Student profile

For the MEcon you should have a great interest in topics with social and political relevance.

The flexibility of the MEcon curriculum allows you to organise your degree course to suit your talents and interests. You can focus already on specific career paths or choose an optional specialisation. MEcon graduates enjoy many different career opportunities in economics, politics and research.

You will be well equipped for a successful MEcon degree course if you have:

Interest in economic issues
Economics deals with issues such as economic growth, the economic situation, unemployment, social security, inflation, the strategic behaviour of corporations and governments, as well as problems of globalisation, ageing, climate change and the current financial crisis. Besides economics, there is also the possibility of focusing on management, industrial economics, finance and capital markets. If you want to study economics successfully, then you should be interested in current affairs.

Economic concepts: an enjoyable challenge
The course provides universally usable approaches of economics in which rational behaviour, optimisation under secondary conditions and methods used for empirical analyses play a central part. You will learn how to develop models to analyse and empirically validate economic interconnections and influence factors and to draw conclusions and derive recommendations for economic policy. One important prerequisite for studying economics is therefore an analytical, linked-up and strategic intellectual capacity.

Readiness for the pragmatic use of mathematical and statistical methods
The MEcon has an application-oriented structure. Formal subjects such as mathematics and statistics constitute the basis for well-founded scientific analyses. The methods required for this are directly applied to current problems or examples from economic policy, society and management. You should therefore have a pronounced interest in current problems and be ready to analyse and understand them on the basis of scientific methods.

Fast-track Ph.D.
If you attain the necessary grade average and fulfil other requirements, the programme will provide you with access to the Ph.D. Programme in Economics and Finance (PEF). You will already be able to earn credits for the PEF during the Master’s programme and thus complete your doctoral studies in fast-track mode.

Stefan Legge, former MEcon student

«I made a conscious decision to opt for the subject of Economics and for the University of St.Gallen. I chose this major because I am very interested in economic issues such as unemployment, the fight against poverty and globalisation. The MEcon Master’s programme offered me the most freedom of choice internationally. One great advantage of the MEcon is that for the most part I can select my subjects myself and so set my own particular focus. I also appreciate the practice-oriented teaching which is of a very high quality.»

A broad interest in socially relevant issues is a requirement depending on your Area of Specialisation. If you are interested in an academic career, an in-depth study of statistical methods is recommended.

Possible opportunities for additional qualifications which you could choose:

• Business education
• Business journalism

If you are uncertain whether the course is appropriate for your interests and abilities please contact us Programme administration. We would be happy to give you more detailed advice.