Master in Economics 90 ECTS

The MA programme in economics provides state of the art training in theoretical and data-based methods for the economic analysis and evaluation of questions related to economic, social and development policies as well as to decisions in firms and households.

The programme permits students to choose a specialisation in one of the options listed below (without obligation).

The MA programme in economics also offers the possibility of obtaining a double degree with one of our partner universities.

In addition, a large number of elective subjects can be taken as a minor, which make it possible to obtain a master with a total of 120 ECTS credits.

Options

"Public Economics and Policy"
The option "Public Economics and Policy" provides students with an advanced background in analysing public decision-making and public policies. It offers courses with a wide range of topics with both a Swiss and an international perspective on tax and fiscal policies, social and economic policies, the economic analysis of politics, etc. This option prepares students to work in international organisations, in the public administration at the federal, cantonal or municipal level, etc. A double degree programme is offered in collaboration with European partner-universities.

"Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility"
The option «Sustainable development and social responsibility» offers a specialization in topical issues, namely the implementation of a sustainable and fair economic model. Thanks to multi-disciplinary courses, students will tackle themes related to the development in the poorest countries, inequality and environment protection. The teaching includes primarily economics, but also philosophy, management, law and environmental sciences. The option therefore offers a complete and original training on the theme of sustainable development with a multiplicity of approaches.

"Quantitative Economics"
The option "Quantitative Economics" focusses on quantitative methods for analysing data sets based on statistics, econometrics, machine learning (artificial intelligence), and network science. The courses discuss the methods’ theoretical properties as well as their practical application to economic questions (e.g. in the fields of public policies, finance, development, and education) using software packages such as R, Stata and Python. The option provides state-of-the-art training in data analytics and empirical economics, which are key domains in a digitised economy.

"Business Economics"
The option "Business Economics" allows students to specialise in microeconomics, at the intersection of economics and management. Students acquire an understanding of strategic decisions of companies from a management perspective, as well as of the strategic interaction of firms in markets from an economic perspective. They learn to analyse the behaviour of organisations, strategic actors within organisations, as well as of the behaviour of consumers. While the management perspective focuses on the objectives of the company, the economic perspective prioritises questions of social welfare and regulation. The option provides an excellent qualification for work with a focus on strategy and analytics in companies, as well as for positions in public institutions with a focus on markets, competition and regulation.

Detailed information can be found here: Brochure German and French

Double Degree

The double degree programme in "Public Economics and Public Finance" is offered together with three European partner universities.Université de Rennes 1, France University of Tampere, Finland Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale.

Students interested in this specialisation are required to submit an application due to space constraints and registration at both universities.  Brochure

  • Admission

    Master's degree programmes are built on the knowledge and abilities that were acquired when obtaining a Bachelor's degree.

    Holders of a Bachlor's degree awarded from a Swiss university can be admitted to a Master's degree programme within the corresponding descipline (requires the acquisition of minimum 60 ECTS credits at Bachelor level in the corresponding discipline) without any additional requirements. The same applies to holders of a Bachelor's degree awarded by a foreign university, provided that the Bachelor's degree is recognised and considered equivalent by the University of Fribourg. According to existing agreements, holders of a Bachelor's degree awarded from a Swiss university of applied sciences can also be admitted with prerequisites or additional requirements. 

  • Duration of Studies

    3-4 semesters

  • Double Degree Programme

    The double degree programme in “Public Economics and Public Finance” is offered together with three European partner universities of the University of Fribourg: Université de Rennes 1, France (http://www.eco.univ-rennes1.fr); University of Tampere, Finland (http://www.uta.fi); Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, Italy (http://www.eppac.eu). This programme focuses on the economics of the public sector and its institutions.

    Students interested in this specialisation are required to submit an application due to space constraints and registration at both universities.

    The programme (3-4 semesters) requires course participation both at the University of Fribourg and at a partner university, where at least one semester is spent, as well as the co-supervision of the Master’s thesis at both universities. Graduates receive two diplomas, one from the home and partner university, respectively. The master degree gives access to doctoral studies in all partner universities.

    In Fribourg, the study plan for the MA specialisation in “Public Economics and Public Finance” requires 50% of ECTS credits to be taken in Public Finance and Public Economics, 25% in Quantitative Methods and 25% in other domains of Economics. The master thesis concerns a topic in “Public Economics” or “Public Finance”.

  • Master Courses Department of Economics

    This list is purely informative and changes are possible at any time.
    Academic Year Autumn 2023 / Spring 2024  
    Academic Year Autumn 2024 / Spring 2025

  • External courses validated in an option

    The list of external courses that can be validated in an Option can be found [here]

  • students4students

    For personal advice and specific questions, please contact students4students@unifr.ch