Master Social Economics
Understanding the economics of human behaviour
Are you interested in social issues, such as education, work, crime, health, housing and family? Do you want to understand people’s daily decisions from an economic point of view? If you want to shape the future policies of firms and organisations that aim to improve our society, look no further.
Why should you choose Social Economics?
Economics is everywhere. Social Economics addresses the economics of daily life, meaning all the economics that you will not find in the financial pages of your newspaper. This includes everything from the performance of schools, labour participation in an aging population, fraud in firms, marriage and divorce, the obesity epidemic and even traffic jams. Inspired by real, everyday life, such social questions are analysed from a theoretical and empirical perspective, providing insights that can be translated into sound practical economic policies. The Social Economics specialisation provides you with theoretical and empirical knowledge to carry out economic analyses of how personality and economic forces shape human behaviour.
The researchers at our University involved in this specialisation have an international reputation in labour and education economics and have performed substantial research into the relationship between psychology and economics. The institute has close relationships with other research centres, various government organisations and consulting and lobbying firms worldwide, as well as organisations involved in education and labour policy making. This will help you both in writing your thesis and in finding a job after you graduate.
What will you learn?
Having completed this challenging program/education/track, you will be able to:
• understand the economics of human behaviour;
• analyse social questions from an economic perspective;
• advise firms, organisations and governments on issues such as education, labour, crime, housing.
Is Social Economics right for you?
As well as the standard admission requirements, you should:
• have an open view on what is going on in society;
• be interested in exploring societal issues from an economic point of view;
• be intrigued by the interplay between psychology, sociology and economics.
A bachelor’s degree in economics is an advantage but other disciplines are welcome as well.
For admission requirements please visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/sbe/master.
What are your career prospects?
Social economists work for instance as education economists to develop education policies at national Ministries, the World Bank or school boards. They also work as consultant to help firms on policies to create a flexible and motivated work force, develop plans for housing and transport to accommodate the growth of a major city or create a fraud prevention program for an insurance company. Others work as researchers to analyse changes family patterns, or consumer behaviour in a retail company, or work for NGO's to set up local companies in developing countries, or an expanding multinational to tailor its business concept to local cultures.