Development Economics and International Studies (MA)

The “Master of Arts in Development Economics and International Studies” (MA DEIS) is an economics-centered programme designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of students planning to work in or seek leadership responsibilities in public, non-profit, and private sector organizations for international cooperation and development. It is also aimed at students intending to work at the intersection between research and practice and at those pursuing an academic career in study-related subjects.

It is a two-year (four-semester) program and includes rigorous training in analytical as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. In particular, with the increasing availability of micro data (e.g. household- or firm-level data) and the importance of evidence-based policy making, students learn how to do applied empirical work in (development) economics, with a special emphasis on impact evaluations. This includes both experimental methods, such as randomized field experiments, and quasi-experimental methods. The program hence provides students with the skills to understand much of the empirical literature in development economics. Also, and importantly, as part of this training, students will become acquainted with the statistical software Stata, with the aim to enable students to do their own empirical analyses.

Each year, a group of about 20-25 students enrolls in the program with 50%-70% of students coming from abroad. The language of instruction is English.

The Master's degree programme is open to students with a Bachelor's degree in economics or a related field. Applicants should have at least 70 ECTS in economics/management including at least basic knowledge of (a minimum of 5 ECTS each in) microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics/econometrics. It is, however, possible to complete up to 20 ECTS of the qualification requirements during the MA DEIS program. Students admitted to the program will need to earn the missing ECTS during their first year of studies. Missing courses can be completed at FAU.

Please see https://www.madeis.study.fau.eu/how-to-apply/. There are several entry requirements related to the qualified degree, the GPA, and English language skills. Furthermore, students need to submit a letter of application (1-2 pages in length) and provide proof of qualified practical experience in the field of development economics as well as a description of the practical experience written in English by the applicant (description of tasks and responsibilities), one page in length.

The DEIS programme of study has four required core module pairs. These are designed to provide students with rigorous academic training. Each of these module pairs is taught over the course of two consecutive semesters, and they are compulsory for all students:

Research Methods I + II: These modules introduce students to quantitative methods that are used in economics to empirically test theories and to evaluate the impact of policies. Students also learn to work with the statistical software Stata.

Development Economics I + II: These modules give an introduction to the economics of developing countries. A significant part of the modules is devoted to discussing empirical work, such as impact evaluations of programs run by state and non-state actors in developing countries.

International Economics I + II: These modules offer an introduction to the theory and policy of international trade, and introduce students to empirical work in this field.

International Business Ethics I + II: These modules introduce students to the theory and concepts of business ethics as well as to a series of ethical challenges currently facing the corporate world by taking an international and inter-cultural perspective of analysis and problem solving.

Additionally, students in the DEIS programme take at least two regional modules, such as Political Economy of the Middle East, Social Health Protection in South and East Asia, Business and Society in Latin America.

There is a choice of various elective modules offered by the Institute of Economics, which may vary over time. Students may also enroll in graduate-level courses on diverse topics of International Studies at other institutes of the Faculty, such as courses on human rights, as well as in graduate-level courses offered by the School of Business, Economics, and Society in Nuremberg.

Finally, students can take several complementary elective modules that are ungraded. Besides regional and elective modules, students can choose among numerous language courses (e.g. Chinese, Spanish, Swahili) at various levels. Students may also earn up to 10 ECTS for completing an internship related to the programme.

The DEIS programme requires the completion of:

• 4 core module pairs (40 ECTS)
• 2 regional modules (10 ECTS)
• Elective modules (20 ECTS)
• Complementary elective modules (20 ECTS)
• Master’s thesis (30 ECTS)

By completing both parts of a core module pair, students receive 10 ECTS credits. Students are expected to acquire on average 30 ECTS in each semester. Note that there are numerous options for students to spend their third semester abroad at one of our partner universities. We currently have exchange programmes running with universities in China, India, Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea, among others.

For an example curriculum, see https://www.madeis.study.fau.eu/program/.