Economics and Finance

Master in Economics and Finance (MEF) is a two-year English-language Master's degree programme, which aims to give the student a thorough grounding in both theoretical and applied economics.

We put emphasis on developing abstract analytical reasoning, which allows our graduates to solve complex economic problems in various settings. The applicants must have solid background in Mathematics and good command of English. Courses are taught both by members of the Institute of Economic Studies (IES) and external professionals from the central bank, commercial banks and business analysts. Our graduates typically assume challenging positions in banking, consulting, investment funds and public administration.

The MEF programme consists of 120 ECTS credits (a typical course corresponds to 4–6 credits). The courses are consist of the core courses (33 ECTS credits), the field elective courses (67 ECTS credits), the off-field elective courses (12 ECTS credits), and two Master’s Thesis seminars (9 ECTS credits). The core and field elective courses are taught at the Institute of Economic Studies (IES), the off-field elective courses can be taken at any department of Charles University. The courses are taught both by IES faculty and by external professionals from the central bank, the commercial banks, and from the investment and consulting companies.

Core courses

Compulsory core courses introduce the students to the advanced topics in macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics as well as to two major fields in finance, namely financial markets and banking. The core courses are intended to give a broad overview of the major topics in economics and finance, and to provide a solid background for further studies of specialized elective courses. In total, the core courses give 33 ECTS credits.

• Advanced Microeconomics (6 credits, 1 lecture & 1 seminar/week)
• Advanced Macroeconomics (9 credits, 1 lecture & 2 seminars/week)
• Advanced conometrics (6 credits, 1 lecture & 1 seminar/week)
• Financial Markets (6 credits, 1 lecture & 1 seminar/week)
• Banking (6 credits, 1 lecture & 1 seminar/week)

Field elective courses

Field elective courses cover a wide range of specific areas in economics and finance, which allows the students to specialize in the field of their interest. The topics include advanced economic theory (e.g. business cycles theory, economic dynamics, game theory), applied economics and economic policy (e.g. monetary economics, international macroeconomics, antitrust economics, health economics, environmental economics, development economics), theoretical finance (e.g. quantitative finance), and applied finance and investment (corporate finance, portfolio analysis and risk management, international finance, insurance, company valuation, real estate investment). We also offer courses in complementary areas (e.g. strategic management, corporate governance, law and regulation). Students are required to collect at least 67 ECTS credits for elective courses.

Off-field elective courses

Off-field elective courses can be taken at any department of Charles University or at any partner university. Students may take 12 ECTS credits outside of the Institute of Economic Studies. These credits can also be used to follow the Czech language classes offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences.

• Completed application form
• Copies of diplomas and transcripts of records,
• Short academic curriculum vitae (resume) detailing all relevant qualifications and experience
• Letter of motivation
• All applications for Master in Economics and Finance (MEF) must also include a letter of recommendation and test results or certificates in order to demonstrate applicants' sufficient competence in mathematics and in English. 
• All students who are non-native English speakers must provide evidence of their competence in English corresponding to at least the C1 level, CAE, IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL over 95.