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Economics (research master)

Leerdoel

M.Phil. Degree Program: new research master
The Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) program is a two-year in-depth course of study that combines coursework and two master's dissertations - one in each year. Highly motivated students with at least three years of academic study in economics, econometrics, a bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S./B.Sc.) in any of those disciplines, or a comparable undergraduate qualification are encouraged to apply for this rigorous and challenging program.

Side-inflow candidates
Candidates already in posession of an M.A. or M.S./M.Sc., Drs. or Ir. degree will be able to join the program in the second year, although they may be required to complete additional coursework offered in 1st year of the M.Phil. program to compensate for any deficits that might hinder their ability to succeed in the Ph.D. program.
Virtually all course work for the graduate (Ph.D.) program is concentrated in this research master program.

The program includes three types of courses:

 

Core courses provide broad knowledge in macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics and are mandatory for all students.

 

Field courses cover basic knowledge in the main fields of economics. Several courses are given under the auspices of NAKE, the national network for general and quantitative economics. These courses are held in Utrecht, jointly for all Dutch research schools in economics. Other field courses are given at CentER.

 

Topics courses cover subject matter of current interest. Usually the topics are closely related to the research expertise of the instructor. Five topics courses are given each year in Tilburg, while additional topics courses are offered by NAKE.

In addition, students who do not have a strong background in Mathematics are required to take a refresher course in Mathematics and Business Statistics in the first semester.

 

M.Phil. dissertation
The M.Phil. thesis will train students to:

• identify a research question,
• collect and review existing literature,
• design a coherent research project,
• write a concise and articulate thesis which focuses on original research content and is supervised by a CentER faculty member.

Those who plan to continue on with the Ph.D. program will write a research paper as their thesis which is suitable for publication in an international research journal.

 

Doelgroep

Highly motivated students with at least three years of academic study in economics, econometrics, a bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S./B.Sc.) in any of those disciplines, or a comparable undergraduate qualification are encouraged to apply for this rigorous and challenging program.
Candidates already in posession of an M.A. or M.S./M.Sc., Drs. or Ir. degree will be able to join the program in the second year, although they may be required to complete additional coursework offered in 1st year of the M.Phil. program to compensate for any deficits that might hinder their ability to succeed in the Ph.D. program.

 

Afstudeervarianten

Possible electives, M.Phil. in Economics:

Law and Economics (Fall)

Behavioral Economics (Spring, NAKE course)

NAKE course (Spring)

Possible Topics Courses, M.Phil. in Economics:

Optimal Control of Dynamical Behavior (fall)

Statistics of Extremes with Applications (Spring)

Panel Data Models for Limited Dependent Variables (Spring)

Modelling bounded Rationality in Games: The Probabilistic Choice Approach (November)

 

Programma

Year 1, 1^st semester (Fall, 30 ECTS)

• Empirical Research in Economics OR: Econometric Methods
• Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business¹ OR: Elective 1
• Macroeconomics 1 changes in outline
• Microeconomics 1 - comprising of four separate six week modules of which students can take 2² of the following:

• Basic Micro (compulsory), and:

  1. Micro - Finance; or
  2. Micro - Industrial Organization; or
  3. Micro - Equilibrium Theory
• Field Course

Year 1, 2^nd semester (Spring, 30 ECTS)

• Macroeconomics II
• Microeconomics II
• Econometric Models in Economics
• Thesis (12 ECTS)

Year 2, 1^st semester (Fall, 30 ECTS)

• Two field courses OR: One field course AND Econometric Methods
• Three Topics courses
• Research seminar & NAKE workshop
• Thesis (6 ECTS)^*

Year 2, 2^nd semester (Spring, 30 ECTS)

• Two field courses
• One Topics course
• Research seminar & NAKE workshop
• Thesis (12 ECTS)^*

The elective requirement in the first year of the M.Phil. program can be satisfied by taking one of the listed elective or field courses.
¹ Students with a solid mathematics and statistics background can take an additional field course (or other elective course) instead of Quantitative Methods.
² At the students discretion, more than one of these can be taken simultaneously.
^* Two theses should be written in total during the whole program. The first one should be written at the end of the first year and you are expected to start your second (and larger) thesis in the Fall semester of your second year.

 

Toelatingseisen

Admission to the M.Phil. program is based on the student's undergraduate academic performance and standardized admission tests. Applicants should have completed at least three years of study in economics, econometrics or business science, or have an equivalent academic background.Official transcripts of all relevant undergraduate and graduate coursework, including certified copies of the corresponding bachelor's and/or Master's diplomas, are required.
Applications are evaluated on:

• results of undergraduate education (B.A./B.S./B.Sc. or equivalent);
  
• performance in the top 10% on the Princeton Graduate Record Exam (*GRE: code number 0730);
  
• performance in the *IELTS or *TOEFL English language test (see below);
  
• two letters of recommendation, sent separately to the Director of Graduate Studies;
  
• written work
  
• motivation letter.

* Please note: these exam results should not be more than 2 years old.

 

Beroepsperspectief en arbeidsmarkt

Graduates of the M.Phil. program will have a thorough understanding of the principles of economic theory and its applications in various fields, along with the ability to think systematically about, and apply quantitative methods to, business economics problems. They will have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to begin working independently on their Ph.D. dissertations. Those who opt for a career in the business sector are ready for the job market, particularly for positions with a strong research component.