Integrated Master in Economics: Financial Economics
What causes 'credit crunches', and how do their effects spread throughout the economy? What determines the value of Pound Sterling relative to the US Dollar or Euro? How do stock market prices affect asset prices? Financial events are rarely far from headline news. They have an impact that extends far beyond the financial sector to affect almost every aspect of daily life, including income, employment, prices, property value and the cost of mortgages.
MEcon Financial Economics is built on the core principles of economics, which are applied to your study of financial institutions (such as banks), financial markets (such as the stock exchange), and financial instruments. You receive a thorough training in economics and mathematics up to post-graduate level, as well as training in quantitative research methods.You study the mathematical and statistical analysis of economic problems, and how the financial system functions, choosing from a range of topics on financial economics including:
- Fundamentals of accounting
- Business strategy and competition
- Capital markets
- Financial innovations and new forms of transaction media
- Bonds and contracts
The emphasis of our MEcon Financial Economics is on the ways that economic reasoning can inform and illuminate the financial decision-making of investors and the financial choices made by firms. We are 4th in UK for research power in economics and econometrics (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021).
- We are 4th in UK for research power in economics and econometrics (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021)
- 7th in UK for economics (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
- Get hands-on experience in the world of investment banking with the Essex Equity Fund (EEF) - a unique initiative in the East of England. Participate in an investment bootcamp run by Essex alumni who are now investment bankers, before pitching your investment recommendations and monitoring their success.
Study abroad
Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The five-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the four-year course. Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.
If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.
Placement year
Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external organisation, where you learn about a particular sector, company or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre.
If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.
Our expert staff
Study and work alongside some of the most prominent economists.
Our researchers are at the forefront of their field and have even received MBEs, with students coming from across the globe to study, research or work with us. Our Department of Economics is a richly diverse home to staff and students from all over the world who have a strong sense of belonging and want to think, learn and change the world together.
Many of our researchers also provide consultancy services to businesses in London and other major financial centres, helping us to develop research for today's society as well as informing our teaching for the future.
Specialist facilities
Take advantage of our extensive learning resources to assist you in your studies:
- Extensive software for quantitative analysis is available in all computer labs across the university
- Access a variety of economics databases and multiple copies of textbooks and e-books in the Albert Sloman Library
- A comprehensive online learning environment (Moodle) for each module
- A top class computer Lab (ESSEXLab) to run economic research experiments
Your future
Many employers want economists with critical thinking skills who can tackle large data sets and practical problems. Our course helps you to become more employable and takes you closer to that dream job or postgraduate course when you graduate.
Our students are in demand from a wide range of employers in a host of occupations, including financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy.
Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:
- Bank of England
- Barclays Capital
- Citigroup
- Deloitte
- Ernst and Young
- Morgan Stanley
- Bank of New York
- Santander
We also work with the University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.
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