Faculty of Economics and Social SciencesEconomics – Master
Economic issues play a central role in our daily lives: economic growth, wage inequality and unemployment are featured just as frequently in the media as financial crises, emissions trading or the consequences of globalisation. At the same time, we must all make numerous economic decisions in our private and professional lives. Students in the economics programme focus on analysing and answering these and similar questions.
Facts & Formalities
| Degree | Master of Science |
| Type of programme | Consecutive |
| Start of programme | Winter semester only |
| Standard period of study | 4 semesters |
| Language(s) of instruction | English |
| Fees and contributions | 186.35 € / Semester |
| Application procedure | Consecutive master’s programmes with access restriction |
| Application deadlines | Information about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program. |
| Can be completed entirely in English | Yes |
Course Content
The Master’s degree programme in economics is aimed at students who wish to increase their knowledge of and methodological skills in economics following successful completion of a respective Bachelor’s programme.
The structure of the programme offers a professional economic education at the graduate level that is based on international standards and is aimed at students with sufficient mathematical and analytical prior knowledge. The main objective of the Master's programme is to enable students to independently conduct scientific work. The programme’s teaching focus is on current academic methods and research findings. After graduation, students have an overview of the interconnections within the subject as well as the ability to analyse scientific publications on economics and to independently apply scientific methods and findings to economic issues.
The academic programme enables graduates to work in the public or private sector or to complete a doctorate. In order to prepare students for the international labour market for economists, all courses in the Master's degree programme are held exclusively in English.
Course Structure
The Master's degree programme in economics is a modular programme, consisting of compulsory modules and elective modules. The compulsory modules are taught in the first semester and differ by the track specialization chosen by the student. The programme offers five tracks: the Analytical Economics track with a broad training in mathematical foundations, microeconomic and macroeconomic analyses; the Development Economics track, with a focus on the economics of low and middle income countries; the Behavioral Economics track with a focus on behavioural theories and experimental methods; the Macroeconomics and Financial Econometrics track with a focus on the analysis of the macro economy and financial markets; and the Environmental Economics track, focusing on the analysis of environmental problems and environmental policy. In the following semesters, students select elective courses in their specialization or in any other field in economics, as well as interdisciplinary courses in neighbouring fields like political science, sociology, psychology, or geography. The program is completed with interactive seminars treating current topics in economics.
In addition to the modules offered in Heidelberg, the third semester is intended as a mobility semester in which students can apply for a study abroad programme, for example through the ERASMUS programme, the mobility initiative of the European Union. The credits gained at the respective partner universities can be recognised for the Master’s degree programme in Heidelberg.
Students complete the Master’s thesis in the fourth semester, which is written on a topic within their selected track specialization. For further information on the academic programme, please consult the degree programme schedule or the module handbook.