MRes Economics

at University of Essex

At Essex we push the frontiers of accepted wisdom, critically examining the decisions of individuals, the strategies of firms, and the policies of governments to understand and challenge the standard paradigms of economics. Our popular Masters in Research course (MRes) provides you with a stimulating route into PhD studies, and develops the expert research mind-set required for a high-profile job in finance or business, if you want to work in the private sector after your degree.

The MRes course is designed for you to master research methods and tools, and to acquire a solid foundation to pursue a more research focused career. MRes students are expected to commit full time to their studies and with a high level of independence to start developing a research mindset. You learn through a combination of lectures, classes and independent work which allow you to appreciate and understand the deeper connections between topics. This includes making connections during classes and lectures and also independently. You also gain a deepened understanding of how to apply techniques to new problems and see beyond the surface to identify when concepts and tools from one area could be applied to another. Due to this style of learning you develop the ability to tackle economic problems with a unified approach and identify a suitable research topic for your dissertation.

You receive lectures, classes and advanced training in the two-term sequence of microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. You have the opportunity to attend specialized classes which aim at developing a research mindset and a deeper understanding of the subjects; whilst also learning complementary tools and techniques independently. So a willingness to work with mathematical and statistical concepts, and understand rigorous mathematical reasoning, is vital.

You are strongly encouraged to work in groups, to discuss and challenge themselves beyond the material learnt from lectures or classes. Specially designed sets of exercises will help you in achieving these goals. During the MRes course you explore a variety of topics including:

• The competitive economy and imperfections in markets
• General equilibrium theory and Public Choice
• Key paradigms of macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy
• Econometric methods and mathematical methods
• Strategic behaviour and bargaining

We are 4th in UK for research power in economics and econometrics (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Much of this world-class research is related to policy, and we have particular strengths in many areas of economics.