A PATHWAY TO A CAREER IN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
The Master in International Economics is a small, selective programme focused on preparing students for jobs in international organisations, governments, NGOs and think tanks as well as the private sector. Our program is also well suited to students who want to go on and do a PhD (either at the Graduate Institute or in another university). About one sixth of our master students choose this option.
The programme combines a rigorous training in the advanced empirical and analytical tools that are required for careers in international economics with a policy orientation. It provides students with the necessary work-skills, and the institutional and historical background they will need to apply the tools to real world problems.
This applied approach – teamed with our close connection to the international organisations in Geneva (where many students do internships) and across the world – explains the remarkable success of our students over the years . Graduates have secured jobs in top-level national and international institutions (ranging from the World Bank, IMF and OECD, WTO, WIPO, ILO and other UN agencies, central banks, and economic ministries), policy institutions such the WEF, NGO and think tanks, as well as consultancies, multinationals and banks.
The Master programme is organised into four specialisations – International Finance, Development, Finance and Development, and International Trade. Regardless of your specialisation, you will in the first three semesters take the six core classes (two semesters of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics) and write your Master’s thesis in the fourth semester. A math refresher course (affectionately known as the "math bootcamp") is taken before the beginning of the first semester. The specialisation-specific courses are generally taken from the second semester on you select electives offered by the department as well as some courses offered by other department (law, history, political science, anthropology and sociology) and partner institutions (e.g. the University of Geneva or Lausanne). There is also a possibility of doing the third semester on exchange at one of our partner institutions. Download the Flyer for details.
