A PhD was something I always dreamed of doing. On the one hand, it was a natural continuation of my, it now seems, life-long learning curve after my Master’s degree. But, more importantly, it was also a faraway dream on the horizon that seemed worth pursuing just for its own sake. I probably knew my love of research should last me the entire doctoral spell but no one will ever be able to fully explain to you what it is like to undertake a PhD until you have finally let yourself fall into its subtle embrace.

With English being considered the “must-have language”, is there a need for economists to learn a foreign language, or does it concern only those who work or want to work in the business field in a non-English speaking country?

In between the common subdisciplines of economics like international or financial economics, lie many much smaller specializations, for example the economics of language. The term “economics of language“ is defined by François Grin, to be “the paradigm of mainstream theoretical economics and uses the concepts and tools of economics in the study of relationships featuring linguistic variables, it focuses principally, but non exclusively, on those relationships in which economic variables also play a part”.

The move from high school to university or college can be a daunting one, often made more difficult by the question ‘what am I going to study.’ This is naturally influenced by personal interests, past experiences, parents, friends, and teachers, but when it comes down to it, it is the student that has to decide what is interesting for them. I have taken a troll around the Internet to see what people have to say in favour of studying economics and come up with some interesting answer.

Been meaning to brush up on your econometric skills, not got round to it, and now worried you won't be able to due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic? No fear - there's plenty of studying you can do from the comfort of your own home online. While nothing beats face-to-face interaction between student and teacher, online courses have other advantages, not least being that you can study when you want and at your own pace.

In these weird times, many (though by no means all) of us find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands, stuck at home with not much to do. But actually, there are plenty of things you can get stuck into to keep you busy, and not all of them involve watching ten hours of Netflix a day. We here at INOMICS are big fans of convincing people to learn a language, because we think it's one of the best things you can do for your brain. And the modern world lends itself nicely to this undertaking: technology, downloadable directly to the smartphone, turns your social media device into a potent learning machine. There are a range of language learning apps available, many free, many with paid features, all useful in their own way. What better way to spend the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic?

The list of reasons to learn a new language is endless. Not only does it open up a whole other world of culture and history for you, there's a growing body of research which suggests becoming multilingual can help stave off dementia, improve your memory, improve your cognitive control, and even make your happier and boost your pleasure levels. Employers also often say they value bilingual candidates more highly, and much research shows after learning one new language, learning others becomes easier. Research also suggests humans' well-being is closely linked to the achievement of meaningful goals in life, meaning speaking that extra tongue could boost your life satisfaction. Aside from all that, while it can be hard at times, it's really fun!

We spoke to top hiring managers Kalpana Kochhar, Director of Human Resources Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jordi Roca Solanelles, Head Manager of the University of Barcelona’s School of Economics (UB) and Professor Dr Florian Englmaier, Professor for Organisational Economics as the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), to discover what challenges economics post-graduates should expect from prospective careers in some of the biggest institutions around.

There are a large number of English-language master's degrees available in universities across Europe. If you are planning to apply for a master's program which is taught in English, then you will need to provide proof of your English language abilities. One test used to measure language skills is the TOEFL, which you need to take before applying for a master's.

If you're planning to do a master's degree in the US and you're not a native English speaker, then you'll need to do a test to demonstrate your English proficiency before applying for your master's course. The TOEFL is a popular English assessment which is commonly used by international students when applying to universities in the US.

When you're applying for an MBA program, there are so many things to consider: Finding the right course in the right location, choosing a concentration, looking at long-term employment options... there's a lot of information that you'll need. To help you with this important decision, we're compiling a list of the entry requirements for some of the best MBA courses around the world, so you know what you need to aim for.

Are you thinking about doing an MBA? With so many courses and options to choose from, it can seem a bit overwhelming. To help you break down your application process into more manageable chunks, we're looking at some of the key requirements of MBA programs both in the US and in Europe.

Interested in studying in the Czech Republic but worried about the costs? We've selected the most important scholarship opportunities for international students in the Czech Republic, that you should check out.

Exams can be a real stress for students! But don't panic, because we're here to help with our tips on how to ace your written essay exams:

Technology is changing the way we work, especially for students who are learning in an increasingly technology-rich environment. There are a ton of smartphone apps which can help make your life easier as a student, so here we're recommending some of the best.

An interdisciplinary degree is one which covers more than one academic discipline; bringing together knowledge and working methods from multiple fields to give a broad perspective on a topic. Some common interdisciplinary topics include behavioural science, criminology, or mind and brain studies.

With fees ranging up to six digit figure sums, choosing to enrol in an MBA program can be an enormous decision, particularly if you’re leaving a well-paid career or trying to juggle work and family commitments. Regardless, more and more executives, students and business people are taking the time to earn an MBA.

For a student faced with the daunting decision of which university to attend, paying a visit to a university fair can be a great way to get your thoughts in order and discover some of the programs and institutions on offer. These fairs can vary in size from the small to large-scale (such as UniFair in the UK), and can be quite confusing.

As another season of graduate school applications comes to a close, we wanted to offer a few diverse perspectives on the matter for any of you still on the fence, or for those of you planning ahead for next year. Although deadlines for this coming fall have already passed for most schools in North America, potential PhD candidates looking at European, Asian, African or Latin American schools may still have some time to send in an application.

The literature research students need to rely on throughout all of their thesis writing is diverse. Broadly categorized there are three types of literature useful for PhD students: research/topic literature, methods literature, and ‘how to do your PhD’ literature. A somewhat similar classification of PhD materials can, for example, be found in Chris Hart’s Doing a Literature Search: A Comprehensive Guide for the Social Sciences (2010, Sage, p.2), which I recommend immensely.

Source: National Science Foundation, NSF/NIH/USED/USDA/NEH/NASA, Survey of Earned Doctorates

When I was about to receive my Bachelor diploma, I was confused. I knew where I wanted to work, but I didn’t know how to get there with a Degree in Law. I also knew that I needed to steer my professional training towards economics, but I didn’t know how. The problem was that I just didn’t have enough credits in any economics-related disciplines to meet the requirements of the majority of study programs available. After having weighed all the options, I made up my mind to apply for an MA in Public Policy and to try to focus on economics-related disciplines.

What happens to economics students once they complete their first degree? Here is a snapshot of economics graduates’ activities detailing their occupation six months after graduation.