MSc Behavioural and Experimental Economics

This course is closed for January 2023 entry. Applications are open for October 2023 entry.

Investigate the complex nuances in economic decision making and actions. Our MSc Behavioural and Experimental Economics gives you all the tools to understand what has become one of the fastest growing areas in economics in recent years.

Though available as both a January and October start, part-time study is only available as part of the October start variant.

How do we make decisions about markets, businesses and customers? What’s the science behind these decisions? How does an understanding of human behaviour make better policies? What’s the impact of sales practices on customers? How do behavioural biases in customers impact how much they’ll pay for a product or service?

Behavioural economics is one of the fastest growing areas in economics in recent years. Insights inform business and public policy alike – we investigate the human and social factors influencing decisions made by consumers, borrowers and investors.

You’re trained in experimental design by lab experts and lecturers and will design lab experiments for your assignments. You will also have the opportunity to participate in and gain hands-on experience with experiments in ESSEXLab, our state-of-the-art social science laboratory.

You don’t need a background in economics to study this course. Our modules are flexible so you can choose to focus on specific topics that interest you. We’ll teach you a diverse set of tools and methods, preparing you well for PhD study or a career in a number of fields such as business environments or public policy and implementation.

You explore topics including:

• How economic considerations, cognitive limitations and psychology jointly shape human decision making
• Theoretical frameworks and empirical predictions for environments where traditional theory fails to provide guidance
• Markets and strategic interactions.

We are 4th in UK for research power in economics and econometrics (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). We’re also ranked 18th in the UK for Economics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2022). Much of our research is related to policy, and we have particular strengths in the areas of:

• Economic theory, game theory and strategic interactions
• Behavioural economics
• Applied economics and labour economics

There's always something fascinating going on in our department, from regular lively debates with prestigious speakers in seminars, workshops and conferences to cutting-edge papers being published in leading journals, including American Economic Review, Econometrica, and Review of Economic Studies.

With this course you also have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions and achieve a dual award, which means you’ll receive two Masters degrees in two years. Find out more on our dual award webpage.