M.Sc. Economics (start until summer semester 2025)

A Master's degree programme requires a high degree of initiative. You are now responsible for many things yourself compared to your Bachelor's degree program!

• You often obtain your study information yourself. Use the information on this page to do this.
• You choose your own specializations.
• You find out which courses/modules you need and want to take. This is because the order in which you take modules is only partly determined by yourself.
• You register for all examinations yourself and are never "automatically" registered. There are important registration and cancellation deadlines.

To ensure a smooth start to your degree programme, attend the orientation phase in the first week of the lecture period. Afterwards, always keep an eye on the structure of the program and your plan for completing it.

Module catalogue and Examination Regulations

The documents that regulate the legal framework of your studies are the Module Catalogue and Examination Regulations. Familiarize yourself with the module catalogue so that you have an overview of what comes next in your studies and what is of interest to you, e.g. as a Specialization. On this page and at information events, we inform you about the most important provisions of the examination regulations for you. You therefore do not have to read through the entire examination regulations at the start of your degree programme. However, if you have any legal questions about your degree programme (regarding registration, deadlines, repetition options, credits, etc.), then take a look at the examination regulations - they have the answers!

Whenever you have questions or problems, contact the responsible offices at an early stage:

• Academic Advising will help you with any problems you may have with the study plan.
• The Examinations Office for Business and Economics is the first point of contact for the examination process and all questions relating to examinations.
• Speak to your professors and members of the teaching staff if you have any questions about the content or organisation of lectures, exercises and associated examinations or theses that you cannot resolve yourself.
• You can also contact your mentor at any time if you need advice or support.

The compulsory module group (Pflichmodulgruppe) Methods of Economics consists of a total of three modules, each worth 10 ECTS credits, which are always offered in the winter semester. These three modules prepare you for the rest of the Master's programme. In the first two to three weeks of lectures, you will first attend the Math Camp, in which you will familiarize yourself once again with the common mathematical methods used in economics. The thematic lectures begin directly after the math camp.

In the Advanced Microeconomics module, you will learn more about what influences individual economic behaviour.

The Dynamic Macroeconomics course teaches facts and methods for assessing macroeconomic phenomena such as growth or business cycles.

In the Methods of Econometrics module, you will deepen your knowledge of modern econometric methods.

You earn the majority of the 120 ECTS of your M.Sc. Econ degree programme by taking module examinations (§§ 8, 16-19 and 24 of the examination regulations). These are usually written exams, sometimes also oral exams. Some module examinations are made up of individual partial examinations.

Ideally, you will pass each module examination in your first attempt. To do this, you need a grade of at least 4.0. All that’s left is the seminar and the master’s thesis - and then you’ve earned your M.Sc. in Economics.

But what happens if you don't pass a module examination straight away?

First of all, you can retake any module examination you have taken for the first time. Important: You must complete the retake directly in the following semester, non-participation in the following semester counts as a second failure. If you pass the retake attempt (4.0 or better), everything continues as if nothing had happened.

What happens if you fail the module examination on the second attempt?

If you receive a grade of 4.3 or 4.7 and therefore fail, you can make up for this within the module group to which the examined module is assigned. You can "leave" a 4.3 or 4.7 (but not more than one!) if your average grade in the module group is 4.0 or better. You have then achieved the ECTS. However, you cannot compensate for a 5.0.

When does it get tight?

There are three cases where things get tight. Firstly, if you have a 5.0 in your second attempt. Secondly, if you have a 4.3 or a 4.7 in your second attempt and this has already happened to you in another module in the relevant module group. Thirdly, if you have a 4.3 or a 4.7 in your second attempt and, together with your other grades from the module group, have an average of less than 4.0. Then there is a last resort: once per module group, you will receive a third attempt in the immediately following semester if you submit a written application in good time. With the third attempt, you will achieve the ECTS under the same conditions as with the second attempt. This means that you may not have a 5.0 in this third attempt either, you may not have more than a 4.3 or 4.7 in the module group, and the average grade in the module group may not be worse than 4.0. Otherwise you have definitively failed the M.Sc. Econ programme. Please also note the information on the maximum duration of study.

If you finally fail, you will not be able to continue your studies in the M.Sc. Econ and also not in the other degree programmes that are regulated by the same Examination Regulations, i.e. Business Administration and Real Estate, for example.

First things first

• You must register for all module examinations online via the FlexNow examination management system.
• You must observe the registration and cancellation deadlines for your examinations. Once the registration deadline has passed, you can no longer be registered for a module examination. This applies without exception. Further details on the deadlines can be found on the pages of the Examinations Office for Business and Economics.
• If you fail a module examination, you must retake it in the following semester. If you do not do this, the examination counts as having been failed twice.

Types of module examinations

The majority of module examinations consist of written exams. These usually take place in the 1st to 4th week after the end of the semester. The exact date for your written exams can be found on the pages of the Examinations Office for Economics.

In addition to the classic written exams, there are also other types of module exams:

• Oral examinations: In this examination format, you have a 10 to 45-minute discussion with the examiner about the content of the courses in a module. Retake exams in particular can always be organized as oral examinations. For details, please contact the member of the teaching staff of your course.
• Further examinations: The examination regulations provide for a whole range of other examination achievements, e.g. case study work, term papers, project work, programming work or presentations. Further details can be found in the module catalogue.
• Several partial examinations: Module examinations can also consist of several examination parts (e.g. a case study paper and a written exam). Your module grade is then calculated from the weighted average of these partial examinations. The exact weighting is regulated by the module catalogue. This also determines whether all partial examinations must be passed in order to pass the module (i.e. graded with at least 4.0) or whether you only need to achieve an average grade of 4.0 or better.
  Important: If you have failed a module examination with several partial examinations in total, you can only repeat those partial examinations that were assessed with a grade lower than 4.0.

The standard period of study for the M.Sc. Econ is four semesters. You have at most two more semester - you must have completed your studies after six semesters.

This six-semester period results from § 22 of the Examination Regulations. In your fifth semester, you are deemed to have registered for all outstanding examinations (module examinations and Master's thesis) for the first time, even if you have not taken any action yourself. In the sixth semester, you are therefore in the second attempt in all examinations and must now fulfil the conditions required to achieve the 120 ECTS.

• Find out in due time about the registration and cancellation deadlines for the examinations. Register for examinations in due time.
• Do not postpone courses and examinations unnecessarily. Otherwise you will run out of time, as the M.Sc. Econ has a maximum period of study.
• Remember that you will have to retake any failed exams in the following semester.
• If you have problems: Talk to members of the teaching staff, Academic Advising and the Examinations Office in due time. We all want you to finish your degree program.
• Don't be afraid to make use of the help offered by the University of Regensburg if you need it, e.g.
  • advice on studying, writing, researching
  • in cases of discrimination
  • counselling for physical and mental health.

Seminars are a central element of the research module group in the M.Sc. Econ. Here you can gain initial experience in writing academic texts and presenting results. The seminar announcements at the Institute of Economics and Econometrics are coordinated and published jointly.

You can find all important information about the seminars here.

You complete your M.Sc. Econ degree programme with the Master's thesis (§§ 20, 21 Examination Regulations). Your Master's thesis must be assigned to a (not free) specialization that you have chosen.

There are no fixed deadlines for the assignment of Master's thesis topics. To obtain a topic, simply contact a professor with whom you would like to write your Master's thesis and clarify whether this is possible with your chosen specialisation.

Here you will find a summary of the legal aspects of the Master's thesis and details of the formal registration process.

You can add a unique experience to your studies with a semester abroad or an internship abroad. The Faculty of Business, Economics and Real Estate and the University's International Office will support you in your planning (you can find the key information here).

We endeavour to credit as much of the coursework you have completed abroad as possible towards the M.Sc. Econ degree programme. This is particularly straightforward in the free electives. However, if you wish to transfer a course from a specialization module group from abroad, this course must be equivalent in content to a suitable course in Regensburg. Please contact the module coordinators.

To ensure that the transfer of credits from abroad runs smoothly, please refer to the information on the transfer of credits from abroad provided by the Department of Economics.

An internship can be granted as course work within the free electives with 6 ECTS. Requirements are a duration of at least six weeks in full-time without interruptions as well as a content related to economics.

The application for credit transfer must be submitted to the Examinations Office in the following semester at the latest.