As competition policy becomes increasingly relevant in public and private sectors, there is a great need for professionals equipped to address Competition Policy and Market Regulation issues.
The highly practical focus of our Competition and Market Regulation Program ensures that graduates have both an advanced understanding of the interaction between theory and practice as well as the qualifications necessary for solid placement in the field.
The Barcelona GSE Competition and Market Regulation Program presents students with a learning progression, starting from the basic necessary conceptual frameworks and economic tools, and then introducing core issues in Competition Policy and Market Regulation with the help of leading specialists in each field.
Students themselves will examine real-world competition policy cases and demonstrate how regulation works across specific industries such as banking, energy, and telecommunications, and will design and conduct an independent master's project in their domain.
Students will have a wealth of opportunities to complement their coursework with conferences and seminars in various fields of specialization. Chief among these is the Regulation and Competition Seminar Series, organized by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Department of Economics and Business, the Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT), and the Barcelona GSE. Seminars feature academics, regulators, and practitioners at the forefront of their fields discussing specific issues and presenting original research. In addition to providing a range of regulatory issue perspectives, seminars also give students the opportunity to network with top professionals in the industry.
Study with the experts
Teaching faculty include industry experts such as Massimo Motta, former Chief Competition Economist at the European Commission. Professor Motta has been involved with the master program since its foundation and brings many years of experience both in the classroom and in the practice of competition policy.
Program schedule:
In September, students have the opportunity to take a Maths and Statistics brush-up course. This is not mandatory but highly recommended to assure a smooth start.
A master project, which will be supervised in regular meetings with an advisor, will allow students to put their knowledge into practice and improve their writing and exposition skills.
Students must complete 60 ECTS (a total of 13 mandatory courses and 1 elective course, to be taken either in the Fall or Spring Term)
The course offer displayed is for next year's edition (2021-22). Course offer is subject to change.
The master project is a required component of all Barcelona GSE Master's programs. Working individually or in groups, students use the tools and knowledge they've acquired during the entire year to explore a topic of their choice. A professor supervises throughout the project.
Examples of master projects from recent Competition and Market Regulation cohorts
Select a project to view a summary on the Barcelona GSE Voice, our student and alumni blog:
Samantha Catalina Guerrero Putz and Josep Peya Ballesteros
Master's degree awarded
Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis awarded jointly with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF).
All Barcelona GSE Master's degrees have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorities within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).
I wanted to go back to basics and become a fully-fledged economist, not a banker. I had the opportunity to see first-hand how a regulation affects the business as usual of the banking sector. That’s when I decided to apply for a Master's in Competition and Market Regulation at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and I moved my life to Barcelona. The masters surpassed all of my expectations. The professors that teach here are world renowned, the lectures are structured in a way that gives us a theoretical and practical approach, and the job market is looking for people that have the skills that graduates from this program have.
It's a very good and well-regarded program. The knowledge acquired is very relevant for everyday competition work so it is worth investing in getting the most out of the courses; it definitely pays off later. The quantitative course was particularly helpful in that it covered techniques that are routinely used in competition cases. The curriculum was broad enough to give an overview of a wide range of competition and regulatory matters but also very practical. I still go back to my notes time to time when working on new issues!
