Graduate School

Current program

Curriculum 2011-2012

Tinbergen Institute offers a research master program (MPhil) with three tracks: one track in economics, one in econometrics and one track in finance.

All tracks offer in the first year rigorous training in the core subjects and tools of economics, econometrics and finance. In the second year, students specialize in their choice from the institute's many fields of research through field course work and MPhil thesis research. Students who perform well in the MPhil program are invited to transfer to the three-year PhD program. Students in the PhD program typically spend most or all of their time on research. Below, we give an overview of the MPhil program in 2011-2012. More detailed information is to be found in the Graduate School Brochure 2011-2012 which is currently in the making.

First year of the economics track

In the first year of the economics track students have to complete 56 ECTS of core courses, 1 field course (3 ECTS) and a seminar series (1 ECTS). Attendance of courses and seminars is mandatory.

The field course can be chosen out of a selection of around 4 field courses. In the MPhil seminar series research fellows introduce themselves and their research interests. These seminars allow students to explore potential supervisors and fields of specialization.

The standard track consists of:

  • Microeconomics (20 ECTS)
  • Macroeconomics (16 ECTS)
  • Econometrics, Statistics and Mathematics (20 ECTS)
  • Field course (3 ECTS)
  • Seminar series (1 ECTS)

Students with a sufficient background in econometrics replace Statistics and Econometrics with Advanced Econometrics (12 ECTS).

[First year of the economics track]

First year of the econometrics track

In the first year of the econometrics track students have to complete 56 ECTS of core courses, 1 field course (3 ECTS) and a seminar series (1 ECTS). Attendance of courses and seminars is mandatory.

The field course can be chosen out of a selection of around 4 field courses. In the MPhil seminar series research fellows introduce themselves and their research interests. These seminars allow students to explore potential supervisors and fields of specialization.

The standard track consists of:

  • Microeconomics (20 ECTS)
  • Macroeconomics (16 ECTS)
  • Advanced econometrics, Mathematics II (incl. programming) and Measure theory and stochastic processes (20 ECTS)
  • Field course (3 ECTS)
  • Seminar series (1 ECTS)

[First year of the econometrics track]

First year of the finance track

In the first year of the MPhil program students have to complete 52 ECTS of core courses, 2 field courses (2x3 ECTS),a seminar series (1 ECTS) and a programming exercise (1 ECTS). Attendance of courses and seminars is mandatory.

The 2 field courses can be chosen out of a selection of around 10 field courses. In the MPhil seminar series research fellows introduce themselves and their research interests. These seminars allow students to explore potential supervisors and fields of specialization.

Students may choose between de standard track and the advanced econometrics track.

The standard track consists of:

  • Finance courses (16 ECTS)
  • Microeconomics and Contract Theory (16 ECTS)
  • Econometrics, Statistics and Mathematics (20 ECTS)
  • Field courses (6 ECTS)
  • Seminar series and programming excercise (2 ECTS)

Students with a sufficient background in econometrics replace Statistics and Econometrics with Advanced Econometrics (12 ECTS).

[First year of the finance track]

Second year of the MPhil program

In the second year of the MPhil program, students have to complete 30 ECTS of specialized coursework. Students in the economics track choose a major field; the major field for students in the econometrics track is econometrics, the major field for students in the finance track is finance.

Over 30 field courses are offered in 2011-2012, including three Tinbergen Institute Lectures:

  • Economics Lectures: Prof. Matthew O. Jackson (Standford University)
  • Econometrics Lectures (PUP lectures): Prof. Frank Schorfheide (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Finance Lectures: Prof. Bengt Holström (MIT)

In addition, field course credits can be obtained by writing a short paper. Finally, courses and workshops organized by other graduate schools or by inter-university networks such as the Duisenberg school of finance and the Dutch Network on the Mathematics of Operations Research (LNMB ) may qualify for field credits.

[Field courses]

The MPhil thesis (30 ECTS) is the final examination of the MPhil program. The thesis is written under supervision of one of the institute's research fellows. It should be suitable for submission to an international, peer-reviewed journal and may serve as the first chapter of the eventual Ph.D. thesis.

Registration

Second year MPhil students, PhD students and external students are required to register for courses by means of the online registration form.
Deadline for registration is August 10, 2011.
Please note: First-year MPhil students do not have to register for core courses and the MPhil seminar series, they do have to register for the field course(s).
More information on program and schedules: courses@tinbergen.nl