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MPhil Programme Economics and Finance (Tinbergen Institute)
Tinbergen Institute
Tinbergen Institute (TI) is the graduate school and institute for economic research of
the economics departments of Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR), Universiteit
van Amsterdam (UvA) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). It was founded in
1987 by these three economics departments and is located in both Amsterdam and
Rotterdam. TI currently has an annual influx of around 25 MPhil students, who
receive training and supervision from the Institute’s senior research fellows.
Tinbergen Institute has been accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts
and Sciences (KNAW). Such accreditation is evidence of the high quality of
academic training and research at the Institute.
The high quality of the graduate programme at TI is ensured by selecting lecturers
from among the best researchers of the three participating economics departments. In
addition, internationally renowned experts are invited to serve as guest lecturers. The
small scale of the Institute provides a lively atmosphere, one in which students and
lecturers interact easily.
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The Graduate Programme
The Institute provides an international community of excellent students with a highly
valued graduate programme. The graduate programme consists of two years of
intensive coursework and research in the Master of Philosophy in Economics (MPhil)
programme and three years of PhD thesis research.
The MPhil programme has been accredited by the Dutch and Flemish Accreditation
Organisation for higher education (NVAO). All courses are taught in English on the
institute’s premises in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The first year of the MPhil programme provides rigorous training in the core subjects
and tools of economics, namely microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematics,
statistics and econometrics. Performance in the core courses is assessed by formal
written exams; homework assignments and computational exercises may contribute to
the final grade. The second year allows students to specialize in at least two research
fields, e.g. econometrics, finance, labour economics or economic theory. Half of the
second year is spent on specialised coursework; the other half on supervised thesis
research. The MPhil thesis can serve as a starting point for PhD research.
Students who perform well in the MPhil programme are expected to transfer to the
three-year PhD programme. The Director of Graduate Studies helps MPhil students
by matching them with suitable supervisors chosen from among the TI research
fellows. The Institute’s PhD students are employed as PhD researchers ( Ditch:
‘promovendi’) by the economics department of EUR, UvA or VU. These are full-time
positions that come with all the benefits of employment, including a good salary.
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Admission requirements
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Completed online application form (via www.tinbergen.nl > Graduate School >
Applications)
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(Original) GRE test results*
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Two signed letters of recommendation (in sealed envelopes!)
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Letter of intent/statement of academic interest
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Curriculum vitae
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Transcript(s) of your course work
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if applicable in your case: TOEFL/IELTS test results*
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Chinese nationals are required to register with the Netherlands Education
Support Office (NESO ) in Beijing to obtain a NESO Certificate.
*Only original GRE, TOEFL or IELTS test results, sent by the testing organization,
will be accepted by the Admission Board in order to take a final decision on
acceptance. Tinbergen Institute’s institution code for both tests is 3811.
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Information and application
Please visit www.tinbergen.nl for the most recent information on the application
deadlines, application requirements, graduate school programme, scholarships, etc.
For more specific questions please contact the graduate school coordinator via
info@tinbergen.nl.
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