Description and Structure
Master program description
Policymakers are often forced to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty that have a direct impact on a country’s overall performance. A thorough understanding of the dynamics of the aggregate economy is necessary, but not entirely sufficient, for success. Private firms must also be knowledgeable of the many sources of aggregate risk and uncertainty, and the analytical tools available to study the aggregate economy can be of much help.
Students in the Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets master program will obtain relevant knowledge about the central issues in macroeconomic and financial economics analysis, as well as the key tools, data and models.
Many government institutions now use models and techniques developed recently and not yet taught in most undergraduate courses. Its use has also spread to the private sector, where investment banks and consulting firms increasingly utilize them. Some examples are DSGE models, VAR’s, and ARCH. Students will learn not only how to use these modeling and statistical techniques but also how they are actually applied by government agencies and private financial firms.
Most central banks and many other government agencies throughout the world are establishing groups that build their forecasts by means of these techniques. More generally, investment banks and consulting firms are interested in professionals who have gained a good understanding of the functioning of the aggregate economy and of financial markets, who have been well trained and who can competently conduct empirical work. International finance and development agencies such as the IMF, WB, BERD, BIS, etc. often look for profiles of this type.
A limited number of places will be available to practitioners who would like to enroll in specific courses.
Master Degree
Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Master Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis awarded jointly by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
All Barcelona GSE master degrees have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorithies within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).
Structure
The master is a full-time nine-month program structured in three terms: Fall term (from September to December), Winter term (from January to March) and Spring term (from April to June). For more information, please download the academic calendar.
Students will be required to do an applied project during the second and third terms.
Students in this master are required to take the Math and Statistics Review course and the Computer Tools course offered in September. All students are required to pass the exams for these two courses. More information is available on the Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets courses page.
Credits
The degree requires the successful completion of 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits of graduate courses (6 credits are equivalent to a 40 hour course), some compulsory and some elective. The students' final program must be discussed with and approved by their Master Director.
Grades
The academic performance of each student is reviewed regularly. Attention is given to the maintenance of normal academic progress, through a combination of formal written examinations and coursework. Core courses will award grades. Some optional courses may be evaluated on a pass/fail or pass with honors/pass/fail basis.
Campus
The Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets master is located at the Bellaterra campus at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The UAB's self-contained campus offers students all of the services they need in their day-to-day lives and is an easy half-hour train ride from the city center.
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