Introduction
We face complex tasks when designing a policy that is effective, and also when assessing its impact. How do we define and measure welfare? And how do we design more effective policies? This specialisation starts with mainstream economic theory and incorporates a variety of perspectives from psychology, sociology, public choice, political economy, culture, and philosophy. By introducing behavioural insights into complex policy questions, we prepare you to understand and design successful policies in your future career as a policymaker, manager, analyst or consultant, in public or private organisations.
This specialisation deals with a broad spectrum of policy issues, ranging from innovation policy, voter and consumer behaviour, to issues such as policy for gender equality or happiness. Our programme develops skills needed for data-driven and behaviour-proof economic policy, embedded strongly both in theory and practice. You will learn the methods and tools needed to design and evaluate policies that will make a difference in people’s lives. You will gain a strong background in both mainstream and heterodox (i.e. non-mainstream) economic theories, augmented by behavioural insights. In this way, your perspective on economic policy, and how to make it more effective, will be expanded by knowledge from disciplines that include psychology, public choice, and sociology. This specialisation combines learning with research: your lecturers are researchers who incorporate the latest findings into their teaching. As a student, using behavioural insights, you will carry out research, analyze, design and debate economic policy.
Facts and figures
Degree: MSc in Economics
Faculty: Nijmegen School of Management
Croho code: 66401
Duration: 1 year (60 EC), full time
Start month: September
Language: English
Enrolled students: 120-150 per year
Contact hours: 5-10 hours per week
Master's specialisation Economics, Behaviour, and Policy: something for you?
Learn to make smarter, more effective policy, based on behavioural economics, sociology, public choice, and psychology.
Work on current economic policy issues.
Instead of focusing on a single domain, you study a broad spectrum of policy issues.
Interact with your professors in small seminar groups.
Specialisations
Economics, Behaviour, and Policy is a specialisation of the Master’s programme in Economics. The other specialisations are:
Accounting and Control
Corporate Finance and Control
Financial Economics
International Business
International Economics and Development
International Political Economy
Master's programme in Economics in 3 minutes
Admission and application
Admission and Application for students with a Dutch degree
Bachelor’s degree
Your admission to this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed:
Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Economics from Radboud University
Or Bachelor’s degree in a similar (or related) field from another Dutch or international university. Your degree must be equivalent to a Dutch Research University diploma.
Do you not meet the admission requirements?
Did you complete a Bachelor’s degree in a different field from a university or a university of applied sciences? You may still be eligible for admission to a pre-Master’s programme. A pre-Master’s degree allows you to progress to the Master’s programme and related specialisations.
Admission and application for students with an international degree
Bachelor’s degree
Your admission to this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed:
A Bachelor’s degree in a similar (or related) field from another research university with a fair number of courses in your preferred specialisation. Your degree must be equivalent to a Dutch Research University diploma.
If you have a Dutch previous education, you can find the admission requirements and the application procedure here.
Proficiency in English
You must also be fluent in both written and spoken English. This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets one of the following conditions:
Has successfully completed a three-year Bachelor's programme at a Dutch university.
Is a citizen of Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, or the United States of America.
Has successfully completed a Bachelor's programme that was taught completely in the English language in one of the following countries: EU/EEA-countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States of America.
Has successfully completed a Master's programme from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO).
All other students need one of the following certificates (All certificates may not be older than two years).
A TOEFL score of ≥90, with subscores not lower than 18
An IELTS score of ≥6.5, with subscores not lower than 6.0
Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher
Do you not meet the admission requirements?
Did you complete a Bachelor’s degree in a different field from a university or a university of applied sciences? Or do you not meet one or more of the admission requirements? You may still be eligible for admission to a Pre-Master’s programme. A Pre-Master’s degree allows you to progress to the Master’s programme and related specialisations.
Students with a partially Dutch degree
Please send a detailed email to the Admissions Office, stating clearly which diplomas you have achieved and in which country you have achieved them. We will then advise you which procedure to follow in your specific situation.
Deadlines
Do you have a Dutch previous education?
If you completed an academic Bachelor’s degree in Economics (followed at another university) or a related discipline you have to request admission. Please make sure that this request will be sent in before 15 July. The Examining Board will decide whether you are admissible to the Master’s or pre-Master’s programme.
With a completed Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Economics, followed at the Radboud University, you are directly admitted to the Master's programme. The deadline for the completion of your registration is 31 August.
Do you have an international degree?
Other deadlines apply for applicants who have completed a degree outside of the Netherlands.
International degree
Other deadlines apply for applicants who completed a degree outside of the Netherlands.
Non-EU/EEA* applicants with scholarship
Non-EU/EEA applicants who wish to be considered for a scholarship must submit a complete application before 1 March for the September intake.
Non-EU/EEA applicants without scholarship
All other non-EU/EEA applicants must submit a complete application before 1 April. This is the final deadline and includes the Pre-arrival Services which consists of assistance with accommodation and visa support.
EU/EEA applicants
EU/EEA* applicants must submit a complete application before 1 May for the September intake to receive assistance with an accommodation. Radboud University will still consider EU/EEA applications until 1 July, but may not be able to offer assistance with an accommodation.
Applicants will receive an admissions decision approximately 3 to 4 weeks after they have completed their application in the online application system OSIRIS Application.
Enrolment deadlines
September intake:
1 June – Non-EU/EEA applicants
15 August – EU/EEA applicants
*EU/EEA countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands (including the Dutch Caribbean), Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden or the United Kingdom.
Career prospects
In this programme, you will learn to make smarter, more effective policy, based on behavioural economics and psychology. The recent rise of Behavioural Insights Teams across Europe and the world has resulted in a demand for the skills offered in our programme. We will provide you with a toolbox filled with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle a whole array of economic problems, ranging from the role of consumers in a complex economy, through policy impacting the decisions of firms, to analysis of the government’s role in economic policy.
Our graduates devise behaviour-informed policies and learn to analyze critically which solutions are most likely to work in a specific economic and social context. They regularly find employment in government as well as business. Your career prospects are broad. Our graduates are active as policymakers for government and semi-government organisations, in ministries, national banks, NGOs, think tanks, the UN and the EU, as well as national and international labour organisations, or work as consultants in the industry.
Labour market information in the Netherlands Studiekeuze123*
From the graduates of the Master’s programme in Economics, 84% found a job within their field. The gross starting salary based on 37 hours a week is €2,550. (Source: www.studiekeuze123.nl)
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