Master in Applied Research in Economics and Business (MAREB)

This Master offers high-quality training in economics and business research with analytical and quantitative tools, integrating theoretical knowledge with its application to real economic problems. All students share two modules in Quantitative Research Methods and Applied Economics and Business, followed by an Advanced Topics specialisation module in either Business or Applied Economics. The master is completed with a supervised dissertation consisting of an original piece of research.

This one-year 60 ECTS Master, taught completely in English, offers fields of specialization in two areas:  

Specialisation A) Research in Entrepreneurship and Management, aimed at the analysis of the process of new business creation and management, particularly focusing on small and medium-sized companies, and their impact on economic and social development. 
 

Specialisation B) Research in Applied Economics, aimed at implementing empirical analysis in different subfields of applied economics, including markets and public intervention, the economy and the environment, the process of development, the distribution of income, cities, migrations, gender and more.
 

Calendar

Teaching starts 25th September 2025 and takes place daily (mostly in the afternoons) until April 2026. Exams are taken at the end of each course. Research on the Master thesis takes place in May and June, with the thesis being defended in early July 2026.

Structure

All students share modules in Quantitative Research Methods and Applied Economics and Business (30 ECTS). Each specialization field then includes a specific 15-ECTS module (Entrepreneurship and SME management in the Entrepreneurship track, and Public Economics and Advanced Topics in Applied Economics in the Applied Economics track). The fourth module of the programme consists of an individual master’s thesis where each student will develop an original piece of research.

Common subjects include Mathematics, Statistics, Multivariate Analysis, Econometrics, Applied Microeconomics, Finance & Entrepreneurship, Applied Macroeconomics and Productivity, Efficiency & Innovation.

Students following the Applied Economics specialisation then take a course on Advanced Econometrics and choose 4 electives (among Public Economics, Development Economics, Migration Economics, Labour Economics, Urban Economics, Gender, Inequality and Poverty, and Environmental Economics). Those in the Entrepreneurship and SME management specialisation take courses on Entrepreneurship & Institutional Economics, New venture growth & strategy in SMEs, International Business Environment & International Entrepreneurship, Qualitative Research Methods in Entrepreneurship & SMEs and Marketing & Networking in SMEs.

Campus location

All activities of the master programme take place at the Faculty of Economics and Business in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona campus in Bellaterra (Barcelona). This is an integrated campus where all UAB facilities are close to each other, providing a pleasant research and teaching environment. The campus is well connected to Barcelona city centre by frequent train services and the motorway network. Students at UAB can benefit from easy access to other research centres in the Barcelona area.

More information on fees, application procedure, deadlines, etc. can be found at the master’s website: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/official-master-s-degrees/general-information/applied-research-in-economics-and-business-1096480962610.html?param1=1327649197987

This is an Official Master of 60 ECTS awarded by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

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