Research Master in Economics (centER) – (M.Sc.)

Research Master Degree Program: new research masterThe Research Master programme is a two-year in-depth course of study that combines coursework and one master dissertation. Highly motivated students with at least three years of academic study in economics, econometrics, a bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S./B.Sc.) in any of those disciplines, or a comparable undergraduate qualification are encouraged to apply for this rigorous and challenging program.
Side-inflow candidatesIn some exceptional cases, students with a MSc./M.A. degree or equivalent can enter in the second year, although they may be required to complete additional coursework offered in 1st year of the Research Master program to compensate for any deficits that might hinder their ability to succeed in the Ph.D. program.
Virtually all course work for the graduate (Ph.D.) program is concentrated in this research master program.

The program includes two types of courses:

Core courses provide broad knowledge in macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics and are mandatory for all students.

Secondly, there are elective courses. Several of these are given under the auspices of NAKE, the national network for general and quantitative economics. These courses are held in Utrecht, jointly for all Dutch research schools in economics. Special electives are topics courses which cover subject matter of current interest. Usually the topics are closely related to the research expertise of the instructor. In addition, students who do not have a strong background in Mathematics are required to take a refresher course in Mathematics and Business Statistics in the first semester.

Research Master dissertationThe Research Master thesis will train students to:

* identify a research question,
* collect and review existing literature,
* design a coherent research project,
* write a concise and articulate thesis which focuses on original research content and is supervised by a CentER faculty member.

The Research Master thesis should be the basis for a research paper which is suitable for publication in an international research journal.
Graduates of the Research Master program will have a thorough understanding of the principles of economic theory and its applications in various fields, along with the ability to think systematically about, and apply quantitative methods to, economics problems. They will have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to begin working independently on their Ph.D. dissertation.