Behavioural and Economic Science (Economics Track) (MSc)

This course emphasises both theoretical foundations and real-world application in core and advanced areas of behavioural economics, and the cognitive science of judgement and decision making. It is for you if you intend to work in a business environment (e.g. consumer-led industries and the financial sector), and if you are concerned with public policy and its implementation.

It also provides an excellent foundation if you are intending to undertake further postgraduate research. A 20,000-word written project report provides an opportunity to explore your own interests across these fields of study.

You will be automatically enrolled on a pre-sessional Mathematics and Statistics programme to equip you with the relevant methodological skills you need to succeed on the course.

Skills from this degree

• Gain a deeper understanding of how and why people make the choices they do.
• Understand how influencing such choices is important across a variety of domains, from public policy (e.g. encouraging people to save for pensions), through to industry (e.g. how to place a new product in the market), and individual behaviour (e.g. why people drink and eat too much).
• Develop a theoretical understanding of key models and results in behavioural economics and judgement and decision making.
• Ability to design, conduct and analyse behavioural experiments.
• Implement models of choice.
• Access and analyse large-scale datasets.
• Initiate economic enquiry and test economic models.
• Numeracy and quantitative skills: use of mathematics and diagrams, understanding data, statistical analysis.
• Use of IT including word processing and spreadsheet packages; specialist econometric, statistical, and other software; the internet.
• Written and oral communication skills.