If students hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet the entry requirements for a master’s, a Pre-Master’s can help them gain a place on a postgraduate degree. For progression to the 1st year of a postgraduate degree at the University of Essex. Course length is determined mainly by students English language level (UKVI IELTS score).

Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. If their course is longer than 2 terms, students will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Master of Arts - Economics For student's whose first degree isn’t in economics, or their economics training didn't provide sufficient experience for the MSc courses, MA Economics may be the right choice.

Essex pushes the frontiers of accepted wisdom, critically examining the decisions of individuals, the strategies of firms, and the policies of governments to understand and challenge the standard paradigms of economics. In this course, students build a thorough understanding of the key areas of economics through studying these topics: strategic behaviour, public choice, fiscal and monetary policy, theories of growth; modern theory and methods with application to policy; formal economic arguments, and the role of equilibrium; econometric methods.

Essex teaches students the essentials of micro- and macroeconomics and econometric methods. Students also have the option to explore a set of selected topics in economics to hone their skills, such as Management Economics and Market Analysis, International Trade and Financial Economics.

For the dissertation, students apply these skills to create an original piece of research. If students need it, Essex supports them in math through pre-sessional and co-curricular support. If students would like to develop their knowledge further at Essex, they offer a range of other advanced courses inside and outside economics that complement this course.

Essex is top 5 in the UK for research, with over 90% of their research rated as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”. Much of this world-class research is related to policy, and they have research strengths in a number of areas. The quality of Essex's work is reflected in their stream of publications in high-profile academic journals, including American Economic Review, Econometrica, and Review of Economic Studies.

After completing the masters, students may wish to extend their knowledge with a research degree –many Essex graduates decide to stay for further study. Alternatively, the course also helps prepare students for employment; recent surveys have shown that higher degree graduates are more likely to obtain jobs at professional or managerial level.