Master of Science in Quantitative Economics

The Master's programme in Quantitative Economics at Kiel University provides students with a comprehensive, rigorous, and critical understanding of theoretical and applied economics, statistics, and econometrics. The primary objective of the programme is to enable graduates to understand, discuss, and interpret key concepts and methods in economic and econometric sciences. Students learn to apply advanced quantitative techniques, including methods of statistical learning and artificial intelligence, to analyse complex economic problems using both traditional cross-sectional and time series data, as well as large-scale and unstructured datasets. Emphasis is placed on developing the ability to independently design and implement innovative solutions based on sound analytical reasoning. Graduates of the programme are proficient in applying advanced quantitative methods and conducting empirical investigations using diverse and high-dimensional data. They also develop a critical understanding of the scientific concepts and methods they employ, preparing them for careers in academia, policy institutions, and data-intensive industries. The Master's programme is organised in five parts: Compulsory Section in Economics (24 ECTS) Compulsory Section in Statistics and Econometrics (36 ECTS) Compulsory Elective Section in Economics (12 ECTS) Compulsory Elective Section in Applied Empirical Methods (18 ECTS) Master's thesis (30 ECTS) During the first three semesters, the core courses in economics, econometrics and statistics are obligatory. The core economic courses are Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics and Economic Dynamics. The core econometrics courses are Econometric Methods, Time Series Econometrics and Bayesian Econometrics. The core statistic courses are Probability Calculus, Inferential Statistics and Nonparametric Statistics. The second and third semesters offer specialisation courses in Economics and Applied Empirical Methods. In Economics, students can choose from the modules Applied Microeconomics, Macroeconomics & Growth, Financial Economics, International Economics, Spatial Economics, Public Economics and Environmental & Resource Economics. Quantitative specialisation courses to choose from include Panel Econometrics, Macroeconometrics, Multivariate Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Microeconometrics, Univariate Time Series Analysis, Multivariate Methods, Data Mining, Statistical Computing, Applied Business Cycle Analysis and Forecasting, Labour Econometrics, Spatial Econometrics, Econometrics for Financial Markets, Statistics for Financial Markets, Advanced Time Series Analysis and Portfolio Analysis. The fourth semester is reserved for completion of the Master's thesis. Documents: Examination regulations (Fachprüfungsordnung, English) (pdf) Fachprüfungsordnung (German) (pdf) Modules and course descriptions (Module Handbook) (pdf) A wide range of specialised courses offered on a regular basis gives students an insight into many areas of economic research arising through cooperation with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Study plan: