Accreditations
This Master's programme is two years long. The first year is dedicated to the completion of 10 curricular units: six mandatory and four electives, 1 in the 1st semester and 3 on the 2nd semester (see list below). Students who pass all the curricular units in the first year will receive the Diploma of Post-Graduate Study in Economics and Public Policies.
Students who opt to continue into the second year of the Master's will prepare a dissertation (more oriented towards academic research) or a work projects (more oriented towards the solution of applied problems), as well as to complete a curricular unit of methodological character, oriented towards the specific work needs of each student at the end of the course.
Programme Structure for 2024/2025
| Curricular Courses | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Year | ||
|
Economics, Development and Territory
6.0 ECTS
|
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Economy and European Policies
6.0 ECTS
|
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|
State, Economy and Public Policies
6.0 ECTS
|
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|
Industrial Policy and Competitiveness
6.0 ECTS
|
||
|
Debates in Public Policy
6.0 ECTS
|
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|
Research in Economics and Public Policy
6.0 ECTS
|
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|
2nd Cycle Internship
6.0 ECTS
|
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| 2nd Year | ||
|
Research Seminar in Economics and Public Policies
6.0 ECTS
|
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|
Master Dissertation in Economics and Public Policies
48.0 ECTS
|
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|
Project in Economics and Public Policies
48.0 ECTS
|
Recommended optative
1st semester
- 01710 | Planning and Public Policy
- 03641 | Comparative Political Economy (2 Cycle) | Daytime - Lecture in EN
- 03646 - Case Study Methods in Political Economy
- 04660 | Ecological transition, work and employment
- M6801 | Macroeconomic Policies
- 00555 | Using Statistical Indicators
2nd semester
- M6810 - Regional and City Policies
- 04072 - Policy Evaluation Methods
- 00201 - Economics of Knowledge and Innovation Policy
- 00555 | Quantitative Techniques for Data Analysis
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
Objectives
The curriculum of the Master's in Economics and Public Policies was designed with the following general objectives:
- enable students to understand and question the role of States in answering the principle contemporary challenges in economics;
- to support the development of skills of designing, managing and evaluating public policies.
This MSc intends to supply its students with:
- theoretical bases for understanding, conceptualizing and questioning Public Policy;
- a critical vision regarding the policies "in action";
- knowledge about the best practices of instrumenting policies;
Such general purposes are implemnted in the following ways. The level of knowledge, it is intended that students will be able to:
- understand the main debates around the nature and role of the State in the regulation of the economy;
- identify the principle mechanisms of European governance;
- distinguish the different scales of public policy, in particular of monetary, budgeting and cohesion policy, bearing in mind Portugal's participation in the European Union;
At the level of ability, it is intended that students will be able to master instruments of analysis, namely;
- the design, management, and evaluation of public policy;
- the impact of the Agenda and specific European policies on Portugal in the prioritized domains of economic competitiveness, knowledge and innovation, as well as social cohesion and territorial development.
At the level of skills, it is intended that students will be able to:
- judge the factors that control the efficiency of public policy;
- independently develop research ideas in the domains of economics and public policy;
- present and communicate the results of their research and/or professional projects in specific contexts;
These objectives are pursued through the specific learning goals of the various CUs, with their accomplishment measured through one or more evaluation methods suited to each specific type of objective.
Thesis / Final work
This course requires the completion of a scientific dissertation, or an innovative project of a more applied nature, corresponding to 60 credits.
The master's students are given the opportunity to choose between these two options due to the diverse nature of the individuals included in the programme: this group contains, on the one hand, students and technicians that intend to continue their studies in further educational programmes and, on the other, professionals who make direct interventions in the areas of analysis within the scope of the course.
The preparation of the dissertation or the final project will be guided by a Ph.D. or recognized specialist, and must be presented in public before a jury appointed for this purpose.