Why Tinbergen Institute?

Selected teaching staff

The high standards of the Research Master’s program at Tinbergen Institute are guaranteed by the teaching staff, selected from the best researchers of the partner Schools, and by the internationally renowned experts who are invited to serve as guest lecturers in their fields of research. See the research pages.

Extensive program of field courses

After the first year of thorough grounding in economics, econometrics and finance, the second year offers over 40 specialization courses. Half of the second year is devoted to thesis research under expert supervision of a research fellow. See the course list. 

Stepping stone for PhD research

Many students who successfully complete the program obtain a fully paid PhD position at one of the partner Schools  of Tinbergen Institute.

Scholarship program

Tinbergen Institute runs its own scholarship program for Research Master’s students. The full-time PhD positions that come after the Research Master program’s come with all benefits of employment, including a good salary and often some research budget.

Small-scale program

The Research Master’s program is selective and annually admits a cohort of students with diverse research interests, ensuring a strong fit with the relevant academic community at the partner Schools. Only a limited number of students are admitted, because graduate education is intense and requires teaching in relatively small groups to guarantee a high level of interaction in the classroom, detailed feedback from faculty and sufficient support from the Director of Graduate Studies. The cohort size is aligned with the limited number of PhD positions available at the partner Schools. Also, the limited cohort size allows students to become a closely knit group that support each other throughout the Research Master’s program. See who our students are.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam

Tinbergen Institute has its own offices and a dedicated support staff in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Students have their own office space for studying and group work. Student housing is available for international students moving to the Netherlands. Read more about locations, housing & research facilities.

Career prospects

Ask any of TI’s over 800 PhD alumni, and they will tell you that a PhD degree from Tinbergen Institute opens the doors of opportunity. Roughly half of the alumni work in research universities in the Netherlands or abroad, many of them as full professors. Check our recent placements for more details.

Want to know more?

Visit our Open Days page to explore opportunities to discover if this research master's program is the right fit for you.

Join information sessions and Open Days

Are you more interested in Business Data Science? Then take a look at our partner research master program.

 > Program structure