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Comparative Economics and Policy MA

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Comparative Economics and Policy MA (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£25,300

£12,650

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£39,200

£19,600

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2026

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026

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 a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants are usually expected to have studied macroeconomics, microeconomics and quantitative methods/statistics in their degree. Applicants whose studies for their undergraduate degree have been undertaken wholly or mainly at a university located outside of the UK are preferred to submit either GMAT or GRE score as part of the application. There is no minimum score required, but this will be used as part of our assessment alongside the rest of your application.

The English language level for this course is: Level 3

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 MA focuses on the development experiences of the 28 nations that have emerged from the former Soviet bloc in Europe and Asia. You will analyse the impact of institutional reforms on diverse outcomes, including economic performance, socio-economic development, financial integration, democratisation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and internationalisation.

Further details on the programme and structure can be found in the current Programme Handbook.

Who this course is for

The programme is suitable for those who wish to develop the skills necessary for further research or a career in this field.

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

What this course will give you

The UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) is one of the largest national centres in the UK for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia.

SSEES' location on the edge of Bloomsbury offers you access to the British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres, which are all close by.

Our unique specialist library and central London location provide an ideal environment for research, while our close contacts with employers, policymakers, embassies and alumni afford excellent opportunities for networking and career development.

SSEES hosts a number of research centres and seminar series which help complement your study, including the Economics and Business Seminar Series, and CNET- the Centre for New Economic Transitions. We attract a range of external influential speakers via our public events.

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

The foundation of your career

Popular career paths for graduates of this MA include: Accountancy and Financial Services; Banking and Investment;IT and Technology; Manufacturing; Consultancy;Social Research; Charities; NGOs and International Development.

Recent employers include Accenture; Bank of China; China Construction Bank; Deloitte LLP; EY; HSBC; KPMG LLP; Mitsubishi; PwC; and UK government

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.

Employability

This MA prepares you for both further research, and for work in international business, for European and national government institutions, and policy-making roles.

Networking

SSEES scholars have developed strong links with a range of institutions in London, including the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Roubini Global Economics, NGOs such as Health Prom, Amnesty International and others through the BEARR Trust, Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), as well as with the European Commission. SSEES also cultivates connections with the London embassies of the region, which regularly co-sponsor round-table events and lectures by leading international figures relevant to our area interests.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and private study. The third term is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project.

A 15-credit module is equivalent to 150 hours of study and a 30-credit module equivalent to 300 hours. This includes contact time, private study and the undertaking of coursework assignments.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, film viewings, tutorials and specialist language courses. You will be assessed through unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the research dissertation.

For a full-time postgraduate course, we recommend around 20-25 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will have approximately 8-10 contact hours each week during term time, spent in lectures and seminars.

For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week.

Those undertaking language modules may have additional contact hours. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

Modules

You undertake modules to the value of 180 credits in total, 120 of which are taught courses.

The taught modules comprise compulsory methods, a module in International Macroeconomic Policy, at least one module from a list of core policy papers and further modules from a list of available electives.

In addition you must undertake a free-standing dissertation and Dissertation Preparation Module.

Further details on the programme and structure can be found in the Programme Handbook

The MA can be taken part-time, across two years. Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

In Year 1, you will take a compulsory methodology modules, designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and to provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays and for the dissertation. There is also a compulsory module in International Macroeconomic Policy, and at least one module from a list of core policy papers

In Year 2, you will take optional modules to develop your broader understanding and develop key concepts learnt in Year 1. You will also continue to formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your supervisor

Compulsory modules

Quantitative Methods

SSEES MA Dissertation Preparation

Advanced Quantitative Methods

International Macroeconomic Policy

M.A. Dissertation

Optional modules

Trade and FDI Policy with Reference to Eastern Europe

Public Choice - Private Interest

Inequality Dynamics in Modern Capitalism

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.

You will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Comparative Economics and Policy.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: SSEES Economics and Business (AM)

We are excited to announce the return of the School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) Graduate Open Series, with a focussed session on each of our subject areas: Economics and Business; Politics and Sociology; Languages, Literature and Culture; History; and IMESS. Our virtual Zoom event series promises an invaluable experience for prospective Master’s students as they explore a diverse range of postgraduate master's opportunities.

Watch on demand event

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: SSEES Economics and Business (PM)

We are excited to announce the return of the SSEES Graduate Open Series, with a focussed session on each of our subject areas: Economics and Business; Politics and Sociology; Languages, Literature and Culture; History; and IMESS. Our virtual Zoom event series promises an invaluable experience for prospective Master’s students as they explore a diverse range of postgraduate master's opportunities.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£25,300	£12,650
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£39,200	£19,600

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, or conference registration fees and associated travel costs. The department strives to keep additional costs low. Books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

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

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 course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

why you want to study Comparative Economics and Policy at graduate level
why you want to study Comparative Economics and Policy at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this programme
how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging and truly international academic environment
where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

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

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

This course only requires one reference in support of your application. Your reference should be academic unless you have been out of university education for more than four years. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.