Introduction

The Double Degree Program offered by the MSc in Economics and Development of the University of Florence and the MSc in Development Economics of the University of Göttingen (Germany) is a high-quality two-year programme specialising in development economics which allows students to earn both master degrees. Students with home university Florence spend the first academic year at the University of Florence and the second academic year at the University of Göttingen (history of UniGöttingen, its Faculty of Business and Economics, its faculty profiles).

The University – © University of Goettingen

 

Structure of the program and educational objectives

The program focuses on quantitative analysis of developing economies. By providing students with advanced quantitative methods and skills, it is designed to equip graduates with cutting-edge research techniques, develop in-depth knowledge of the driving forces behind economic development, to prepare them to think analytically and to evaluate and formulate global and sectorial economic policies. Key competences provided to students include the capacity to conduct both theoretical and applied research in the fields of economic development, poverty analysis and international cooperation and integration. Furthermore, students acquire the ability to develop and manage complex cooperation programs within national and international organizations, including Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and private sector companies with an interests in developing countries.

At the University of Florence, the programme starts in September and students take both mandatory and specialization courses of the curriculum Development Economics of the MSc in Economics and Development. Shortly before the beginning of the second semester, up to 5 first-year students of the curriculum Development Economics are selected to spend their entire second year at the University of Göttingen, attending courses, taking exams, and writing a master's thesis at the MSc in Development Economics, according to the latter's regulations. These activities count towards earning the degree in Economics and Development from the University of Florence.

The program will provide a sound background in economics and quantitative methods, and will also give students a multidisciplinary approach. .At the end of the program, graduates will be able to:

-       collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data from local, national, and international data sets;

-       understand micro and macro phenomena from an economic point of view;

-       use theoretical and applied (including econometric) tools to analyse economic systems;

-       evaluate and formulate economic policies.

 

The program requires the student to earn 120 credits, according to the regulations described below.

• Students with home university Florence, please click here. The syllabus of each course of the MSc in Development Economics of the University of Göttingen is available here.
• Students with home university Göttingen, please click here. The syllabus of each course of the MSc in Economics and Development of the University of Florence is available here, after clicking on the course's instructor's name.

 

Career perspectives

The job opportunities for graduates from this program include employment in government and aid agencies working on development issues, international organizations, policy research institutions, international business in multinational companies, and enrolment in a PhD programme.

 

Admission requirements, selection criteria

Students applying to enter the Double Degree Program will be selected by their home institution according to the following criteria, jointly defined and agreed upon by the University of Florence and the University of Göttingen.

Applicants with home university Florence need to

• be first-year students of the curriculum Development Economics;
• hold a 3-year Bachelor degree (180 ECTS), of which at least 60 credits (ECTS) in economics/ mathematics/ statistics/ econometrics/ agricultural economics/ economic geography/ economic history plus at least 12 credits (ECTS) in mathematics/ statistics/ econometrics;
• have a certified proficient English language knowledge at level at least C1 of the Common European Framework, unless the applicants's native language is English.

Selection criteria for applicants with home university Florence:

• Final grade of the Bachelor degree;
• Motivation letter;
• Average grade at the exams of the courses Development Microeconomics, Statistical Inference of the MSc in Economics and Development;
• If two or more applicants have the same rank, then certified knowledge of the German language and the weighted average of the grades at the other exams of the first semester of the first year of the MSc Economics and Development are considered.

 

Tuition fees, financial support

Students entering the Double Degree pay tuition fees only at Unifi for both years, and receive from Unifi an Erasmus+ scholarship. Please find here information (in Italian) about of the scholarship.

 

Applications for a.y. 2024-25 and program presentation

For academic year 2024-25, the call for applications will appear in this website in January 2025 and will remain open until February 22, 2025, that is after the end of the Winter Exam Session (for the a.y. 2023-24, the call and the application form are available here, here and here).

Please find here the slides of a presentation of this program given on Oct. 18, 2024, by professor Grazzini.