The Program

Master’s in Economics

Master’s in Economics

The Program

If you asked us to define our Master’s in Economics in three words, we would use: unique, hands-on, and applicable.  

We make sure that we provide state-of-the-art theoretical and empirical techniques, but we also focus on the development and acquisition of the tools required for applied policy analysis. This means econometric and numerical software or modern econometric techniques for the evaluation of policy interventions, to name a few.  

  • Must have a strong quantitative background (i.e. Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Data Analytics), and exceptional analytical skills
  • May aim to pursue a PhD degree afterwards 
  • Should aspire to work directly with Economics Faculty in research projects or strong research centers on a variety of economics topics: environment, education, and health; international development; macroeconomics and financial markets; public policy; data analytics. Research projects can include fieldwork activity in Africa and in Portugal - including data collection and behavioral and field experiments
  • Should be keen on research economics topics such as: environment, education, health, macroeconomics, and financial markets

Program Overall Structure

Find out what this Master’s degree will offer you during the 3 semesters at Nova SBE! 

You will have to follow mandatory courses, but you will also have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of electives, allowing you to tailor-make your curriculum according to your own goals.

Everything together will provide you the necessary ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) to graduate. 

Please note that the information in this page may be subject to changes during the 2026/2027 academic year.

  • Discovery Week 

1st Semester 

  • Mandatory Courses 
  • Elective Courses 
  • Modules 
  • Study Trips 
  • Career Development Program - Mastering Your Career 
  • Mentoring Program 
  • Nova Economics Club, Regular and Brownbag Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences 
     

2nd Semester (30 ECTS) 

  • Mandatory Course (macroeconomics or microeconomics) 
  • Elective Courses 
  • Modules 
  • Study Trips 
  • Nova Economics Club, Regular and Brownbag Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences 
  • Work Project 
  • Nova Economics Club, Regular and Brownbag Seminars, Networking Events, Business Forum, Conferences 

Master's Programs 2025/26

Applications are closed.

For more information, please contact us by emailing leadyourfuture@novasbe.pt or calling +351 213 801 699.

Get to know the Mandatory courses and Electives

  • Econometrics 
  • Macroeconometrics OR Microeconometrics
  • Macroeconomic Analysis 
  • Microeconomic Analysis 

Sustainability 

Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). 
To ensure global sustainability over time, the green transition focuses on responding to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation but also to the need to work for an economic and societal transformation, integrating all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social, and environmental. 
That is the goal of this Area of Expertise, which will be taught in partnership with Nova’s School of Science and Technology (FCT). This area of expertise is common to the Master’s programs in Management, Economics and Finance.  

  • Fundamentals on Environment and Sustainability (CORE)
  • Climate Finance 
  • Energy and Climate Change 
  • Environmental Policy 
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero 
  • Global Energy Markets
  • Impact Investments
  • Policy Evaluation
  • Public Finance
  • Sustainability Evaluation of Policies, Plans and Projects
  • Sustainable Finance

 

International development 

Successful graduates will be well-equipped to work in international organizations, governmental and private institutions, and NGOs, with the objective of designing, evaluating, and implementing policies related to international development, trade, and migration policies.  

  • Advanced Behavioral Economics
  • Behavioral Economics and Finance  
  • Development Economics (CORE)
  • Economics of Education  
  • Economics of Immigration
  • Environmental Policy  
  • Global Energy Markets  
  • History of Economic Analysis  
  • International Migration
  • Labor Economics  
  • Policy Evaluation (CORE)
  • Political Economy 
  • Politics for Policy  
  • Private Sector Development
  • Public Finance  
  • Public Policy
  • Sovereign Advisory


Macroeconomics and financial markets 

Successful graduates will be able to take up roles as policy analysts in central banks and other governmental national or supra-national institutions, private financial institutions, and large multinational companies. 

  • Asset Management  
  • Auditing  
  • Banking  
  • Behavioral Economics and Finance  
  • Behavioral Finance  
  • Credit Risk  
  • Derivatives  
  • European Union: Governance and Crises  
  • Finance and the transition to net zero  
  • Financial Intermediation  
  • Financial Reporting  
  • Financial Statement Analysis  
  • Fintech Ventures  
  • Fixed Income  
  • Hedge Funds  
  • History of Economic Analysis  
  • Impact Investments  
  • Investments (CORE)
  • Macroeconomic Theory (CORE)
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets  
  • Numerical Methods for Economics and Finance 
  • Political Economy  
  • Private Equity  
  • Real Estate Finance  
  • Risk Management  
  • Sovereign Advisory  
  • Sustainable Finance

 

Public policy 

Successful graduates will be able to take up roles as policy analysts in governmental national or supra-national institutions, consulting firms with departments dedicated to the public sector and public policies, medium and large companies working in sectors where government action is pervasive, and national and supra-national lobbying groups. 

  • Advanced Behavioral Economics 
  • Behavioral Economics and Finance 
  • Competition Policy 
  • Development Economics  
  • Economics of Education 
  • Economics of Health and Health Care 
  • Economics of Health Systems 
  • Economics of Immigration
  • Environmental Policy 
  • European Union: Governance and Crises 
  • Global Energy Markets 
  • History of Economic Analysis 
  • International Migration 
  • Labor Economics 
  • Policy Evaluation (CORE)
  • Political Economy 
  • Politics for Policy 
  • Power and Social Change
  • Private Sector Development 
  • Public Finance 
  • Public Policy (CORE)

 

Banking, financial regulation, and supervision 

Successful graduates will be able to take up jobs in financial institutions, and in central banks and other governmental or supra- national institutions with a concern for the supervision of the financial sector. 

  • Advanced Financial Transactions in M&A
  • Auditing 
  • Banking (CORE)
  • Credit Risk 
  • Financial Intermediation 
  • Financial Reporting 
  • Financial Statement Analysis 
  • Fixed Income 
  • Investments (CORE)
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets 
  • Private Equity 
  • Public Finance
  • Real Estate Finance 
  • Risk Management 

  
Please take note of the following: 
— Students can qualify for only one area of expertise; however, it isn’t mandatory for students to choose one.  
— Areas of Expertise and respective courses might be subject to change from one academic year to the next.  
— Some courses might not be offered every academic year.  
— Students may attend elective courses from other masters’ programs (up to 7 ECTS), subject to availability. 
— Each Area of Expertise has Core courses that you must complete, as well as a list of Elective Courses from which you can choose.  
— You need a total of 21 ECTS to obtain the Area of Expertise mentioned on the final MSc Certificate. 
— This information may be subject to changes. 

  • Advanced Behavioral Economics 
  • Advanced Financial Transactions in M&A 
  • Algorithmic Governance 
  • Asset Management 
  • Auditing 
  • Banking 
  • Behavioral Economics and Finance 
  • Behavioral Finance 
  • Blockchain Fundamentals 
  • Climate Finance 
  • Competition Policy 
  • Computational Thinking and Data Science 
  • Corporate Financial Risk Management 
  • Credit Risk 
  • Data Visualization 
  • Derivatives 
  • Development Economics 
  • Economic Growth 
  • Economics of Education 
  • Economics of Health and Health Care 
  • Economics of Health Systems 
  • Economics of Immigration 
  • Economics of the European Union 
  • Energy and Climate Change 
  • Environmental Policy 
  • European Union: Governance and Crises 
  • Finance and the transition to net zero 
  • Financial Intermediation 
  • Financial Reporting 
  • Financial Statement Analysis 
  • Fintech Ventures 
  • Fixed Income 
  • Fundamentals on Environment and Sustainability 
  • Global Energy Markets 
  • Hedge Funds 
  • History of Economic Analysis 
  • Impact Investments 
  • International Migration 
  • Introduction to Machine Learning 
  • Introduction to Programming 
  • Investments 
  • Labor Economics 
  • Macroeconomic Theory 
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets 
  • Marketing Analytics 
  • Network Analytics 
  • Numerical Methods for Economics and Finance 
  • Organizing for Good in the digital age 
  • Policy Evaluation 
  • Political Economy 
  • Politics for Policy 
  • Power and Social Change 
  • Private Equity 
  • Private Sector Development 
  • Public Finance 
  • Public Policy 
  • Real Estate Finance 
  • Research Methods for Finance 
  • Risk Management 
  • Sovereign Advisory 
  • Sustainability Evaluation of Policies, Plans and Projects 
  • Sustainable Finance

Each program has two compulsory modules to be completed by students:

  • Ethics
  • Sustainability

As part of the degree requirement, students must carry out a work project (thesis) in their final semester. There are three formats available: 

Field Lab 
Students focus on a specific theme or topic of more applied nature to propose solutions to solve an existing local real-world problem in a specific setting (group setting). 

Directed Research Internship 
Students carry out a problem-based issue to help address an identifiable problem in a company setting relevant to the course of study. 

Directed Research 
Students showcase their knowledge and expertise by investigating a research problem of scientific nature in a relevant area of interest.

Mastering Your Career (MYC) is a mandatory Master's graduation requirement, worth 2 ECTS. It offers a valuable opportunity to expand learning beyond the classroom and empowers students to make the most of their journey at Nova School of Business & Economics.

Grading is based upon the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), a grading scale developed to facilitate the understanding and comparison of grades, according to different national systems.  

We did the math for you, and the awarding of ECTS grades per curriculum component breaks down as follows: 

28 ECTS 
in Mandatory Courses  

28 ECTS 
in Elective Courses (minimum) 

2 ECTS 
in Mastering Your Career activities

2 ECTS 
in Modules 

30 ECTS
in the Work Project 

90 ECTS in total to graduate 
You need a minimum of 90 ECTS to complete your Master’s, but if you need 120 ECTS to proceed with your studies, you can extend your Master’s by one semester with electives (30 ECTS).

Q&A Sessions

Q&A Sessions

Watch the info video about the program, and attend one of our live Q&A sessions to learn more about the program and clear any doubts about the program and its curriculum that you may have.

Study Abroad

Complete your Master’s in Economics with international experience. 

You can choose from an Exchange Program or a CEMS MIM. 

(This requires an additional semester)