International Economic Consulting

• Econometric Methods in Economic Consulting (10 ECTS)
• Cost Benefit Analysis (10 ECTS)
• Organisational Economics and Strategy (5 ECTS)
• Advanced Industrial Economics (5 ECTS)

• Developing and Emerging Economies (10 ECTS)
• International Economic Integration (10 ECTS)
• Applied Economic Consulting (10 ECTS)

• Elective Courses (30 ECTS)

• Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)

PREREQUISITE COURSES

Econometric Methods in Economic Consulting

Successful participation in the course will enable the student to perform advanced econometric analysis of problems, typically encountered in an Economic Consulting context. The course develops thorough methodological competences with a special focus on the application to empirical questions, which that arises when complicated evaluations of programs are performed. By completing the course, the student is expected to have developed the ability to make independent advanced analyses, where the student includes only relevant elements from the course and demonstrates substantial factual knowledge with respect to concepts, definitions, and theories.

Advanced Industrial Economics

This course is concerned with the theoretical and empirical understanding of the intensity of competition across industries and its effect on prices, quantities, quality choice, efficiency and market structure. It also studies the need of public intervention by describing the economics of competition policy.

Organisational Economics and Strategy

This course studies how firms create a competitive advantage and maintain it. Furthermore, it analyses strategic choices regarding the boundaries of the firm, the incentive mechanisms and the organisational structure that will serve their strategies best.

Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) or Project Evaluation as it is sometimes referred to, is an essential tool in economic consulting. The purpose of CBA is to facilitate better decision-making. It ensures that resources are effectively allocated by estimating the monetary values - as far as this is possible - of all the benefits and costs to society of alternative projects, typically public investment projects. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness are also central elements within the context of budgetary and political considerations as parts of social evaluation of investments.

SPECIALISATION COURSES

International Economic Integration gives a broad understanding of the forces and effects of globalisation through technological and policy changes. Based on the theory of international economics, we examine integration as driven by organisations like e.g. the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the EU. The ability to put institutional knowledge into operation in an economic analytical context is a key element in working with government agencies, international institutions and many non-profit organisations on issues such as changes in trade rules or EU policies.

Developing and Emerging Economies

The growing wealth of the world is distributed unevenly. This is a central challenge for policy makers and a field of growing demand for informed economic advice. The course will focus on the opportunities and conditions for economic growth in developing and emerging economies, and provide you with an understanding of the underlying economic mechanisms.

Applied Economic Consulting

Would it be a good idea to attract the Olympics to Denmark? This and many other questions come down to economics. What is the total impact, what are the involved costs and benefits, how do you forecast primary and secondary effects? This course simulates the entire process surrounding a real-world economic consulting problem, including an introduction to various project management tools.

In the third semester, you can choose elective courses within your areas of interest. The courses can be taken either at Aarhus BSS during the semester, at AU Summer University or at one of our more than 300 partner universities abroad. You can also participate in internship programmes either in Denmark or abroad.

The fourth semester is devoted to the Master's thesis. You may freely choose the topic of the thesis and thereby get a chance to concentrate on and specialise in a specific field of interest. We encourage students to work on topics that are related to international economic consulting and/or are performed in cooperation with a consulting company or a governmental or international institution. The thesis may be written in collaboration with another student or it may be the result of your individual effort. When the thesis has been submitted, it is defended before the academic advisor as well as an external examiner.