MSc Financial and Business Economics

“I am particularly concerned with social and economic inequality and I wanted to study economics so that I could improve my understanding of such issues and hopefully, to some extent, contribute to a better world.

I chose to do my MSc and then my PhD within the Department of Economics at the University of Essex as it is one of the top rated departments in economics and was recently ranked third in the UK. Furthermore, it is a strong department in applied labour economics and game theory, my areas of interest.

I highly value the academic environment of the Department. The benefit of a relatively small department is the high interaction among the members of stuff and the students. I also appreciate the multiculturalism of the University. It gives you the opportunity to mix with students who are coming from all over the world and have first-hand information on past and current international conflicts and issues.

I have not decided yet what to do when I finish my studies, as it depends on my thesis and its impact. I think that I would like to either continue in academia or work for an international organisation.”

“After my BA I worked as a research assistant at an Italian university. During that period I realised that I wanted to start a proper career in research, so applying for a PhD was therefore a natural choice. I decided to study at Essex because the Department of Economics is internationally famous for the quality of its researchers and particularly well known in my field of specialisation, labour economics.

I particularly liked the atmosphere in the Department. Staff were always willing to discuss research issues in a constructive and very informal way, so it was a very stimulating and enriching environment. I also appreciated the fact that Essex’s Department of Economics is very well connected with other universities in the UK and internationally. This means some of the best economists in the world come to Essex for seminars, conferences and workshops. For a PhD student, feeling part of such a vibrant community was an extremely motivational and rewarding factor.

One of my fondest memories of Essex is the spring and summer time, when the good weather made it easy to meet up with friends and colleagues on campus. I made some really good friends – and met my future wife – at the University.

After graduating, I started my career as an academic researcher and now work as research fellow at the University of Melbourne, in Australia. Having my PhD from Essex has been crucial for entering the academic job market. The Department’s staff were extremely helpful during the period in which I was looking for a job and their contributions were very important for successfully completing my studies and starting my new career."