The aim of this programme is to train academics  to understand and analyse current practical economic and social questions, explain and communicate their analyses to a wide range of audiences, put their analyses in wider contexts  and go on to work with specialists from other disciplines. Various components such as a dissertation, seminars, group work, study reports and work placement reports will enable students to acquire skills in writing and expression required to practise economics at a professional level. To make the link between theory and practice, work placements and outside study visits (especially in developing countries) are available. Exchanges and other kinds of collaboration with foreign universities offer students the chance of becoming familiar with another culture, improving their foreign language skills and experiencing different kinds of teaching methods.

The programme is centred on a foundation which is both solid and covers a variety of subjects. Starting from this common foundation, three different focuses are available. The research focus develops methods of analysis and research. The professional focus enables students to acquire skills in a special area depending on their chosen career. The teaching focus is mainly designed for students who are aiming for a teaching career in higher secondary education.

This a joint programme run by UCL and the University Faculties of Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur (Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix –FUNDP)within the Economics School of Louvain. The core subjects and professional focus are shared, being taught in French on one campus and English on the other (Louvain-la-Neuve and Namur respectively).

There is also close cooperation with the Economics Department of KULeuven : students may study up to three subjects from the relevant programme at KULeuven without having to seek special permission to do so.

A.      course structure

The 120 credit Master in Economic Science (general) is made up of
- core subjects of 60 credits relating to the area chosen;

- a focus (research, teaching or professional) of 30 credits ;
- options and/or additional subjects relating to the focus for 30 credits.
Each year of the two year course must contain 60 credits.

Core subjects (60 credits)

The core subjects are made up of three components :
20 credits for basic training ; 
20 credits for optional subjects ;
20 credits for a dissertation.

Focuses (30 credits)

Three kinds of focus are available :    

• a research focus leading to research;
• a teaching focusleading to teaching (FUNDP in Namur, UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve);
• a professional focus leading to economics as a career.

Students select their focus on joining the course. It is possible to change this decision, at the latest by 1 November of the first year; however this may, to a greater or lesser extent, complicate the choice of possible subjects or other activities. (cf. below)

Options and optional subjects (30 credits)

Depending on which focus they have selected, students make up their programme with one or more of the following options and/or optional subjects.

1.       Professional options (30 credits)

Students who select a professional focus can choose one of the following eight professional options (each of which is worth 30 credits).

1.       Cycles, Growth and Globalisation (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
2.       Development Economics (FUNDP in Namur)
3.       Financial Economics (UCL and FUNDP in Namur)
4.       Public Economics and Social Policies, Norms and Institutions. (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
5.       Political Economy and Social Policies (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
6.       Economic Policy (FUNDP in Namur)
7.       Economics of Business Strategies and Innovation (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve) 
8.       European Business (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)

NOTE: These options are also available for students who choose the teaching focus.

 2.       Advanced Economic Analysis I Option (15 credits)

Students doing the research focus are strongly recommended to take this option which is reserved for them. They will have the opportunity of applying the most advanced methods of analysis to particular sectors of the economy.

 3.       Extra options

These extra options are open to all students irrespective of the focus they have chosen.  

Options with a professional perspective (15 credits)
These options are open to all students irrespective of their focus. Students doing a research focus will acquire basic training in an area other than their main specialisation. (30 credits ; cfr above).

Options which enhance a specialisation  (15 credits)
These options enable students with a professional focus to do more in-depth training in their chosen area of specialisation; this option is therefore only open to students with the relevant specialisation.

Quantitative Methods Option (15 credits)
Students who choose this option will consolidate their training in quantitative methods.

Professional Foreign Language Options (Louvain-la-Neuve ; 15 credits)
This option offers the opportunity for in-depth study of one of three Germanic languages (English, German or Dutch).

Language and International Outlook  (Namur ; 15 credits)
This option offers the opportunity for in-depth study of one or two languages (English, German, Dutch and Spanish), learning a new language (possibly in the context of a work placement) and encourages an international outlook which puts language learning into context.

4.      Optional subjects

Depending on their other choices, students may make up their programme with one or several subjects from the list of optional subjects (see the detailed list).

Whatever focuses and options are chosen, the programme for this Master must total a minimum of 120 credits, spread over two years of study. This corresponds to 60 credits per year.

• Advanced Master : Master in International Economics and Development (University Development Commission - Commission universitaire au développement – CUD): http://www.fundp.ac.be/facultes/eco/enseignement/desdev/
• Doctoral Programme :
  Doctorate in Economic Science : http://www.uclouvain.be/3891.html

DIRECT ENTRY
Holders of a first university degree including at least the following subjects :

• Microeconomics (5 credits)
• Macroeconomics (5 credits)
• Statistics in Economics and Management II (5 credits)
• Mathematics in Economics and Management II (5 credits)
• Econometrics (5 credits)
• -1(“-1”? appears as such in the French version) from  : Public Economics (5 credits), Industrial Economics (5 credits), European Economics (5 credits), Game Theory and Information Economics (5 credits)

Individually tailored access

It is up to the academic coordinator to agree both equivalences between subjects and any additional components. If the total of prerequisite subjects is more than 15 credits, entry to the Master programme is conditional on the successful completion of a preparatory year and gaining a maximum of 60 credits

• university bachelors
• non-university bachelors
• holder of a 2nd cycle university degree
• holder of a 2nd cycle non-university degree
• mature students
• individually tailored access

•         The programme is made up of three components :  (i) a solid and wide-ranging base of core subjects,  which provides high-level training for general economists ; (ii)  the selection of a focus which allows the training to become personalized and include professional perspectives; (iii) the selection of options which introduce related disciplines such as law, management, demography, sociology and statistics linked to the chosen specialisation). This combination of core subjects/focus/related options enables future economist to place their analyses in a wider context and to go on to work with specialists in other fields.

•         The teaching methods are designed to train economists who are able to explain and communicate their analyses to different audiences. Through seminars, group work, study reports or work placement reports and writing a dissertation, students develop skills in writing and expression which are vital for practising economics at a professional level. 

•         To reinforce students’ ability to make the link between theory and practice, work placements and  external study visits (particularly in developing countries) are available.

The objective of the programme is to train economists with an outward looking world view and who are used to international contacts.

o Since the core subjects are divided with each subject being taught both in French and English, students may if they wish follow a programme entirely in English. This allows foreign students to attend; it enables Belgian students to acquire an excellent command of professional English alongside students of different nationalities. It is also possible to take courses in professional German, English or Dutch.

o Students who wish to study for an extended period at a foreign university, either in Europe or further afield, may take part in the Erasmus exchange programme. Students are required to follow courses worth a total of 30 credits at the host university. (This replaces the work placement and the four optional subjects).

Possible destinations for students at UCL (Louvain-la-Neuve):

• Germany (Mannheim)
• Latin America (Lima in Peru ; Sao Paulo in Brazil)*
• Austria (Vienna)
• Canada (Laval)
• Spain (Barcelona, Madrid )
• Italy (Bologna, Rome, Venice)
• Netherlands (Amsterdam, Tilburg)
• Portugal (Lisbon)
• United Kingdom (Glasgow)
• Czech Republic (Prague)

* Exchange visits to Latin America may, exceptionally, last one year. In this case, the study programme must comprise 30 credits for courses in the host university, 10 for a work placement and 20 for the dissertation. Further details on this can be obtained from the Student Office at the Economics  School of Louvain (ESL).

Possible destinations for students at FUNDP (Namur):

• Germany (Hanover, Karlsruhe)
• Belgium (Antwerp, Ghent)
• Spain (Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza)
• Finland (Tampere)
• France (Dijon, Grenoble)
• Hungary (Budapest)
• Italy (Bologna, Bolzano, Milan)
• Norway (Trondheim)
• Netherlands (Maastricht, Rotterdam)
• Poland (Poznan, Warsaw)
• United Kingdom (Glasgow)
• Switzerland (Geneva, Fribourg, Lausanne)
• Turkey (Marmara)

o Joint programmes (leading to a joint degree) are available with the following institutions[1] :

• Warsaw University (Poland)
• Bocconi University (Milan, Italy)
• Maastricht University (Netherlands)
• University of Geneva (Switzerland)

On graduation, ( having studied for one year in the partner university) students will receive a joint degree.

o The research focus, entirely in English, usually attracts a high number of foreign students, the majority of whom then go on to do a PhD  at Louvain. Cooperation with KUL means that advanced level subjects (all in English) are available in a wide variety of different areas in economics.

[1]For further details, please contact the ESL office.

Options and optional subjects

There are
(i) professional options reserved for students doing a professional focus (and to open students doing a teaching focus);
(ii) the Advanced Economic Analysis option reserved for students doing a research focus;
(iii)  the other options;
(iv)  optional subjects open to all students, irrespective of their focuses.

(i) PROFESSIONAL OPTIONS (30 CREDITS)
These options of 30 credits are compulsory for students doing a professional option. Students must choose one of the following eight professional options:

1. Cycles, Growth and Globalisation (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
2. Development Economics (FUNDP in Namur)
3. Financial Economics (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve and FUNDP in Namur)
4. Political Economy, Norms and Institutions. (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
5. Public Economics and Social Policies (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
6. Political Economy (FUNDP in Namur)
7. Economics of Business Strategies and Innovation (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)
8. European Business (UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve)

Note: students doing a teaching focus may also include a professional option of 30 credits in their programme.

(ii)  ADVANCED ECONOMIC ANALYSIS I OPTION  (15 CREDITS)
Students doing a research focus are strongly recommended to take the Advanced Economic Analysis I option (15 credits), which is only available to them: it will give them the opportunity of applying the most advanced methods of analysis to particular sectors of the economy.

(iii) OTHER OPTIONS
The following options are open to students, irrespective of which focus they have chosen.
o Introduction to Specialisation (15 credits)
o Additional Specialisation (15 credits)
o Quantitative Methods (15 credits)
o Professional Foreign Languages (15 credits)
o Languages and International Outlook (15 credits)

(iv) OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
Depending on their other choices, students may make up their programme with one or several subjects from the list of optional subjects (see the detailed list).