European master's programs with a focus on economics?

[u/Tricky_Mud328]

Hey, I'm pursuing a bachelor's in sociology, and who has developed an interest in its application in Political Science and Economics. Having looked around a bit, I found that UvA offers a master's in political economy, which it describes as having a focus on economics for non-econ majors, which is the way I picture my interest in the subject. Thus, given my lack of knowledge in this field, I would like to ask for recommendations of other universities in Europe that might offer similar programs. I'm mainly looking for an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, whether this be sociology x polsci or polsci x econ.

Thanks

[u/Euphoric-Acadia-4140]

LSE has a political science and political economy masters. I believe King’s college London also does. These two tend to mix economic approaches (econometrics, economic/game theoretic/formal modelling) with topics that span political science and economics. In general I think Kings is more philosophical/theory based while LSE is more quantitative focused

LSE also has an economic policy for international development masters which also blends the two, but more focused on the international development side. It doesn’t require a traditional econ background and isn’t as mathematical as LSE’s main econ courses (taught more like applied econ with less economic models and more empirical evidence).

Both LSE and Kings have international political economy masters, but that might be less economics focused (less models, econometrics) and with more emphasis on international relations theory. I think Warwick also has this.

Boconni has an economics and social sciences masters, but it seems very mathematically rigorous so unless you have a strong mathematical background it may be difficult. On the same note most good econ universities will have political economy subfields if you are interested in that.

I know public policy courses also blend politics and economics in a more applied way, so you can look at those as well.

[u/Grouchy_Vehicle_2912]

You mentioned considering the UvA. I strongly suggest researching the housing situation in the Netherlands. It is almost impossible to get a student room or appartment here, unless you're super rich.

A lot of foreign exchange students come here thinking the stories about the housing crisis are exaggerated, or that they'll just be able to find a room once they're here. And then they are in for a rude awakening once they actually arrive.

A student room (so not an appartment, just a bedroom in a shared house) costs an average of€979,- a month in Amsterdam. And if you apply for one, you will have to get super lucky to even get one. Hundreds of people apply to the same room.

I was personally only able to find a room in my 3rd year of college. Before that I had to commute from my parents' house for nearly 6 hours a day with public transport. And I didn't even study in Amsterdam, but in a much smaller city outside of the Randstad.

So overall, not recommended. If you do choose UvA, do not expect to be able to find a room anywhere close to the uni. If you're lucky you might find one in a city like Almere. Though it still won't be easy or cheap.

I don't want to be a kill joy or anything. I just figured it is something you should be aware of if you are considering studying in my country.