Development Economics and International Studies (DEIS)
Development Economics and International Studies (DEIS) (M.A.)
The degree program in economics taught in English “Master of Arts in Development Economics and International Studies” (MA DEIS) improves your knowledge and skills for pursuing a career in public, charitable and private organizations. Whether you would like to work in a management position or at the interface of research and practice or whether you intend to pursue a career in academia, MA DEIS is the perfect preparation. Delve into challenging topics, explore current developments and acquire the subject knowledge you need in order to be able to tackle complex global challenges.
- Degree
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 4
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 1-50
- Subject group
- Economic Sciences, Law
- Special ways to study
- International degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in English
- Admission Requirements
- Qualification assessment
What is the degree program about?
The “Master of Arts in Development Economics and International Studies” (MA DEIS) is an economics-orientated degree program that aims to improve the knowledge and skills of students who intend to work in public, charitable and private organizations for international collaboration and development or who are aiming for a managerial position. It is also aimed at students who would like to work at the interface of research and practice, as well as those who hope to pursue an academic career in subjects related to the degree program.
The program lasts two years (four semesters), providing students with a rigorous education in analytical, qualitative and quantitative methods. Due to the increasing availability of microdata (e.g. data at the household or company level) and the significance of evidence-based policymaking, students learn how to conduct applied empirical work in the (development) economy, with the focus on evaluating the impact. They cover experimental methods, such as randomized field experiments, and quasi-experimental methods. The program teaches students the skills to understand much of the empirical literature in development economics. As part of their training, students are taught how to use the statistics software Stata, which enables them to conduct their own empirical analyses.
Each year, approximately 20-25 students enroll on the program, with 50-70% of students coming from abroad. The degree program is taught in English.
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The DEIS degree program covers four obligatory pairs of core modules. They are designed to give students a well-founded academic education. Each of the module pairs are taught over two consecutive semesters and are obligatory for all students:
Research methods I + II: These modules introduce students to quantitative methods used in economics in order to check theories empirically and assess the impact of political measures. The students also learn how to use the statistics software Stata.
Development economy I + II: These modules give an introduction to the economy of development countries. The modules focus predominantly on the discussion of empirical work such as the evaluation of the impact of programs implemented by state and non-state stakeholders in empirical countries.
International economics I + II: These modules offer an introduction to the theory and politics of international trade and introduce students to empirical work in this area.
International business ethics I + II: These modules introduce students to the theory and concepts of business ethics as well as to a range of ethical challenges currently facing the corporate world by taking an international and intercultural approach to analysis and problem solving.
In addition, students of the DEIS program take at least two regional modules, e.g. Political economy of the Middle East, Social health care in South and East Asia, Economy and society in Latin America.
The Institute of Economics offers a range of elective modules that may vary from time to time. In addition, students may take postgraduate courses on various topics of relevance to international studies at other institutes within the faculty, for instance courses on human rights, or postgraduate courses offered by FAU’s School of Business, Economics and Society in Nuremberg.
Finally, students may also choose to take several additional elective modules that are not graded. In addition to the regional and elective modules, students can choose various language courses (such as Chinese, Spanish, Swahili) at different levels. It is also possible for students to acquire up to 10 ECTS credits for completing an internship in connection with their degree program.
The DEIS program requires students to complete:
- 4 core module pairs (40 ECTS)
- 2 regional modules (10 ECTS)
- Compulsory elective modules (20 ECTS)
- Additional compulsory elective modules (20 ECTS)
- Master’s thesis (30 ECTS)
Students acquire 10 ECTS credits for completing both parts of a core module pair. Students are expected to obtain on overage 30 ECTS credits per semester. Please note that students have a number of options for spending their third semester abroad at one of our partner universities. At the current time, we have exchange programs with universities in China, India, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
A sample study plan is available at: https://www.madeis.study.fau.eu/program/.
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Please note that this degree program is taught exclusively in English.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- Qualification assessment
- Application deadline winter semester
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31.05.
- Content-related admission requirements
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The Master’s degree program is open to students with a Bachelor’s degree in economics or a related subject. Applicants ought to have gained at least 70 ECTS credits in economics/management, including as a minimum basic knowledge (at least 5 ECTS) in each of microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics/econometrics. However, it is possible to acquire up to 20 ECTS credits towards the required qualifications during the MA DEIS program. Students who are admitted to the program must make up for the missing ECTS credits during their first year of study. Missing courses can be taken at FAU.
Please refer to https://www.madeis.study.fau.eu/how-to-apply/. There are several requirements for admission relating to qualifications, the GPA and proficiency in English. Furthermore, prospective students must write a letter of application (1-2 pages), provide proof of qualified practical experience in the area of development economics and submit a one-page description of their practical experience written by the student in English (describing tasks and areas of responsibility).
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- No DSH
- General language skills
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English C1
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.