visexaminer

Hello, I'm looking for advice about applying to schools in Europe for a MSc in economics. I have a BS engineering degree from a flagship US university and only took introductory courses in economics in undergrad. For math classes, I've taken the calculus series, differential equations, and numerical methods and linear algebra (combined in 1 class). From my research, it seems like a lot of the reputable schools require a BS in economics or that you've taken a lot of econ classes. Some universities states that they welcome students with extensive quantitative background as long as they have "sufficient" economics background. I've emailed some of those school and have only received vague answers along the line of "we're not able to assess your qualification unless you apply and pay the application fee." Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend 100 euros at every school I'm interested in. My question is: 1. What is generally considered a sufficient background in economics for European schools. I know that every school is going to have different requirements, but I'm just looking for some ideas of specific classes (intermediate micro, macro, econometrics?) 2. If I'm not qualified to apply this cycle, should I take classes at a local university (pros: cheap, no rent; con: not a lot of prestige) or do a formal graduate diploma/pre-master program such as Birkbeck's (pros: prestige, con: expensive tuition & cost of living in London)? Also, does anyone have any experience with University of London's online graduate diploma? They claimed its curriculum is designed by LSE, but I haven't found much information about it. Any advice from someone with experience in this situation is greatly appreciated.

Hello. I've been doing some research about the admissions to MSc Economics programs in Europe. Since my BS is in engineering, I'm finding that there are very few programs that I'm qualified to apply to. I've emailed some programs asking about my situation, but I'm still not sure how best to proceed. Some programs (Mannheim) are consecutive masters so I'm definitely not qualified to apply. However, some programs (Erasmus School of Economics) stated that my qualifications cannot be assessed until I apply. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to spend 100 EUR applying to every school not knowing if I'm even qualified. I asked Erasmus how I should best prepare (what classes to take, which pre-master/diploma programs, etc.) and receive very vague answers. Is there anyone who has the experience applying to European MSc programs with an American bachelor's degree in an unrelated field? Should I take classes at my local university or go for a formal, reputable program like graduate diploma from Birkbeck, University of London? I want to maximize my chances at getting into the best possible programs so I don't want to do a school-specific pre-master program (Erasmus offered one, but judging from its curriculum, I'm not confident I would be able to apply to other prestigious programs.) Any advice is greatly appreciated.