Master in Economic History

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

In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/29 October 2007, students must hold one of the following qualifications to access university master's degree courses:

• An official Spanish 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 from outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, the qualification should be recognized as equivalent to an official Spanish degree. If it is not recognized, the University of Barcelona shall verify that it corresponds to a level of education that is equivalent to official Spanish degrees and that it authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses 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.

Students with qualifications issued outside of Spain who wish to take the single assessment option required to work as a lawyer must have official recognition of the Law degree that grants them access to the master's degree. Alternatively, they must request validation of their bachelor's degree in a Spanish university and complete their bachelor's degree in law before admission.
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

Calendar

• First period: 1 February - 31 March 2023.
  Notification of decisions: 10 April.
• Second period: 1 April- 30 June 2023.
  Notification of decisions: 10 July.
• Third period: 1 July - 2 September 2023.
  Notification of decisions: 10 September.

Notes:

• Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
• Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

• Pre-enrolment application
  
• Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
  
• Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria

Selection criteria

Applications from candidates who meet the general requirements will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria, weighted as shown:

• Academic experience acquired by the candidate in previous studies (45%). The Committee will look particularly at credits acquired for subjects in economics and history. Candidates should demonstrate that they have a sufficient level of training to meet the requirements of the master's degree subjects.


• A previous qualification in a field related to the master's degree content (18%). Greater value is given to degrees in economics, history and related disciplines.


• Statement of interest (17%). The statement of interest must clearly reflect the students' interest in taking the master's degree in Economic History and the objectives they aim to achieve, which may be to pursue a PhD in economic history or to carry out research for the public or private sector. Credit will be given to candidates who present research proposals or highlight areas of interest in which they wish to work in the future. Credit will also be given for a particular interest in the research activities carried out by the staff assigned to the doctoral programme.


• Curriculum vitae (15%). Credit will be given for previous knowledge of economics and history, participation in and attendance of academic conferences, participation in scientific projects and academic publications, and teaching experience in economics, history and other areas.


• Letters of recommendation from former lecturers or people who have had a close working relationship with the candidate (5%). Credit will be given for letters of recommendation from former lecturers that describe the candidate's performance in specific subjects and over their course of study as a whole (the lecturer is usually asked to rate the candidate against other former students). The letter should also describe the candidate's analytical skills and motivation.

Notification

The body in charge of resolving applications is the master's degree Admissions Committee. This procedure is carried out in the period established in the pre-enrolment calendar. Once the Committee has met and the corresponding resolution has been reached, electronic confirmation is sent. The faculty's Master's and Doctoral Office will contact admitted students to inform them of the steps to take to complete enrolment.

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online via the Món UB portal. To find out the date and time you have been assigned, check the specific information for your course. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned.

Academic information

• Documents required for enrolment


• Procedure to formalize enrolment


• After enrolment


• Grants and financial aid

Welcome

Support and guidance

Pre-enrolment information and events

• Welcome portal


• Student Support Service (SAE)


• Open days


• Informative sessions

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

List of subjects

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

Bridging courses

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: Economic History
Agrarian History	Optional	2nd semester	5
Economic History of Business	Optional	2nd semester	5
Final Project	Compulsory	1st semester 2nd semester	15
Historical Analysis of Economic Development I	Compulsory	1st semester	2.5
Historical Analysis of Economic Development II	Compulsory	1st semester	2.5
Historical Analysis of Economic Development III	Compulsory	1st semester	5
History of Economic Thought	Optional	2nd semester	5
Industrial History	Optional	2nd semester	5
Innovation and Work	Optional	1st semester	5
Institutions, State Capacity and Economic Growth	Optional	2nd semester	5
Population and Living Standards	Optional	1st semester	5
Research Methods in Economic History	Compulsory	1st semester 2nd semester	5
The Causes of Global Inequality: Economic History of Developing Regions	Optional	1st semester	5

Previous years

• Plans docents 2021 - 2022
• Plans docents 2020 - 2021

Teaching staff

List of spring and autum teaching staff at teaching on a current course

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

• Regulations on external placements


• FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

Students will carry out a variety of general and specific tasks through which they acquire the expertise to conduct quality research in public or private universities and research centres. Students who do not choose to pursue doctoral studies and prefer to continue as professionals in public administration, private enterprise or the third sector will have the expertise to carry out work with an important research component and to advise to governments, non-governmental organizations of economic cooperation and public and private institutions.

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