Find out more about studying MRes Economics at University of Essex? We've gathered all the key details, entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Master of Research - MRes
University of Essex
Full Time
Oct 2027
1 Year
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.After completing your masters, you may wish to extend your knowledge with a research degree – many Essex graduates decide to stay here for further study.Alternatively, our course also prepares you for employment; recent surveys have shown that higher degree graduates are more likely to obtain jobs at professional or managerial level.More generally, our graduates find employment in roles such as business and financial analysts, management consultants, government officials, and economists for banks and other financial organisations.
This module covers the concepts and methods of modern microeconomics. You will begin with an overview of the competitive economy and develop the two fundamental theorems of welfare economics. You will then study various types of imperfections in markets such as differential information and strategic interaction with a view to understanding the potential role for government policy. Topics covered include contract theory (with moral hazard and adverse selection problems), equilibrium concepts in game theory, and market signalling.
This is an advanced module in macroeconomics. You will cover the concepts and methods of modern macroeconomics, beginning with an overview of the two main paradigms of macroeconomics: the Classical and Keynesian models. You will then develop the main model to study the economy in the long run: the Solow growth model. You will then study the determinants of consumption and investment, and finish with the study of economies in an infinite horizon.
This module aims to provide you with necessary technical fundamentals in econometrics that would be important for your research in the future. You will learn about OLS, WLS, GLS, GMM, and MLE estimation techniques and the rigorous properties of those estimators by using linear algebra. This module begins with a brief review of the mathematical and statistical prerequisites needed for econometrics illustrated using ordinary least squares methods in the classical linear regression model. It then proceeds to cover the use of asymptotic methods in econometrics, classical hypothesis tests, generalized least squares, instrumental variables and the generalized method of moments, and maximum likelihood.
What mathematical concepts are vital to understanding modern economic theory? Gain the essential mathematics skills needed to study economics at Masters-level, such as optimisation theory and the role of equilibrium. Understand how economic arguments work and improve your problem solving skills by using real-world economic problems.
Interested in understanding current research and undertaking research in economics? This module covers topics in decision theory, game theory and information economics, contract theory and mechanism design with an emphasis on mathematical formalism. The module will introduce you to the mathematical framework and methods that are relevant to research in these topics.
This module introduces some of the fundamental building blocks of modern macroeconomics left uncovered by the first term module and will cover both real and monetary economies. After an advanced treatment of consumption and investment, the module will focus on the role of innovation in economic growth and its modelling. We will then look at fiscal policies, mainly the concepts of Ricardian equivalence, distortionary and optimal taxation and tax smoothing. Within the overlapping generation framework we will look at the issue of funding of social security. Finally, the module will consider monetary policy.
What interests you? Undertake a research project of your choosing, studying a specific economic issue or set of problems in depth, with supervision from our world-leading academic staff. Gain experience of original and independent work, making use of and building on skills that you have acquired during your Masters.
