Barcelona Graduate School of Economics

Students in the BSE Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets Program will obtain relevant knowledge about the central issues in Macroeconomic and Financial Economics analysis, as well as the key tools, data, models, and techniques now being used by public and private institutions.

Financial and consulting firms increasingly utilize complex economic theories. Students will not only learn how to use these modelling and statistical techniques, but will conduct an independent master's project to learn how to apply these new skills to real empirical work. 

ITFD students receive a thorough preparation in theoretical modeling, quantitative and empirical analysis, and handling of large datasets. In September, students take refresher courses in Mathematics and Statistics, and introductory courses in STATA, R, and Matlab. In the first term, they take core courses in Quantitative and Statistical Methods, International Trade and Finance, and Economic Growth and Development. In terms two and three, students choose from a varied set of courses in different fields, ranging from the more applied and policy oriented to PhD level courses.

The ability to extract, handle, and analyse large amounts of data is therefore a key skill on today’s job market.

However, gathering and summarizing data is not enough. Data science can only improve decision making with an understanding of how choices affect outcomes. Data Scientists must therefore increasingly combine standard tools in machine learning with an understanding of the causal relationships behind the data.

The digital revolution brings an explosion of data with significant value for businesses, science, and society. As data becomes larger and more complex, extracting useful quantitative insights becomes more challenging.

The Master's prepares graduates to design and build data-driven systems in the private, public and research sectors. The curriculum guides students from modelling and theory to computational practice and cutting edge tools, teaching skills that are in growing global demand.

After this Master's program, students are fully prepared to start a Phd in Economics at any top university in the United States or Europe, including the PhD program at UPF (organized jointly with BSE). Depending on the background of the student, the student may take a track on theoretical foundations of Economics and strong quantitative analysis, or a combination of this with more applied courses, such as Data Science courses.