Business Economics (MSc)

Our MSc Business Economics programme is an integrated course applying economics to the business environment. Designed in consultation with leaders from the business community and public sector organisations, this unique course equips you with the key skills for career development in the ever-changing business world. It also provides a good foundation for those interested in undertaking further study at PhD, DBA or professional development level.

The MSc Business Economics course is unique to UCC, incorporating both taught courses and action research, and using economic theory and analysis explicitly applied to business. Through the focused taught courses and conducting action research, you learn how to explain and apply core theories, empirical methods and a range of analytical tools that are relevant and transferable to a range of fundamental business issues.

In this course you will develop a portfolio of skills required to support business analysis and managerial decision-making. These skills include communication skills (written and oral), analytical and evaluation skills and team-working skills. Our market research has indicated that such skills are very highly rated by employers.

The course places emphasis on:

• the preparation and presentation of quality business reports
• techniques of data analysis that include forecasting and survey data analysis
• team-working for assignments to enhance interpersonal relationships
• a problem-solving approach using case studies

The MSc programme comprises two parts totalling 90 credits. The course is assessed by coursework, including presentations, written reports, in-class assessments, and group work. The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over two years.

Modules

Part I

EC6617 Professional Business Skills (10 credits)
EC6619 Advanced Quantitative Techniques for Business Research (5 credits)
EC6620 Research Methods for Business Economics (5 credits)
EC6621 Strategy for Global Business (5 credits)
EC6622 Global Business Strategy and Business Relationships (5 credits)
EC6623 Analysing General Business Conditions (5 credits)
EC6624 International Macroeconomic Data in Strategic Decision Making (5 credits)
EC6625 Financial Economics and Business Strategy (5 credits)
EC6626 Corporate Treasury Management (5 credits)
EC6627 Fieldwork Research Methods for Business (5 credits)
EC6628 Analysis of Business Survey Data (5 credits)

Part II
EC6618 Business Economics Report (the BER) (30 credits)
Students must present all elements of assessment by the third Friday in August in the academic year, following completion of the MSc Part I.

This innovative course aims to develop your skills for employment as a business or strategic analyst as well as providing foundations for undertaking further study.

Strong emphasis is placed on employment and career search through workshops on interview techniques, skills analysis, CV presentation, and job applications.

The quality of the course can be gauged from the fact that our graduates have won the Accenture Leader of Tomorrow (LOT) Award on two occasions. The Accenture award is open to all final-year and postgraduate students from across Ireland, and aims to identify innovative and entrepreneurial young talent in order to foster Ireland’s next generation of leaders.

Skills developed on the MSc course include:

• leadership, organisational, interpersonal and team-working skills
• working to deadlines in producing analyses, reports and presentations to professional standards
• ability to interpret economic data and events
• ability to explain complex issues to non-specialists
• application of economic tools and concepts to the business world
• research project design, implementation and management

The course has an excellent employment track record and every year, our graduates pursue challenging careers in the private and public sectors. MSc graduates have obtained employment in a wide range of areas at home and abroad, including management consulting, the financial and banking sectors, the private sector, the public sector, research institutes, and the education sector.

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Communicate and work effectively to a high professional standard;
• Demonstrate advanced analytical and problem solving skills associated with effective practice;
• Engage in advanced application of frameworks and techniques in organizational settings;
• Conduct independent quality research using relevant business techniques;
• Develop self-awareness and reflective capacity to design and assess own learning goals and needs as business economics postgraduates.

The course consists of approximately 12 hours of lectures/workshops a week, excluding visiting speaker seminars and time that you must set aside for group work and assignment preparation.

It culminates in the writing of a business economics report where you will demonstrate an application of concepts and frameworks to an actual business situation facing an international business. This approach will demonstrate how you can translate your learning into practice. An external business advisor is appointed to provide guidance and advice in developing your solution.

The course is assessed by a combination of exams and coursework. Approximately 90% of the course is assessed by coursework, including presentations, written reports, in-class assessments, and group work.

We have a dedicated course teaching team drawn from the Department of Economics and our learning approach combines lectures, projects, seminars, group discussion, presentations along with individual and group reports. Seminars are also provided by visiting speakers from public and private sector organisations.

College of Business and Law Available Scholarships

We support our postgraduate community by offering scholarships and bursaries to prospective and current students. Please see the College of Business and Law Available Scholarships Page for more information.

Full module information is detailed in the section below.

Minimum Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ Level 8) or equivalent. Note that there is NO requirement for Economics or Business subjects to be part of the primary degree. 

Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be given to applicants not meeting the above criteria (i.e. no primary degree) but with extensive relevant professional experience, as deemed appropriate by the Head of Economics in consultation with the Programme Director, subject to the approval of the School of Business.

View the grades comparison table

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to Irish university primary degree level. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. To verify if you meet the minimum academic requirements for this programme please visit our qualification comparison pages.

For more detailed entry requirement information please refer to the International website .

1. Choose Course

Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to three courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online

Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

3. Gather Supporting Documents

Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

• Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
• Any supplementary items requested for your course.

Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline

Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details. 

Questions on how to apply?

Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 30 June. Early application is advised.

Non-EU Applications

For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.