Please Note: The admission procedure for the Master program Economics has changed as of the application period for the summer term 2025. Further information can be found in the section “Entry/Admission requirements” below.
Economics - Master (M.Sc.)
Short description
Within the last ten years, the demand for graduates in Economics with quantitative skills increased strongly. This requires a solid education in formal economic theory as well as a comprehensive education in statistics and econometrics. Taking into account the growing availability of datasets and the decisions based on these both in the public authorities and the companies, it is of high value to have an in-depth understanding of econometric concepts. This need is fulfilled with this new study program. The methodological thorough education allows graduates to carry out an occupation in research institutions, international organizations, public authorities, companies and economic consulting. This quantitative as well as application-orientated course of economics at the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf is the ideal basis for a course of study both content wise, but also due to the praxis contacts and other connections to the vocational world.
This program is quantitative and research-oriented. It is completely taught in English. In contrast to many other master's programs in economics, it contains a compulsory area that raises both the theoretical and methodical training of students to a significantly higher level. Innovative teaching concepts as part of the "Reading Courses" and the "Economics Seminars" underline the new character of the course. The program is aimed primarily at students who later want to work in research and research-related institutions.
Entry/Admission requirements
The Economics master’s program starts in the winter term or summer term. The application for the Master program in Economics is subject to an admission procedure based on the following criteria:
- Bachelor's degree with a focus on economic science, social science or mathematical analysis, with at least 180 ECTS on completion of the degree course
- Knowledge of mathematics and statistics (minimum 24 ECTS)
- Knowledge of subjects related to economics (minimum 24 ECTS)
- Final grade (at least 2.5)
- Certificate of the subject-specific aptitude test (see Admission Procedure)
If the course has not yet been completed, at least 75% of the ECTS for the entire Bachelor's programme must have been achieved. The necessary expertise knowledge must be proven at the time of application. It is not possible to make up for missing ECTS in the Master's programme in Economics at the Heinrich Heine University. We reserve the right to make further changes. Only the information in the admission regulation and its amendments are authoritative.
Moreover, sufficient knowledge of the English language must be proven. The following certificates will be acknowledged:
- Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) “Internet based” Test (IBT) with a result of at least 90 points,
- IELTS-Test with a result of at least 5,5, Cambridge Test – Certificate in Advanced English (CAE),
- First Certificate in English (FCE) with a final grade of minimum B,
- „A graduation diploma, that proves English language profieciency of a B2 niveau of the common European frame of references (CFER). (This can be proven through the presentation of the German graduation diploma (Abitur) that shows that English was attended continuously until the end of the qualification phase 1 (grade 11 for G8-Abitur, otherwise grade 12) completed with adequate performance.),
- DAAD exam of the HHU language center with a B2 niveau.
The online form for the admission procedure is open from May 2nd to July 15th for the winter semester and from November 2nd to January 15th for the summer semester.
Course of studies
The program starts with basic courses that are common in master's courses in the sub-fields of microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics at master's level. In many master's programs, this represents the compulsory scope of courses in economics. This is exactly where the planned program will go one step further and incorporate advanced courses in economic theory and econometrics into the compulsory part of the program. On the one hand, this gives students access to modern economic research and thus a quick transition to a doctorate, and on the other hand, demanding, quantitative activities in professional practice against the background of big data and digitalization and the associated methods.
A reading course will be integrated into the course in order to enable students to deal critically with the latest economic research literature at an early stage. Innovative teaching concepts are also used in the key qualification (Principles of Academic Research). In the first seminar, students prepare reports based on presentations of the latest research work, in which they assess the strengths and weaknesses of the work (“Referee Reports”). The critical assessment of research results achieved is an essential skill of scientists and an important part of the course. In the second seminar, the students prepare their own research work and present it in workshops that are based on the format of research seminars.
The six-month master's thesis also enables students to conduct their own extensive research at the end of your studies. This form of master's degree has the advantage that it enables direct connection to graduate schools, such as the graduate school of DICE.
In addition to the compulsory part, there is an extensive range of compulsory elective modules from economics and business administration, which are listed in the attached examination regulations, in order to be able to individualize the course according to your own wishes.
We offer a great variety of elective courses, such as the following:
Economics
e.g. International Trade, Applied Machine Learning, Advanced Labour Economics, Game Theory, Experimental Economics, Behavioral Economics, Public Economics, Industrial Economics
Business Administration
e.g. Advanced Entrepreneurial Finance, Sustainability Management Research, User Experience (UX) Design & Management, Purchasing and Supply Management
A complete list of all elective modules can be found here: Module descriptions.
The course of studies can be found here.