Please contact our Admissions Team if you have any questions.
Contact AdmissionsLaunched in 1993 and currently organized jointly by the UPF Department of Economics and Business and BSE, the UPF PhD Program attracts students of exceptional talent and provides a strong foundation, a stimulating environment, and worldwide placement in the most prestigious institutions, research centers, and universities.
The PhD Track Program is Year 1 of the UPF PhD. Upon completion of the PhD Track Program, graduates are awarded the BSE Master's Degree in Economics and Finance and proceed to Year 2 of the PhD (detailed in the schedule below).
Courses in the PhD Track Program are designed and taught by BSE Affiliated Professors at the UPF Department of Economics and Business and the Center for Research on International Economics (CREI), two of Europe's top research groups.
Among them are recipients of ERC Grants and other competitive international funding, authors of publications in top journals, and fellows of the Econometric Society and NBER, to name just a few of their accomplishments. They will be your teachers, your mentors, your thesis supervisors, and down the road, your colleagues.
Because this is a PhD-track program, applicants must:
COURSEWORK IN MACRO, MICRO, AND ECONOMETRICS
The master project is a required component of all BSE Master's programs. Working individually or in groups, students use the tools and knowledge they've acquired during the entire year to explore a topic of their choice. A professor supervises throughout the project.
Examples of master projects from previous cohorts:
After successful completion of Year 1, students are awarded the Master's Degree in Economics and Finance by BSE and Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
COURSEWORK THAT PREPARES STUDENTS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
A variety of specialized elective courses taught by faculty of the UPF Department of Economics and Business and CREI will present students with cutting-edge research, help them find topics for their own research, and put them in contact with potential thesis directors.
Visit the UPF Department of Economics and Business to see a list of MRes courses
The department's broad workshops and seminar series complement the coursework with exposure to the latest research presented by renowned speakers from the best institutions around the world.
Upon successful completion of Year 2, students are awarded the Master of Research in Economics, Finance and Management (MRes) by Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
RESEARCH AND PHD DISSERTATION
Students conduct research under the guidance of the faculty of the UPF Department of Economics and Business and CREI. This stage typically lasts four years, but shorter and longer intervals are not uncommon.
After successful defense of the thesis, students are awarded the PhD in Economics, Finance and Management by Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Both the BSE Master's Degree and the UPF Master of Research have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorities within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).
The UPF PhD has been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorities (in Spanish, “Programa Oficial de Doctorado”).
Quality indicators for the BSE Master's Degree
The teaching faculty for Year 1 are listed below. A full list of UPF Department of Economics and Business faculty members for all 5 years of the PhD program is available on the department website.
21 students from 10 countries (90% international)
Most represented countries this year:
Most common undergraduate backgrounds:
In addition to a track record of strong placements, both the BSE Master's program and the UPF PhD program offer access to a close-knit community of colleagues, mentors, and friends for life.
Past graduates of the UPF PhD program have obtained tenure-track positions in:
United States
Chicago, Duke, NYU, Stanford, UC San Diego
Europe
Bocconi, Bonn, Carlos III, Cemfi, ESADE, IESE, IIES-Stockholm University, LSE, Mannheim, Nova de Lisboa, Oxford, Tilburg, UCL, Warwick, Zurich
Latin America
ESPOL, ITAM, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Universidad de Los Andes
Asia
Singapore Management University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Zhejiang University
Some UPF PhD graduates choose employment with organizations and companies such as:
Central Banks
Banca d’Italia, Bank of England, Federal Reserve Board, Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bundesbank, European Central Bank, etc.
International Organizations
International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank
Economic Consulting Firms
NERA, Deloitte, JP Morgan
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