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Economics and International Financial Economics (MSc)

Find out more about our Economics and International Financial Economics Master's degree at Warwick

P-L1P7

MSc

1 year full-time

21 September 2026

Economics

University of Warwick

Economics and International Financial Economics MSc offers an unbeatable combination of strong core studies and specialist, advanced options. Warwick's Department of Economics, ranked 1st in the UK (The Good University Guide 2025), 2nd in the UK for research excellenceLink opens in a new window (based on the most recent Research Excellence Framework 2021, published in Times Higher Education rankings) and 36th in the world (The QS World University Subject Rankings 2025), offers you a programme examining theoretical and real-world applications of decision science and behavioural economics.

Our exciting MSc in Economics and International Financial Economics is designed to link economic theory and empirical economics with the practice of international finance.

The course will provide you with a thorough grounding in advanced core areas of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, econometrics and research methods, plus the opportunity to specialise in international financial economics, engaging in contemporary theoretical and empirical debates.

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. By the end of the course, you will be able to read and understand research papers and articles in academic journals, build theoretical models, and initiate empirical research and evaluate its findings.

Skills from this degree

• Rigorous advanced training in economic analysis and techniques, which includes opportunities to contribute to current economic research and debates
• Analytical approach to thinking about problems, policies and decision-making in economics and international financial economics
• Research skills; use of library and internet as information sources; locating, extracting, analysing, and presenting material
• Numeracy and quantitative skills; use of mathematics and diagrams, understanding data, statistical analysis
• IT skills; word processing and spreadsheets; specialist econometric or statistical software; internet applications
• Written and oral communication skills

Frequently Asked Questions

View a full list of frequently asked questions from the Department of Economics.Link opens in a new window

You will have a combination of lectures, and small group support and feedback classes. You will also learn through independent study, which will include reading journals and books, completing problem sets and assessments, revising for exams and undertaking research.

In the summer term and summer vacation your independent study time will increase as you complete your research dissertation. Your dissertation work will normally be individually supervised on a one-to-one basis and we have an effective personal tutor system providing individual support.

We encourage one-to-one interaction with our world-leading academics and offer great flexibility in the optional modules that allow you to specialise or diversify your studies.

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 classes with around 15-20 students. Optional modules are usually bi-weekly 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.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platformLink opens in a new window. 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue. 

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Pre-Sessional Mathematics and Statistics

The MSc Economics and International Financial Economics is a quantitative degree and students will need to be competent in several areas of mathematics. You are required to attend pre-sessional course, Introductory Mathematics and Statistics, which will be taught in the two weeks before the University’s main term begins.

The course is designed to ensure that your maths and statistical knowledge and skills are at the standard required for you to succeed on the rest of the MSc course and it consists of both lectures and small group learning. Further information can be found at the following Economics webpageLink opens in a new window.

For MSc students, assessment is through formal examinations, coursework and an individually supervised research dissertation.

Feedback is a vital part of the assessment process, as it helps you to reach your full potential by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your work and the actions needed to develop your understanding and enhance your performance.

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

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) specialising mainly in economics. This means you should have achieved a good standard in undergraduate courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics/economic statistics at an intermediate level.

We also expect a good standard achieved in mathematics taken at undergraduate level.

• Band A
• IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

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 to pursue 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.

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