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Economics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

The highly quantitative approach of this one-year MSc will equip you to understand and navigate the complexities of today’s fast-evolving global economy. You will gain intensive training in the theories, analytical tools and methods of micro and macroeconomics and econometrics. With expertise in critical analysis, problem-definition and tackling technical challenges, you’ll be ready for success in industry roles, or to excel in a PhD programme at a leading university.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£28,900
£14,450
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£39,200
£19,600
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
All applicants: 20 Oct 2025 – 08 May 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 Economics with a significant quantitative component from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with a qualification of an equivalent standard in another quantitative discipline, such as statistics, mathematics, or physics, may also be considered. Please note that competition for places is strong so meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission.

Applicants whose studies for their undergraduate degree have been undertaken wholly or mainly at a university located outside the UK must upload to the application form their GRE General Test score report. The quantitative GRE score must be 162 or above (post-August 2011 scores). Applicants in the final year of their undergraduate studies must upload to their application a complete list of the courses they are taking in their final year.

The English language level for this course is: Level 2

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 programme is designed for students with a strong analytical and quantitative science background, and will prepare you for a career in institutions at the national and international level within industry, government or academia. You’ll master cutting-edge theoretical frameworks in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and both classical and modern machine-learning approaches to econometrics. Alongside these subject-specific tools, you’ll develop transferable technical competencies in rigorous data-driven inquiry, including hypothesis formulation, statistical programming (Python/R/Matlab), and precise problem-definition techniques.

Who this course is for

This programme is for anyone with a strong interest in analytical rigor and research methods, whether you have a background in economics or another quantitative discipline like finance, engineering, data science, or the social sciences. You might be an experienced professional looking to deepen your economic insight, a recent graduate aiming to sharpen your quantitative skills, or someone preparing for a PhD. As long as you're curious about economic theory and eager to apply robust, data-driven techniques, you will thrive here.

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

What this course will give you

UCL Economics has an outstanding international reputation in the areas of applied microeconomics, labour economics, development economics, economic theory, experimental economics, econometrics, and macroeconomics. The department is a global leader in policy-oriented research, with members actively involved in policy design and evaluation. The Research Excellence Framework 2021 ranked the UCL Department of Economics as the top department in the UK for 4* world-leading research outputs and research environment. The high quality and policy impact of research undertaken by faculty are reflected in an excellent teaching and research environment for graduate students.

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

The foundation of your career

According to the most recent available data (Graduate Outcomes survey 2017–2022), recent graduates go on to a variety of roles including:

  • The civil service (e.g, Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, HM Treasury)
  • Central banks (e.g, Bank of England, European Central Bank)
  • Regulators (e.g, Competition and Markets Authority, Ofgem)
  • Consultancy (eg, Charles River Associates, Compass Lexecon, Economic Insight, EY, Frontier Economics, NERA Economic Consulting, Oxera Consulting, Oxford Economics, PwC)
  • Think tanks (e.g, Institute for Fiscal Studies) and the financial sector.

Many of our students also continue with their studies, entering PhD programmes at world-renowned institutions including UCL, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Warwick.

Employability

The UCL Economics MSc is a passport to a career in any major national and international institution that demands deeper, more rigorous analytical reasoning in economics. In these roles, our MSc graduates can draw on a thorough theoretical grounding and wealth of practical analytical tools accrued during the programme to formulate relevant questions in economics and produce high-quality economic analysis. This balanced skillset is valued both by employers and academic selectors of prestigious PhD programmes alike. Additionally, our students benefit from the international reputations of the programme's academic staff and the academic excellence and international perspectives of their fellow MSc students.

Networking

Students in UCL's Department of Economics have invaluable opportunities to meet world-leading academics and experts in the subject field during their studies. Drawing on its myriad close relationships with organisations such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the department has collaborative and consultative relationships with government, the policy sphere and broader public and financial sectors. Our rich programme of internal and external seminars, student camps, the incredible, student-run Economics Society and an annual Careers Week bring together our vibrant and global alumni community, industry speakers and skills workshops. These deep, rich connections and collaborations mean our students do more than study here, they springboard to new levels in their careers.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and practical and problem classes.

The MSc degree is awarded on the basis of written, final examination papers and the research dissertation.

Contact time takes various forms:

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Project supervision
  • Assessment feedback sessions.

While week to week schedules will vary, students can expect to spend 10 hours in lectures, 8 hours in tutorials or practicals, up to 4 hours in advisory or supplemental engagement sessions, and about 15 hours working on independent study and research. In total, students will spend approximately 35–40 hours a week on this programme, equivalent to full time employment.

Your research project/dissertation will take up a good portion of your time in the programme, particularly towards the end. The learning hours will mainly be spent researching and writing your final dissertation. During the research and writing stages you will also have regular contact with your supervisor(s) who will guide and support you throughout your work.

Modules

You will undertake 8 taught modules and the research dissertation.

Full Time Structure:

In the summer before Term 1, you will complete an online, self-paced foundation module in Maths and Stats. You will take the final exam on the Maths and Stats module in the first week of Term 1.

In Term 1, you will take four compulsory modules.

In Term 2, you will take four optional modules and write the dissertation proposal.

In Term 3, you will take final examinations in three compulsory modules and four optional modules. You will write the dissertation during the summer, after the Term 3 final exams.

The compulsory modules provide a systematic and comprehensive presentation of the major theories and methods of micro and macroeconomics. The compulsory modules are supplemented by options modules which show how the methods introduced in the compulsory modules can be applied to analyse a wide range of policies. Options modules also allow you to study selected aspects of the theory and methods of economics in greater depth.

The compulsory research dissertation provides you with the opportunity to apply understanding and knowledge to a substantial original analysis of a specific theoretical, empirical or policy issue.

Part Time Structure:

Year 1:

In the summer before Term 1, you will complete an online, self-paced foundation module in Maths and Stats. You will take the final exam on the Maths and Stats module in the first week of Term 1.

In Term 1, you will take two compulsory modules in Microeconomics and Econometrics.

In Term 2, you will take 2 optional modules. 

In Term 3, you will take final examinations in two compulsory modules and two optional modules.

Year 2:

In Term 1 you will take two compulsory modules, in Macroeconomics and Research Methods. 

In Term 2, you will take two optional modules and write the dissertation proposal. 

In Term 3 you will take final examinations in the Macroeconomics compulsory module and the two optional modules. 

You will write the dissertation during the summer, after the Term 3 final exams.

The programme is designed as a full-time, 12-month experience; part-time study is offered on an exceptional basis only.

Compulsory modules







Optional modules










Empirical Industrial Organisation


Environmental Economics: Principles and Policy

Behavioural Economics



Data Science Theory




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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Economics.

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £28,900 £14,450
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.

There are no other additional costs for this programme.

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

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1 year)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Michael Curtis Bursary

NOW CLOSED FOR 25/26 ENTRY
Value: £25,200 (1 year)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

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.

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

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Economics at graduate level
  • why you want to study Economics at UCL: we want to see what you have found out about how we approach the study of economics at Master's level at UCL, and what specific skills and aptitudes you have that will help you succeed on our MSc programme.
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree
  • details of your skills in mathematics, calculus, probability and statistics, and linear algebra
  • any skills you have with spreadsheets, statistical software, mathematical programming or working with data

Applicants must be comfortable with academically rigorous content, enjoy technical challenges in the discipline, and have an aptitude for applying sophisticated technical tools to topical questions in Economics.

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Economics
Economics

economics.msc.admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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