Objectives and competences
The master's degree in Economic History is a research-focused interuniversity master's degree taught by the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. It aims to prepare researchers capable of analysing, understanding and solving problems related to the economic development of societies from the analysis of historical economic facts. It aims to generate new knowledge pertaining to economic history and long-term economic development.
To achieve these general objectives, the master's degree offers students a broad understanding of advanced tools (theoretical and empirical) for economic analysis and the historical perspective necessary to understand, analyse and solve problems related to the economic development of societies.
To achieve these general objectives, the master's degree offers students a broad understanding of advanced tools (theoretical and empirical) for economic analysis and the historical perspective necessary to understand, analyse and solve problems related to the economic development of societies.
The master's in Economic History is an interuniversity degree offered by the University of Barcelona (UB) in conjunction with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Zaragoza. It is intended primarily to train researchers capable of examining, understanding and solving problems related to the economic development of societies through the analysis of past economic events. As a longer-term goal, it is also designed to create knowledge in the areas of economic history and economic development.
As a general rule, teaching will be in Spanish. Students will also need a good level of English to take part in the range of planned teaching activities.
Teaching is carried out at the faculties of Economics and Business of the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
As a general rule, teaching will be in Spanish. Students will also need a good level of English to take part in the range of planned teaching activities.
Teaching is carried out at the faculties of Economics and Business of the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Basic information
| Type | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Faculty or school | Faculty of Economics and Business |
| Branch of knowledge |
|
| Mode of delivery |
|
| Credits | 60 |
| Number of places available | 25 |
| Length of course | 1 academic year |
| Approximate price per credit | 19.37 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2025-2026 |
| Coordination | FRANCISCO JAVIER SAN JULIAN ARRUPE |
| Course details | Indicators |
| Open pre-enrolment | No |
| Open enrolment | No |
| Lead to doctoral studies | Yes |
| Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification | No |
| Interuniversity | Yes |
| Main university | Universitat Barcelona |
| Universities |
|
| Bridging courses | Yes |
Objectives and competences
Objectives
The master's degree in Economic History is a cross-disciplinary programme offering students advanced training in the skills, techniques and methodologies they will need to carry out research with a global perspective in the field of economic history. This programme provides advanced training in the analysis of historical-economic problems and aims to familiarize students with current practices in the study of economic history at the leading academic institutions in this field. Economic history is an inherently interdisciplinary field, with its unique position in related disciplines such as history, economics and the social sciences.
The advanced training that the master's degree provides is designed to give successful graduates the competence to:
- conduct innovative research in areas of economic history;
- carry out research and disseminate the results of international advances in the field of economic history, and
- pursue further studies in economic history at doctoral level, acquiring the specialized research training to excel in the preparation of the doctoral thesis.
Competences
General competences
- Capacity to acquire knowledge and use it to solve problems.
- Capacity to integrate knowledge and tackle the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, giving due consideration to the social and ethical responsibilities that are implicit in applying knowledge and making judgements.
- Capacity to communicate knowledge, conclusions and the grounds on which they have been reached.
- Capacity to acquire the learning skills to pursue further study independently.
- Capacity to establish original research questions or hypotheses within a relevant theoretical framework, which can by empirically assessed or contrasted.
Specific competences
- Capacity to analyse the procedure and the principal challenges of the development process in the long term.
- Ability to analyse the operation of past economies.
- Capacity to critically assess research articles in the field of economic history.
- Ability to use the appropriate theoretical and methodological knowledge and tools to resolve problems related to long-term economic development.
- Capacity to use theoretical reasoning to describe and understand past socio-economic realities.
- Capacity to apply knowledge of quantitative economics to analyse long-term development.
- Ability to search for and analyse historical data and relevant sources of information to acquire a full understanding of past economies.
- Capacity to critically appraise sources of documentation pertinent to historical-economic analyses.
- Capacity to select and apply the most suitable methodologies, information sources and digital tools for the thorough systematic analysis of each historical-economic problem considered.
Access and admission
Applicant profile and access requirements
Recommended applicant profile
To access the degree, students must hold an official academic qualification that grants access to official master's degree study and must be able to demonstrate a good command of English (level B1 or equivalent) and Spanish (level B2 or equivalent), of which some form of documentary evidence will be required. If this cannot be accredited, the Admissions Committee may choose to arrange a face-to-face or online interview to assess the student's knowledge of these languages.Students will require a basic level of competence in economics and history. Students who have not completed at least two subjects in economics or history during their undergraduate degree must take the following bridging course, which has been specifically designed to complement the training offered by the main master's syllabus:
- Introduction to Economics and to Economic Statistics (5 ECTS credits).
In this subject, students gain an introduction to basic economic concepts, the general theoretical principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, and descriptive statistics.
This subject is taught during the week immediately prior to the start of the course.
Access requirements and conditions
General requirementsStudents wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:
- Official Spanish university degree.
- A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.
- A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.
Specific requirements
To access the degree, students must hold an official academic qualification that grants access to official master's degree study and must be able to demonstrate a good command of English (level B1 or equivalent) and Spanish (level B2 or equivalent), of which some form of documentary evidence will be required. If this cannot be accredited, the Admissions Committee may choose to arrange a face-to-face or online interview to assess the student's knowledge of these languages.
Students will require a basic level of competence in economics and history. Students who have not completed at least two subjects in economics or history during their undergraduate degree must take the following bridging course, which has been specifically designed to complement the training offered by the main master's syllabus:
- Introduction to Economics and to Economic Statistics (5 ECTS credits).
In this subject, students gain an introduction to basic economic concepts, the general theoretical principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, and descriptive statistics.
This subject is taught during the week immediately prior to the start of the course.
Pre-enrolment
Enrolment
As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned
- Documents required for enrolment
- Procedure to formalize enrolment
- Grants and financial aid (in Catalan)
- Economic information (in Catalan)
Course curriculum
Subjects and course plans
Distribution of credits
| Type | ECTS |
|---|---|
| Compulsory | 15 |
| Optional | 30 |
| Compulsory placements | 0 |
| Compulsory final project | 15 |
| TOTAL | 60 |
List of subjects
Bridging courses
| Subject | Type | Language | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Economic History | |||
| Introduction to Economics and Economic Statistics | Optional | 1st semester | 5 |
Previous years
Placements
Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.
Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record. There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.
Institutional information