the dissertation proposal.

In Term 3, you will take final examinations in three compulsory modules and four optional modules. You will write the dissertation during the summer, after the Term 3 final exams.

The compulsory modules provide a systematic and comprehensive presentation of the major theories and methods of micro and macroeconomics. The compulsory modules are supplemented by options modules which show how the methods introduced in the compulsory modules can be applied to analyse a wide range of policies. Options modules also allow you to study selected aspects of the theory and methods of economics in greater depth.

The compulsory research dissertation provides you with the opportunity to apply understanding and knowledge to a substantial original analysis of a specific theoretical, empirical or policy issue.

Part Time Structure:

Year One:

In the summer before Term 1, you will complete an online, self-paced foundation module in Maths & Stats. You will take the final exam on the Maths & Stats module in the first week of Term 1.

In Term 1, you will take two compulsory modules in Microeconomics and Econometrics.

In Term 2, you will take 2 optional modules. In Term 3, you will take final examinations in two compulsory modules and two optional modules.

Year Two:

In Term 1 you will take two compulsory modules, in Macroeconomics and Research Methods. In Term 2 , you will take two optional modules and write the dissertation proposal. In Term 3 you will take final examinations in the Macroeconomics compulsory module and the two optional modules. You will write the dissertation during the summer, after the Term 3 final exams.

The programme is designed as a full-time, 12-month experience; part-time study is offered on an exceptional basis only.

Compulsory modules







Optional modules




















Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Economics.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £28,100 £14,050
Tuition fees (2024/25) £37,500 £18,750

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

All students are required to pay a fee deposit of £4,000 for this programme.

There are no other additional costs for this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1yr)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Michael Curtis Bursary

Deadline: 20 June 2024
Value: £12,500 (1 year)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to show whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Economics at graduate level
  • why you want to study Economics at UCL: we want to see what you have found out about how we approach the study of economics at Master's level at UCL, and what specific skills and aptitudes you have that will help you succeed on our MSc programme.
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree
  • details of your skills in mathematics, calculus, probability and statistics, and linear algebra
  • any skills you have with spreadsheets, statistical software, mathematical programming or working with data

Applicants must be comfortable with academically rigorous content, enjoy technical challenges in the discipline, and have an aptitude for applying sophisticated technical tools to topical questions in Economics.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Economics
Economics

economics.msc.admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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