Economics

An MSc in economics/finance or a related quantitative subject, with Distinction or a good pass.

Applicants should also submit a research proposal which is in line with the research interests of our academic staff in this area.

Qualities such as good time management and the ability to cope under pressure are vital.

A strong background in quantitative methods is required.

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

• Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
• Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant requirements by country.

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their programme. Tuition fees for students continuing on their programme in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

Named in memory of Birkbeck’s former President, and one of the greatest historians of the twentieth century, the Eric Hobsbawm Postgraduate Scholarship fund offers financial assistance for research expenses (including travel, accommodation, conference fees and particular training needs) to doctoral students in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, subject to availability.

The School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy attracts funding for studentships that ensure researchers ofthe highest standard can pursue their research with us. Find out more about research funding opportunities at Birkbeck.

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.

New full-time MPhil/PhD students are required to attend a series of lectures and research workshops, covering topics that are at the cutting edge of recent developments in economic theory and methodology. You also select option classes from the MSc Economics, MSc Financial Economics or MSc Finance at Birkbeck or UCL. After completing coursework, you proceed to write a PhD dissertation.

Coursework is not normally compulsory for part-time MPhil/PhD students. However, if deficiencies in previous training are identified, you may be required to undertake suitable coursework.

Read more about our vibrant research culture.

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.

2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or search our Experts’ Database or browse our staff pages for more in-depth information. 

3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.) Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research.

4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding. Find out more about writing a research proposal.

5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe. 

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND INTERVIEWS

Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section.

A crucial factor when applying for postgraduate study in economics is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff:

• Professor Yunus Aksoy, BA, PhD: monetary economics; international macroeconomics.
• Alastair Ball, PhD: health and labour economics.
• Brad Baxter, MA, PhD: approximation theory; numerical analysis; mathematical finance; theory and algorithms of radial basis functions.
• Walter Beckert, MSc, PhD: theoretical and applied econometrics; theoretical and empirical industrial organisation.
• Arupratan Daripa, BA, MA, PhD: auction theory; mechanism design; applications to financial markets; bank regulation and informal credit design.
• Professor Hélyette Geman, MSc, PhD: derivatives; commodities; hedge funds management; complex and exotic options; interest rates and stock price modelling.
• Pedro Gomes, PhD: macroeconomics of fiscal policy; macroeconomics of labour markets; public sector employment; macroeconomics and finance and sovereign ratings.
• Kenjiro Hori, MA, PhD: search theory; labour economics; contract theory; microeconomics.
• Professor Sandeep Kapur, BA, PhD: financial intermediation; applied economic theory.
• Professor Zacharias Psaradakis, BA, MA, PhD: econometrics; time series analysis.
• David Schroeder, BSc, MSc, PhD: asset pricing; empirical finance; decision theory; stochastic finance.
• Emanuela Sciubba, MPhil, PhD: economic theory and finance; learning and evolution in financial markets; network formation models.
• Professor Anne Sibert, BA, MSc, PhD: open economy macroeconomics; international finance; monetary economics; political economy.
• Professor Ron Smith, BA, PhD: defence economics; econometrics; industrial economics; political economy.
• Roald Versteeg, BSc, MSc, PhD: capital controls; international macroeconomics.
• Professor Stephen Wright, MA: macroeconomics; finance.