Master in Applied Economics and Markets

Applied Economics and Markets is a master's degree taught in English at Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, in Bologna, Italy, running two years for students holding a bachelor's degree in economics or a related quantitative field. This field applies economic theory and quantitative methods to the analysis of real markets, covering subjects such as microeconomics, industrial organization, market design, and the statistical and econometric techniques used to study how prices, competition, and consumer behavior function in practice. Students typically build on foundational economic theory with applied coursework that examines specific markets and sectors, learning to use data to test economic hypotheses, evaluate policy interventions, and assess how firms and consumers respond to changing market conditions. Coursework often includes econometrics, game theory, and the analysis of market structures such as monopoly, oligopoly, and competitive markets, alongside methods for evaluating regulation and competition policy. Some programs also address behavioral aspects of markets, examining how real decision-making can depart from standard economic assumptions. Graduates from applied economics programs pursue careers in economic consulting, market research and analysis, competition and regulatory authorities, financial institutions, corporate strategy and pricing departments, and public sector roles involving economic policy evaluation, and some continue into doctoral study in economics. Bologna, home to Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, has a long-standing economics department, and the program's English-taught delivery is designed to attract an international group of students interested in the quantitative study of markets and applied economic analysis.