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UCL Department of Economics

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Programme Overview and Curriculum

You'll be equipped with the powerful tools required to understand the rapidly changing, complex and uncertain modern world economy.

Term 1 

Maths & Stats - ECON0080

In the summer before you start the MSc Economics degree, you'll complete an online, self-paced course in Mathematics and Statistics to lay the foundations for the rest of the degree and prepare you for research in economics or for work as a professional economist. You'll have online review sessions during the week before term begins and before the core module teaching begins. 

Core modules

You'll take three core modules in Term 1, each consisting of 3 hours of lectures and a 1 hour small-group class per week.

Research Methods - Preparation for the Dissertation

You will attend weekly meetings to support the production of your dissertation proposal and to prepare you for the dissertation project. You will practice academic writing skills, empirical and econometrics skills, and attend software workshops in the use of Matlab and Stata.


Term 2

Research Methods - Preparation for the Dissertation

You will continue with weekly meetings to support the production of your dissertation proposal and to prepare you for the dissertation project. You will practice academic writing skills, empirical and econometrics skills, and attend software workshops in the use of Matlab and Stata.

Optional modules

You will take four optional modules from across List A and List B below.

If you are considering studying at PhD level we advise that you take two or more modules from List B. Students who fulfil these criteria will qualify for a conditional offer upon applying to the UCL MRes/MPhil/PhD Economics programme. 

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 is subject to change.

List A: Applied options

Public Microeconomics - ECON0061

Topics in Labour Economics - ECON0062

Topics in Money and Finance - ECON0063

Economics of Development - ECON0105

Health Economics - ECON0069

Empirical Industrial Organisation - ECON0072

Behavioural Economics - ECON0102 (module not offered in 2024-25)

International Trade - ECON0120

Macroeconomic Policy - ECON0073

Topics in Development Economics: Firms, Labour Markets and Migration - ECON0124 (module not offered in 2024-25)

International Political Economy - PUBL0004

Programme Evaluation for Users - ECON0070

Applied Policy Analysis - ECON0075 (module not offered in 2024-25)

Environmental Economics: Principles and Policy - ECON0077

Data Science Theory - ECON0125

Machine Learning in Economics - ECON0126

List B: Advanced core options

Advanced Macroeconomic Theory - ECON0057

Time Series Econometrics - ECON0058

Advanced Microeconomic Theory - ECON0059

Advanced Microeconometrics - ECON0060


Term 3 - Exams

Your core and optional courses will assessed by final exams in April/May, during Term 3. Some Term 2 modules in the list above feature additional summative assessments in Term 2.  For the foundational Maths and Stats course, you'll take the final examination in the first week of the programme, in September. 

Although weekly problem sets are marked and feedback is given, they do not play any part in the final assessment. 


June - September

In the three summer months, you will complete your lightly supervised dissertation.

You can find out more about these key sections via the links below: 

  • Dissertation

  • Research methods: covering academic writing skills, Empirical and Econometric skills and software workshops (for example, Matlab and Stata).