Economics (BSc)

The degree programme is divided into two phases: the orientation phase (1st and 2nd semester) and the advanced/ specialisation phase (3rd to 6th semester).

In the orientation phase students are expected first, to learn the different ways of posing problems and their respective methods of resolution, and second, to become acquainted with neighbouring disciplines. Apart from business and pure economics, the focus will be on the fields of computing as well as relevant economic aspects of mathematics, statistics and law.

The main period of study is dedicated to gaining an in-depth and specialised understanding of economics. Most credits are obtained in (compulsory and compulsory elective) units of pure economics. These units comprise important areas of economics such as economic policy, finance, applied economic research, and monetary or labour economics. Since the main focus of economics in Göttingen is on international economic relations, many of the units offered are based on topics central to European and international economics.

Other units included in the programme are units of business studies. Students may also opt for units of particular personal or vocational interest to obtain credits in the interdisciplinary part of the programme (e.g. courses in the field of quantitative methods, economic and social history or business psychology). Finally, students have to prove very good English skills (for example by taking classes in Business English).

During the first week of the summer and winter semesters, you will be supervised by older students, the WiWi-O-Phase tutors. In addition to the first lectures, you will get to know important learning management and examination administration systems as well as examination and study regulations of the degree programmes. You will learn how to do your semester schedule and you can even talk to the professors of the faculty at the professors' breakfast. You will get to know each other at city rallies and pub evenings. Even before lectures begin, you can (voluntarily) take part in the maths pre-course (MVK), in which selected content from school mathematics is repeated and preparation is made for the mathematics module in the 1st semester. The student council of the Faculty of Business and Economics organizes the "social events programme" during the maths pre-course with pub nights as well as campus and city tours.

During the Corona pandemic, the students of the WiWi-O-Phase and the student council of the Faculty of Business and Economics organized digital or "hybrid" orientation weeks with a virtual tandem programme, digital games and get-to-know-you evenings, but also with meetings in small groups on campus as well as city and campus tours in small groups on site in Göttingen.

A fundamental education about essential economic interdependences and about international economic relations are good stepping stones both career-wise and for furthering your studies at the graduate level. The University of Göttingen offers excellent conditions for meeting the new requirements of a modern education in economics.

A special feature of studying economics in Göttingen is the strong international focus: in both research and teaching, the main focus is the analysis of international relationships, the special conditions of EU member countries, regional economic issues, as well as empirical and experimental economics research. The University of Göttingen also has Germany's largest focus and field in the area of development economics research. The programmes are also international: an increasing number of courses in economics are offered in English.

International guest lecturers often contribute to the English language offerings with regular lectures on international economics. In addition, the Faculty offers partnerships with renowned universities in Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Latin America, Australia, Indonesia, and the US, so that it is possible to participate in a semester abroad during your bachelor's studies.

If you decide to study economics, you should be interested in general economic issues and have a good or advanced background in mathematics and English. German skills are mandatory.

The internationalisation of economies, together with an increasingly transnational segmentation of the value chain, has led to an ever-growing international interdependence of companies; the demand for a labour force that thinks and acts global has never been so high. A sound knowledge of the economic coherences within an economy, of companies' decision-making bases, of how household and state interact, and of the advantages of the growing international integration as well as skills in quantitative methods and Business English are key competencies for a successful entry into professional life in various fields, or lay the foundations for a career in academia. Get to know the different professional fields of our graduates in the alumni portraits (in German).

Thanks to the university's international focus, bachelor alumni may choose from various kinds of occupations, such as:

• in national and international companies and consultancies,
• in banks and insurance companies,
• and in private as well as public organisations.

The bachelor degree also offers the possibility to continue studies in a master's programme either at home or abroad. In Göttingen, for example, a bachelor graduate with a good grade may apply for the four-semester long master's programmes in International Economics (German/ English skills required), in Development Economics (English-language programme), in Applied Statistics (German/English skills required) or in History of Global Markets (German/English skills required).

Applicants interested in the MSc in International Economics or the MSc in Development Economics have also the option to apply for a two-year-English-language double degree programme in cooperation with the University of Groningen, the Netherlands (International Economics) and in cooperation with the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, the University of Florence, Italy, and the University of Clermont Auvergne, France (Development Economics), respectively.