Course description
“It is a surprise and a delight to win the Nobel Prize in Economics"
"Getting my master’s degree at Manchester helped launch my professional career – and I will always be grateful to my teachers and fellow students in those years. Their guidance and inspiration (and many late-night conversations) helped push me down the road towards careful empirical work, bringing history to bear, and understanding the importance of building institutions that support inclusive prosperity.”
Simon Johnson / Nobel Prize Winner in Economics
Our MSc Economics is designed to provide expert theoretical and technical training to future economists and academics of the subject. It builds on developed understandings of areas such as mathematics, econometrics, and programming to produce graduates who are experts in their field with highly refined specialist skills.
Studying on the MSc Economics, you will benefit from advanced training in key areas such as mathematics, econometric methods, quantitative methods, and economic theory. You will also be free to develop your expertise in specialist areas of your choosing through our broad range of optional course units, such as:
- International macroeconomics;
- Financial econometrics;
- Economics of environmental policy;
- Global economic history.
See a full list of mandatory and optional course units below.
This course is different from our MA Economics course because of its focus on more advanced theoretical and technical units that need to be completed. Our MSc in Economics also offers a broader selection of optional course units and is better suited to those who wish to pursue more technical or specific roles after graduation, or to progress to a career in economics research and academia. Our MA is better suited to those who are interested in pursuing a more general career direction, such as in policy, business, consulting, data analysis, and related fields.
This course is eligible for the 1+3 studentship offered by the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC) North West Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), offering a unique, fully-funded route into postgraduate research. If your application is successful, you’ll be able to seamlessly transition from master's-level study to a PhD. Find out more on our .
Aims
This course will:
- Provide rigorous training in economics and the relevant methods of mathematics for economic and econometrics research in this area.
- Develop your powers of inquiry, critical analysis, logical thinking, and your ability to apply theoretical knowledge to current issues of policy and practice in economics.
- Encourage initiative, independent learning, awareness of analytical and theoretical approaches in the field of economics, exposure to recent research and state-of-the-art tools in applied work in economics.
- Train you in research methods and expert skills in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, mathematics for economists, problem-solving, written and oral expression, communication and presentation skills.
- Equip you with the intellectual and practical skills necessary for an economist working in private or public organisations, or in research and academia.
- Enable you to apply advanced research skills to a relevant research area in economics, via course units and a dissertation.
Special features
A prestigious department
ĢƵ is a leading centre for economics and research-led teaching. Many famous names from the world of economics have worked and studied here at Manchester, including four Nobel Prize winners. Graduate students from across the globe come here to study economics, attracted by our first-class postgraduate training and supervision in the core and specialist areas of the subject.
Real-world impact
We put theory into practice. Our academics and students are dedicated to shaping economic research, policymaking and practice nationally and internationally. We work closely with government, organisations, and businesses to advise and effect meaningful change.
Teaching and learning
The MSc Economics is taught by an expert team using a variety of delivery methods:
- lectures;
- workshops;
- student-led discussions
- group work;
- individual research.
Coursework and assessment
On the MSc Economics, most course units are assessed by written exam, or a written exam plus an essay, test, or project.
Course unit details
Preparatory course
All our economics master’s courses require you to complete an essential course, Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Economics, before starting your studies.
Details of this essential course, as well as the differences between our four master’s courses, can be found on our webpage, ‘ ’.
Core and optional units
A master’s degree is formed of 180 credits.
On the MSc Economics, there are six mandatory course units, including a dissertation worth 60 credits. The dissertation is a compulsory research component of around 12,000-to-15,000-words. Your dissertation must be within the area of one of the course units you have chosen.
You will also choose four optional course units worth 15 credits each.
The availability of individual optional course units may be subject to change. Information that is sent to you in August about registration onto the course will clearly state the course units that are available in the academic year ahead.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods in Economic Analysis | ECON60081 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Microeconomic Theory | ECON60101 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Macroeconomic Theory | ECON60111 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Economics | ECON60901 | 0 | Mandatory |
| Econometric Methods | ECON61001 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | ECON63000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Development Microeconomics | ECON60022 | 15 | Optional |
| Microeconometrics | ECON60052 | 15 | Optional |
| Macroeconomic Theory and Policy | ECON60122 | 15 | Optional |
| International Macroeconomics | ECON60132 | 15 | Optional |
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