Why do people make the choices they do? How can behavioural insights improve public policy, business strategy and financial decision-making? Our MSc combines behavioural economics with cognitive science and the study of judgment and decision-making. Designed for students with an Economics degree, the course develops your theoretical knowledge and research skills, preparing you for a position in industry, policy, finance or further academic study. A science track variant is offered by the Department of Psychology.
Keep an open mind because postgraduate economics, particularly if it's applied or interdisciplinary, forces you to question presumptions and think creatively.
Palak Sharma
MSc Behavioural and Economic Science (Economics Track)
Modules
Our modules are designed to build strong theoretical foundations while applying behavioural economics and the science behind decision-making to real-world problems and cover:
Behavioural economics: develop core and advanced skills to understand how psychological factors affect economic decisions
Cognitive science: interdisciplinary study of how the mind works
Theoretical knowledge: explore key models and results in behavioural economics
Data and modelling: analyse large scale datasets and test economic models
Project: the opportunity to investigate and carry out novel research in the area of economic psychology and experimental economics.
Core economics: develop advanced knowledge of microeconomics, econometrics and quantitative methods
You will be automatically enrolled on a pre-sessional Mathematics and Statistics programme to equip you with the relevant methodological skills you to succeed in this degree.
Pathways
To give you an opportunity to choose the most appropriate modules based on your professional needs and your individual career aspirations we offer two pathways:
Pathway A – for those interested in building a strong foundation in core areas of economics and applying their economics knowledge and skills in a wide variety of economics careers.
Pathway B – for those planning to pursue MRes-PhD study in the future or aiming for careers that require more advanced technical skills in economics and/or econometrics.
The main difference between the two variants is about the level of technicality you are interested in, your background and your future career plans. For example, if we consider the choice between Econometrics A and Econometrics B, if you have studied intermediate econometrics before and are considering pursuing a PhD after your MSc, we recommend choosing the B version. If your background in econometrics is more limited, or if you are more interested in applying the tools rather than understanding technical details, the A version seems more suitable.
Note that information found by following the links to the module catalogue is subject to change for future years of study, as we evolve our courses in response to the latest developments in academia and industry.
Teaching and learning
Expert teaching from leading academics in their field will equip you to take quantitative analysis into your future career or further research. Our teachers use a variety of seminars, lectures, and workshops to develop economists’ core skills and introduce cutting edge ideas.
Analytical training: By the end of the course, you will understand how to apply quantitative economic models to solve a range of public policy, business, financial and regulatory problems. You will be able to apply modern quantitative techniques to a variety of data sets to develop your own research and critically engage with professional and academic economists in your field.
Research Skills:You will have the opportunity to investigate and carry out novel research in economic psychology and experimental economics.
Specialist software: We teach using a range of packages to support quantitative analysis, including R, Stata, and in certain modules Python and Matlab, ensuring you will have the skills to make analytical contributions wherever you take your MSc.
Professional communication: develop written, presentation and data interpretation skills across a variety of assessments
Your lecture size will naturally vary, especially for the optional modules, but also for core lectures.
On taught core modules you will typically have weekly or fortnightly classes with around 18-25 students. Optional modules are usually fortnightly, but this will vary on modules taken outside of the department.
An average of 8-10 hours of lectures and 3 hours of classes per week.
Assessment is through formal examinations and coursework, including a mixture of worksheets, essays, research reports, modelling and data analysis, class tests, exams, presentations and a research project.
Feedback is provided in a variety of ways, including:
Grades and comments on marked work
Solutions to problem sets
Verbal feedback from tutors and peers in classes
Advice and Feedback hours with academic staff
Entry requirements
2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) specialising mainly in economics. This means you should have achieved a good standard in undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics/economic statistics at an intermediate level, and a strong performance in the mathematics taken as part of their undergraduate studies.
IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0
Please adjust your country as required:
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.
We typically ask for one academic reference for taught courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and assessment and some student amenities.
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue, where module-related costs are detailed. Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2026/27 year of study).
Information about module specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
Core text books
Printer credits
Dissertation binding
Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Dissertations and Assignments are only submitted digitally. However, students may wish to print and bind their dissertation for their own purposes. Students on some courses will have a final poster presentation as part of their project and the printing of posters may be at the students’ expense.
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Join us to understand the complexities of global economies through rigorous, research-led learning. Be part of a curious, collaborative community as you develop advanced analytical skills - engaging with economists whose work influences policy, industry and global debate.
Ranked 25th globally in the QS Subject Rankings for Economics and Econometrics 2026 - and 1st for Economics in the UK in the Good University Guide 2025 and 2nd in the Complete University Guide 2027– we’re acclaimed for cutting-edge research and strong partnerships with academia, policy makers and employers.
You’ll have access to dedicated facilities, including a common room and study spaces for MSc students where students can work independently, collaborate on group projects, meet with staff, or simply relax. Based in the Social Sciences Building at the centre of campus, the department is close to the Library, Warwick Arts Centre and the main lecture theatres of Ramphal, Oculus and FAB buildings - placing you at the heart of Warwick’s vibrant academic community and close to a range of study and learning spaces.
Careers
Our degrees equip you with the skills and experiences needed to excel in your career. With access to exceptional career services, industry connections, our alumni mentoring scheme and global opportunities, we’ll inspire and help you to aim high and achieve your goals. Our guidance ensures you graduate as a well-rounded professional ready for lifelong success.
The most recent MSc graduates from the Department of Economics (2023/24 and 2024/25 cohort of students) have gone on to work for employers such as:
Bank of England
Central Bank of Egypt
Agricultural Bank of China
Bank of Indonesia
Accenture
Grant Thornton UK LLP
Indian Statistical Institute
CRISIL Limited
ITC Limited
Land Transport Authority, Singapore
London Economics
Huawei
Frontier Economics
NHS England
Ministry of Justice, UK
Ministry of Finance, Belize
Ministry of Finance, Thailand
Government of Japan
They have pursued occupations such as:
Consultants, business and workforce analysts
Research Assistants and Analysts
Actuaries, budget analysts, financial analysts, economists, senior economists and statisticians
Corporate finance roles
Economic and data analysts
Information technology professionals
Management consultants and business analysts
Derived from the annual data collection by the Department of Economics with the latest conducted in September 2024 and September 2025.
Each year, several graduates of MSc programmes from the Department of Economics pursue a PhD. The most recent destinations for studying a PhD for our students include: the LSE, Warwick, University of Chicago, University College London and various universities in China and India.
Your career path is unique to you. Our university careers team offer personalised support to help you develop your skills, plan your career path, and get experience at any point during your time at Warwick, and after graduation.
Our Department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant and an Academic Careers Coordinator (MSc programmes). They offer impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
Careers in Economics Webinar Series with speakers from our Economics Alumni community
A visit to the Bank of England for a day of hands-on learning about economic analysis and policy
Careers in Economics, Finance and Consultancies Fair with key employers held annually in October
Investment Banking Uncovered
Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
Mock Assessment Centre workshops
Manage Your Digital Identity and Use LinkedIn Effectively
While this course does not offer a formal work placement, postgraduate taught students at Warwick can self-source internships and work experience to complete alongside their studies, subject to visa conditions and the 20‑hour weekly limit for full‑time students.
Opportunities can vary in length and location, including in the UK, online and internationally. Postgraduate students find that shorter, remote and/or flexible opportunities work best around their studies, often seeking opportunities over the summer when teaching decreases and the focus moves to final dissertations and projects - although this can vary depending on the nature of the course and personal preference.
Support available:
The Internships, Placements and Work Experience team provide workshops to help you to source and prepare for work opportunities, and organise peer-to-peer support so you can hear about other students’ placement experiences.
The WorkReady Toolkit guides you through the whole process, from sourcing to completing work placements.
Our Work Experience Bursary can help you cover costs if undertaking unpaid work experience.
Part-time work allows you to gain experience and additional financial support, with opportunities advertised on Warwick’s careers portal, myAdvantage and Unitemps.
Warwick students worked 286,295 paid hours via Unitemps in 25/26.
Access short-term international study, work or volunteering abroad experiences, without extending the length of your studies (duration is typically between 3 days and 12 weeks), with opportunity to apply for funding.
Students can apply to TeamWork, a four-week part-time online international experience programme, helping them to gain work experience and improve their employability skills.
Volunteer for projects which support the local community through the award-winning Warwick Volunteers.
Getting involved in societies and sports teams, especially on exec teams.
In 25/26 our jobs portal advertised 1577 12-month placements, work experience opportunities, vacation employment and volunteering from 564 employers.
Whilst there is lots of support available at the University to help, students themselves are responsible for finding and securing a suitable internship or work experience. You will also be responsible for ensuring opportunities meet visa requirements, do not exceed the universities advised 20 hours per week for full-time students and for balancing extra-curricular activity with your studies.
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Life at Warwick
This is where your journey begins. Our campus is the heart of it all. It’s more than just a campus - it's the places you visit, the people you meet, the fun that you have; the experiences you have here will be transformative.
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities.
Our campus is where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and cafés, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes’ walk from central campus.
Follow our students around campus on our social channels to see their experiences first-hand.
Teaching facilities
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs. You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas
Different study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces, computers, printing and scanning facilities, multimedia resources and more
Supporting you
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Whether you live on campus or off campus, in private accommodation in the well-serviced local area, you’ll be part of a community to get the most from your experience at Warwick.
Societies and sports play a huge part in community life at Warwick. With over 300 to choose from, getting involved is one of the easiest ways to make friends and share in experiences. Whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it’s where you discover who you could become.
68th
Warwick is ranked 68th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
Applications for courses starting in September and October 2027 are now open.
The on-time deadline for taught postgraduate courses starting in September/October 2027 is 2 August 2027.
We will still accept late applications, however cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in time to complete the admissions process if received in September or there are a number of conditions to meet.
If applying late please include your degree certificates and transcripts, English proficiency evidence (if needed) and ensure referees can submit references promptly to allow time for CAS and visa processing (if applicable).
The department operates five admissions rounds for MSc applicants as follows:
This information is applicable for 2027 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
Explore your future university further at an upcoming event, online or in-person. Can't join? Receive regular email updates or ask current students and staff questions about life at Warwick.
