Financial Economics

We see our goal as cultivating in students versatility by equipping them with:

• in-depth knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics;
• hands-on knowledge of dedicated mathematical and econometric methods;
• skills in using cutting-edge financial applications; and
• strategic decision-making skills and aptitude for evaluating risks and managing them in our ever changing world.

The training we provide is fundamental, scholastic, and diverse. It offers students opportunities to meet their potential employers and to contribute to international research.

1. Reputation of the programme

We are recognized for the quality and unique blend of theoretical and applied courses in economics and finance. Our students can choose from a variety of electives from corporate or quantitative finance to big data and programming in economics and finance courses. The programme provides a solid foundation for PhD study.

2. International standing

Instruction is English. Created with academic support of LSE the programme brings together the Russian and British traditions of higher education and meets UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education standards. Since 2019, Financial Economics has been consistently ranked among top-100 Business Masters programmes in Finance in the world, according to the QS ranking. Academic mobility opportunities are open to our students during their second year of study.

3. All our full-time academics are PhD holders from top-ranked universities of the world

Among our faculty staff are visiting professors (Stanford, Oxford, LSE) and Russian practitioners (Sberbank, Gazprombank, KPMG, Deloitte, BCS, to name a few). It is a requirement that each lecturer receives positive endorsement from ICEF International Academic Council.

4. Alumni Club and Career Centre

Launched in 2007, the programme is completed by 300+ participants who are now solid professionals providing ICEF Career Centre with job offers from their employers. Even though this master’s level program may not be a perfect fit for those intending to combine studies with work, it offers professional experience opportunities through internships, some of which are salaried. Also, the contact with the industry can be gained via our employer-hosted eleсtives (McKinsey, Deloitte, among others) and the regularly held meet-the-alumni sessions.

Our programme relies on the expertise of The London School of Economics (MSc Economics) and Oxford Business Schools (MSc Financial Economics).

From LSE master’s degree programmes we adopted the profound theoretical background in core subjects (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics), and from Oxford ones the wide range of theoretical and applied course units.

Research opportunities

Students are offered a schedule of workshops featuring researchers from Europe, America, and Asia, as well as the opportunity to take part in the Annual International Moscow Finance Conference. The top-performing students are offered research traineeships at the International Laboratory of Financial Economics (with research fellows at LSE and Oxford) and HSE’s other scientific units.

Faculty-Student and Alumnus-Student mentorship

Students are free to go into the office hours of any professor to share on a course-related issue or ask questions relating to their future career or research opportunities, among others. Also, there will definitely be the opportunity to talk to our alumni and those of them who are engaging in the professional activity you might be planning to take up.

Individual learning path. Wide selection of courses. VTB scholarship

In pursuit of our students’ professional growth, we offer individual learning paths. Our selection of electives and the courses hosted by ICEF’s and HSE’s overseas partners allows students to be flexible about their learning trajectories. The best-performing students are eligible for VTB scholarship.

Consulting, financial, and real economy companies. Our alumni are employed:

• abroad, by London-based offices of Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, EY
• by Russia-based offices of multinationals Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey
• by domestic banks and corporations – VTB, Sberbank, Alfa Bank, Central Bank, RosAtom, Gazprom

Not only do our alumni find themselves sought-after on the labor market, they receive job offers when they are students.

Academic career

Every year, ICEF master’s students become awardees and winners of HSE-hosted competitions for the best student projects. Some enroll in PhD programs at overseas universities – Toulouse School of Economics (France); The University of California, Berkeley, The University of California, San Diego, The University of Minnesota, Duke University, The University of Pennsylvania (USA); The University of St. Gallen (Switzerland); London School of Economics, and the University of Oxford; among others.

Even though the majority of our enrollees are holders of degrees from leading engineering and economic faculties, we accept candidates with backgrounds other than Engineering or Economics if they are:

• familiar with essential topics of mathematics (Multidimensional calculus, basics of optimization; Linear Algebra; Convex analysis and Kuhn-Tucker theorem; Theory of probability and statistics);
• familiar with fundamental economics; and
• have the level of English language skills advanced enough to take English-taught courses.