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MSc Economics and Data Analytics

MSc (NFQ Level 9)
Internships Available

This course is available through the following application route(s)

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Data insights are now a crucial part of the modern economy, influencing decision-making in both industry and government. As a result, the way that businesses, consumers, employees, and interest groups interact and make choices has changed. A new, influential economic sector has emerged, where companies collect large amounts of data and use it to create tools that enhance and simplify people's lives while also generating significant profits through targeted advertisements and subscription services. The MSc in Economics and Data Analytics is a programme designed for those who want to gain the in-demand skills needed to succeed in today's job market.

The programme is a great option for anyone interested in understanding how data can be used to understand the economy and drive business decisions. Learning from top economists and statisticians, in a blended programme with both online and in-person modules in small class sizes, this programme provides hands-on experience through workshops and projects. Plus, there are opportunities to connect with industry professionals and be a part of the school community through research seminars and more.


  • Jointly offered by the UCD School of Economics and the UCD School of  Mathematics and Statistics
  • Combines knowledge of human behaviour and decision-making from economics with the latest data analytics techniques, such as Data Programming, Machine Learning, and Bayesian Analysis.
  • UCD is Ireland's global university: with almost 10,000 international students making up 25% of the student body, and a further 5,000 overseas

For more information, visit our website.

Contact Us:

  • EU Enquiries: economics@ucd.ie
  • Non-EU Enquiries: internationalenquiries@ucd.ie

About This Course

Upon completing the program, students will have a thorough understanding of methods in both economics and data analytics and the ability to apply these methods effectively. The skills gained in this programme make graduates competitive candidates for positions in industries such as tech, finance, and pharmaceuticals, as well as in government and academia.

Knowledge and understanding

  • Understanding the range of methods in data analytics, econometrics, and machine learning that are available to data analysts, along with their key advantages and disadvantages.
  • Understanding economic theories that explain the decisions of people, firms, and governments.

Applying knowledge and understanding

  • Understanding the central aspects of social science research design.
  • Being able to use economic theory to analyse questions in public policy and business.
  • Being able to apply data analytics methods to a broad range of questions in academic and industry contexts.

Making judgments

  • Being able to decide on appropriate analytical technique to answer a particular research question.
  • Being able to evaluate statistical results in social science research as well as government and business reports.
  • Being able to assess the quality of data that are used to answer a research question.

Communication and working skills

  • Being able to motivate a research question and design.
  • Being able to clearly communicate the results from an economic or statistical analysis.
  • Being able to work in teams; this includes working collaboratively on research projects and setting up workflow management (code sharing, version control, replication tools, etc).

Learning skills

  • Have a solid foundation in data analytics and econometrics that allows students to learn new methods in these fields.
  • Have a sufficient grounding in economics research to be able to read and learn about new research in economics.

This programme prepares graduates for a wide range of highly in-demand career paths. Data analytics is at the forefront of the modern economy, and by completing the MSc in Economics and Data Analytics, you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the competitive job market of today and tomorrow. Graduates from related programmes, such as the MSc in Economics and the MSc in Data Analytics, have gone on to successful careers in industries like tech, finance, and consulting. Others have landed positions at public institutions like central banks, ministries, and research institutes, or continued their studies with PhD programs in economics or statistics.

In the summer semester, students have the option of either undertaking thesis research or completing an internship in an approved public or private sector organization.In order to undertake the internship module it should be noted that:




  1. Students are responsible for sourcing their own internships

  2. All internships must be first cleared for use by the module coordinator to ensure they meet the objectives of the programme

  3. All necessary documentation must be completed before the internship commences. This includes a Host Agreement (which must be signed by the host institution and countersigned by both the student and the module coordinator) and a Student Agreement form (to be completed and signed by the student)

  4. Part time students may do an internship, but not in the institution in which they are employed while registered for the MSc



The internship module provides a unique opportunity to put theory into practice, acquire new personal and work-related skills, and enhance employment potential on graduation. The internship is intended to be a new experience for students, allowing them to work on a full time basis in a host institution where they can develop existing and acquire new skills, while applying their economic training to new work related tasks.

Students, in consultation with the module coordinator, will arrange internship positions (paid or voluntary) in fields related to Economics either in Ireland or abroad. The goal is to relate the student's educational and academic experience to the professional needs of the host with whom they are associated.


Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
ECON41820 Econometrics Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ECON41840 Microeconomics Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ECON42550 Macroeconomics Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ECON42620 Maths & Stats Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
STAT40720 Introduction to Data Analytics (Online) Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ECON42300 Research & Career Skills 2 Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
STAT40820 Monte Carlo (online) Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
COMP40725 Introduction to Relational Databases and SQL Programming Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
ECON42700 Advanced Econometrics: Microeconometrics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
ECON42710
Advanced Econometrics: Time Series
Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
ECON42720 Causal Inference & Policy Evaluation Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
GEOG41060 Geostatistics and Programming for GIS Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
POL42050 Quantitative Text Analysis Spring  10
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
STAT30280 Inference for Data Analytics (online) Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
STAT40750 Statistical Machine Learning (online) Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A) Min 5CR:
Data Analytics & Econometrics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules.
STAT40850 Bayesian Analysis (online) Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON41620 Advanced Macroeconomics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON41810 Advanced Microeconomics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42190 Health and Welfare Economics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42360 Energy Economics and Policy Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42570 Behavioural E'mics:Policy App Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42610 Aviation Economics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42630 Decision Theory Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42730 Global Economic History Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42740 The Economics of Banking & Financial Stability Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 5CR:
Economics: Students must select a MINIMUM of 1 of these modules
ECON42750 Evaluation Methods for Health Economics Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students must select one module.
ECON40090 Thesis Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students must select one module.
ECON42200 Economics Internship Summer  30
Stage 1 Options - D)1 of:
Students MUST select one of the following modules
STAT30340 Data Programming with R Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - D)1 of:
Students MUST select one of the following modules
STAT40730 Data Programming with R (Online) Autumn  5

Dr Ben Elsner,  UCD School of Economics, Director of the MSc in Economics and Data Analytics: " I am very excited about the launch of the MSc in Economics and Data Analytics. For over 15 years, the UCD School of Economics has been running a thriving masters programme. Our graduates receive a rigorous training in economic theory and quantitative analysis, which lays the foundation for many successful career paths. The new MSc in Economics and Data Analytics, jointly offered with the UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, builds upon this foundation and offers a highly attractive skill set to its graduates. In today's data-driven world, many careers require a thorough understanding of data analytics combined with the analytical mindset from economic theory. The programme offers exactly this combination and strikes a balance between theory and applications.

Our expert faculty members will provide students with the skills they need to succeed in today's competitive job market, while the location of Dublin as one of the world's major tech hubs means our graduates will have access to a wide range of exciting career opportunities."

 

Dr Michael Salter-Townshend, UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, Director of the MSc in Data Analytics​: "Since 2015 we have developed a strong and successful postgraduate programme in Data Analytics. We show our students how to use cutting edge methods to perform key data-driven tasks, from processing and visualising data all the way up to fitting and critiquing complex statistical models. But we make sure to build solid foundations on the theory, so that our students can not only use what they learn but also adapt the methods to novel situations. 

We've already seen many great students coming from a background or interest in economics, but now I'm really excited to see the combination of Economics with Data Analytics offered for the first time in this new programme. This will allow students who are keen to focus on economics applications to pursue masters level competency in Data Analytics at the same time. They will leave with high level skills in data programming, machine learning, inference, and more (depending on the options they choose) along with experience in applying these methods to economics problems. 

Our Data Analytics modules complement the economic theory modules and the combination will create a new breed of expert who is both a proficient coder and data analyst, as well as being savvy in economics. This is sure to be a highly prized skillset. "

MSc Economics and Data Analytics (W564) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 12500
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

MSc Economics and Data Analytics (W565) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 7690
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

 

A NFQ Level 8 primary degree with at least an upper second class honours or international equivalent in Economics or in a degree in which Economics is a major component.
An upper second class honours in a Higher Diploma in Economics or in the MSc Qualifier.
Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.
Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the  English language requirements, may enter the programme upon  successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No


 



We also consider applicants with a minimum of upper second class honours in a cognate area with a strong quantitative component (e.g. business, finance, engineering, ...)



 


General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to MSc Economics and Data Analytics:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W564
MSc Economics and Data Analytics
Master of Science
Full-Time
Commencing 2024/2025 September
Graduate Taught Apply
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt W565
MSc Economics and Data Analytics
Master of Science
Part-Time
Commencing 2024/2025 September
Graduate Taught Apply
* you can change options at the top of the page