Master’s Program

MSc Economics

Important dates
Application period: February 15 till March 31
Letter of acceptance: no later than early June
Welcome Day: October (successful candidates will receive further details in time)
Commencement of lectures: mid-October

Admission requirements and selection criteria

Prerequisite for admission to the Master’s program in Economics (MSc) at the University of Hamburg are
a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and sufficient English language skills.

1. Proof of English language skills

The following tests are accepted as proof of your English language skills:

• proof of at least eight subsequent years of English lessons at a German school, or

• proof of a Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in a college or university program taught in
English, or
• TOEFL internet-based test: at least 90 points, or
• Equivalent certificate of English language skills

2. Profile of your primary degree

Depending on the profile of your primary degree, i.e. your previous higher education, there are four
application categories with its respective admission requirements:

a) Applicants with a degree in Economics or “Volkswirtschaftslehre”

b) Applicants with a degree which includes advanced training in Economics
c) Applicants with a degree in Mathematics, Mathematical Economics, Statistics or equivalent
d) Applicants with a degree in Science, Social Science or Business Studies

a) Applicants with a degree in Economics or “Volkswirtschaftslehre”

If you have completed (or will complete prior to September 30) a BSc degree (or equivalent) in Economics,
your admission requirements are as follows:

Admission requirements:
1. Proof of your English language skills

Selection criteria:
Candidates who fulfill the formal requirements for admission will be ranked. The ranking is based on the
following criteria:
- GPA/CGPA (50%)
- Letter of motivation and letter of recommendation (50%)

b) Applicants with advanced training in Economics

If you have completed (or will complete prior to September 30) a degree with a strong focus on
Economics, you must fulfill the following requirements to be admitted:

Admission requirements:
1. Proof of your English language skills
2. Sufficient training in advanced economic analysis

Your transcript of records must document the following type of courses:

• two lectures* in general economics, i.e. basic micro- and macroeconomics,

• three lectures* on advanced topics in economics, of which at least one must cover
predominantly theoretical and one predominantly applied issues
• three lectures* in mathematics, statistics and econometrics, of which there is at least one in
mathematics and one in statistics, or econometrics

The lectures in mathematics, statistics and econometrics may be substituted with a GRE General Test
result of at least 700 points in the quantitative section, or a GRE revised General Test with at least 155
points in the quantitative section, or with a GRE Subject Test Mathematics of at least 700 points.

Clearly identify the above listed lectures on the copy of your transcript. If you have more courses than
required (for each area) choose which courses you want to have included into the selection process.

* A lecture should comprise of at least 2 hours per week over the course of one semester.

Selection criteria:
Candidates who fulfill the formal requirements for admission will be ranked. The ranking is based on the
following criteria:
- GPA/CGPA (25%)
- Grade average of required courses OR results of the GRE General/Mathematics test (25%)
- Letter of motivation and letter of recommendation (50%)

c) Applicants with a degree in Mathematics, Economical Mathematics, Statistics or equivalent

If you have completed (or will complete prior to September 30) a degree in mathematics, mathematical
economics, statistics or neighboring fields, you must fulfill the following requirements to be admitted:

Admission requirements:
1. Proof of your English language skills
2. Sufficient training in advanced mathematics

Your transcript of records must document the following type of courses:

• Lectures* on Linear Algebra and Analysis

• Lectures* on Statistics
OR
• Lectures* on Econometrics
The lectures may be substituted with a GRE General Test result of at least 700 points in the quantitative
section, or a GRE revised General Test with at least 155 points in the quantitative section, or with a GRE
Subject Test Mathematics of at least 700 points.

* A lecture should comprise of at least 2 hours per week over the course of one semester.

Selection criteria:
Candidates who fulfill the formal requirements for admission will be ranked. The ranking is based on the
following criteria:
- GPA/CGPA (25%)
- Grade average of required courses OR results of the GRE General/Mathematics test (25%)
- Letter of motivation and letter of recommendation (50%)

d) Applicants with a degree in Science, Social Science or Business Studies

If you have completed (or will complete prior to September 30) a degree in Science, Social Science or
Business Studies, you must fulfill the following requirements to be admitted:

Admission requirements:
1. Proof of your English language skills
2. Results of a GRE General Test of at least 700 points in the quantitative section, or a GRE revised
General Test with at least 155 points in the quantitative section, or results of a GRE Subject Test
Mathematics of at least 700 points.

Selection criteria:
Candidates who fulfill the formal requirements for admission will be ranked. The ranking is based on the
following criteria:
- GPA/CGPA (25%)
- Results of the GRE General/Mathematics test (25%)
- Letter of motivation and letter of recommendation (50%)

Application procedure and documents to be submitted

Please complete the STiNE online application form provided by the admissions office of the University of
Hamburg (https://www.stine.uni-hamburg.de). After you have filled in the online application, please
print out the report and submit the report of your online application along with your documents. For an
immediate and efficient processing of your application please hand in your documents in the following
order:

1. STiNE application form, printed out and signed

2. Proof of English language skills (uncertified copy) *
3. Bachelor degree certificate (if already available, uncertified copy) **
4. Up-to-date Transcript of records (uncertified copy)
5. GRE General or GRE Mathematics test results (if applicable, uncertified copy)
6. Letter of motivation (500 words max., in English)
7. At least one letter of recommendation from a university lecturer in your primary degree
program. The lecturer must hold a PhD and must be full-time employed at an institute of higher
education.

Chinese applicants are welcome to provide an APS Certificate as part of their application documents.
The application documents may be submitted either in German or in English. Please mind that only
complete applications will be taken into consideration.

* Applicants who, at the time of their application, are not able to prove their English language
skills as listed above, must provide a proof of their registration for the next possible test date
(e.g. print out of the online registration). In this case, the deadline for late-submission of the test
results will be postponed until May, 31.

** If you have not finished your primary degree yet, you must submit an official proof of your
current GPA (CGPA) along with your application documents, instead. If your transcript of records
or Bachelor degree certificate does not specify a GPA please calculate it by yourself in your
original grading system and indicate it in the STiNE application form. During the admissions
process your declaration will be verified and transferred into the German grading system if
necessary.

Important notes for applicants

• Your application documents must bear your original signature on the STiNE form and original
signatures on the letter(s) of recommendation.
• Apart from the letter of recommendation, do not enclose any original documents, certificates
etc., only copies. In case of acceptance you will be asked to provide legally certified copies of your
degree and your proof of English language skills. We therefore recommend you to have them
ready at the time of your application.
• Do not enclose any additional expert references, certificates of practical experience, photos, etc.
• All documents must be sent together as one postal item and in printed form. You may add
closed letters of recommendation to your application documents. If your referee prefers to send
the recommendation separately, s/he can send it via post or email. In this case, please add a
note to your application documents.
• Make sure that your transcript of records includes an appendix with information on your
grading scale (otherwise submit them in an additional document).
• Due to the large number of applications we do not send information whether your documents
have arrived or not. Please use certified mail if you need an acknowledgement of receipt.

Contact data
Visit the program’s website at www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/msc-econ/

For queries regarding your application and the course of study which are not answered on the website
(also check the FAQ), please contact:
Email: msc-econ@wiso.uni-hamburg.de

For queries regarding the STiNE online application form, please contact:
Email: info.zulassung@verw.uni-hamburg.de

For queries regarding matriculation (after having received notice of admission), please contact:
Email: info.zulassung@verw.uni-hamburg.de
Address for applications
Universität Hamburg
Studienbüro Volkswirtschaftslehre
Program Coordination M.Sc. Economics
Von-Melle-Park 5, Entrance C
20146 Hamburg