Admission to the Master's programme in Economics (MEcon)

You may apply directly for enrolment in this Master's programme if you hold one of the following degrees from a recognised Swiss university (not university of applied sciences) or obtain one before your chosen degree programme starts:

• Bachelor's degree in a similar discipline from a Swiss university
  A degree is considered to be similar if at least 60 ECTS credit points have been awarded in economic subjects.
• Consecutive Master's degree from a Swiss university in another discipline
  Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes must have been completed in the same discipline (consecutively) and amount to at least 270 ECTS credit points together.

A list of the recognised, accredited Swiss universities can be found at swissuniversities. More information on the recognition of universities and university degrees can be found in the admission rules and regulations, the implementation provisions as well as the directives.

If you have any questions on recognised degrees or degrees in similar subjects please do not hesitate to contact the staff at the Admissions and Crediting Office who will be happy to help you.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your command of the language of instruction is sufficient to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level at the start of the study is at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Applicants with a university Bachelor's degree in a similar discipline must successfully complete the integration week Economics before this degree programme starts. After the successful completion of the integration week you can start your master's studies.

The integration week Economics takes place at the beginning of September (calendar week 36). In case of failure, it may be retaken once in it's entirety at the beginning of November (calendar week 44).

The integration week curriculum combines the following modules:

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Econometrics
• Statistics and Mathematics
• Programming in R

The lectures in the integration week aim to deepen the study matter you have gone through in self-study and prepare you for the subsequent examinations you need to sit. To give you an idea of what to expect, here is a literature list and the last year's timetable for the integration week. 

Applicants with a consecutive Master's degree in a subject other than economics must complete the Master's preparatory level. You will first be registered in the Master's preparatory level. Only when you have successfully met the requirements of the Master's preparatory level, can you take courses at the Master's level. It is not possible to transfer external credits.

The learning programme for the Master's preparatory level consists of the following lectures (54 ECTS Credits):

4 ECTS Credits Macroeconomics II
4 ECTS Credits Microeconomics II
6 ECTS Credits Makroeconomics III
6 ECTS Credits Microeconomics III
6 ECTS Credits Data Analytics I: Statistics (VWL)
6 ECTS Credits Data Analytics II: Empirical Economic Research
4 ECTS Credits Accounting, Controlling, Auditing
18 ECTS Credits Economics core electives

The above courses are offered either in autumn or spring semester. The examinations for these courses, however, are conducted each semester. Therefore, you must plan carefully when taking the courses as you might be required to complete some of them through self-study before you can sit the exam.

For more information on the assessment of the above courses, refer to the respective course or examination fact sheets.

All students must take two language courses (foreign languages) in addition to their Master’s degree course to successfully complete their Master's degree programme. Crediting is possible according to the "fact sheet concerning language requirements".

All students must provide evidence of sufficient accounting knowledge to successfully complete their Master's degree programme.

If you have already acquired sufficient knowledge of accounting during your studies, the evidence can be credited during the admission process. If this evidence is missing at the time of admission, the accountancy examination has to be taken at the University of St.Gallen.

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

• Digital passport photo
• Signed "General Conditions and Code of Conduct"
• Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
• Curriculum vitae – style template
• Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss maturity certificate or foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
• Degree documents, if available. Otherwise current official transcripts from each university attended (including exchange programmes and transcripts from unfinished degree programmes). The current transcript must show at least 120 ECTS credit points for courses taken so that we can process your application.

Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point. You can use online tools such as online2pdf.com to create PDF files or to combine several pages into one PDF file. Make sure the files you send to us are legible so that we can process your application without delay.

Swiss citizens need their Swiss social insurance number (AHV number) for the application. If you do not know your national insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.

The Admissions and Crediting Office checks your personal data and your electronically submitted documents. You will hear from us no later than six weeks following your completion of the online application.

Please log into your user account regularly to check the status of your application. If we need further information or documents, we will inform you directly via your account’s status overview page. Additionally, you will be requested by email to log into your user account.

Make sure you can receive our emails by adding the address compass-noreply@unisg.ch and zulassung@unisg.ch to your safe sender list in your email settings.

If the decision is positive, you will receive the Letter of Admission along with details on your programme-specific additional requirements in your “Compass Mailbox”. Please find the link to your Mailbox in the Online-Application user account at the top right of your status overview page. You can access your Mailbox using your Online-Application log-in data.

Mid-July we will upload the semester fee invoice to your Compass Mailbox. At the beginning of August we will send you more information on course selection (Bidding), the compulsory introductory Kick-off Days, as well as the HSG Student Guide and Arrival Guide.

Your admission is conditional until you submit all the necessary documents. You may post a certified copy of your degree certificate to us by no later than the start of the programme (calendar week 38). Please do not send any original copies in the post!

If you do not have your degree certificate by the time the degree programme starts, you have to submit confirmation by the end of calendar week 38 that you graduated from your university. The confirmation of graduation must clearly show that you have all of the course work required for graduation. The confirmation must also indicate when your university is going to issue your final degree certificate. Please note that you must also submit confirmation that you are no longer registered as a student there.

As soon as you have presented all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email.

If you have one of the following degrees from a recognised university (not university of applied sciences) or complete one before your chosen degree programme starts, then you can apply for this Master's programme:

• University Bachelor's degree in a similar subject to Economics
  A degree is considered to be similar if at least 60 ECTS credit points have been awarded in economic subjects.
• Consecutive university Master's degree in another discipline
  Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes must have been completed in the same discipline (consecutively) and amount to at least 270 ECTS credit points together.

Your degree programme will be recognised if the following criteria are fulfilled:

• Your degree was awarded by a university, which is recognised in the country where you attended the course.
• You have completed at least 80% of your course work at a recognised or accredited university.
• You have completed at least half of the course credits onsite at the university awarding the degree.
• You fulfil the minimum requirements for admission to the Master's degree programme at your home university.

More information on the recognition of universities, university degrees as well as country-specific provisions can be found in the admission rules and regulations, the implementation provisions as well as the directives.

If you have any questions on recognised degrees or degrees in similar subjects please do not hesitate to contact the staff at the Admissions and Crediting Office who will be happy to help you.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your command of the language of instruction is sufficient to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level at the start of the study is at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The number of university places for foreign applicants is limited by law. As the number of applications is higher than the number of places available, foreign student applicants are admitted via a selection process. The following criteria will be assessed in the selection process:

• average grade
• study qualification test (optional)
• university and curriculum of the degree programme
• extracurricular activities and intercultural mobility
• letter of motivation

The Admission Committee conducts three admission rounds between October and March. All complete applications that have been submitted on time are assessed and a decision is made on the admission.

More information on the selection process can be found in the "Admission of foreign applicants to the Master's Level" fact sheet.

Admission rounds:
First admission round: 1 October–30 November / Decision: by 21 December
Second admission round: 1 December–31 January / Decision: by 22 February
Third admission round: 1 February–31 March / Decision: by 30 April

(Swiss or Liechtenstein citizens, applicants with a Swiss permanent residence permit C and applicants with a Swiss school leaving certificate or a Swiss university degree can apply directly for enrolment in the Master's degree programme, provided that they fulfil the formal admission regulations.)

Applicants with a university Bachelor's degree in a similar discipline must successfully complete the integration week Economics before this degree programme starts. After the successful completion of the integration week you can start your master's studies.

The integration week Economics takes place at the beginning of September (calendar week 36). In case of failure, it may be retaken once in it's entirety at the beginning of November (calendar week 44).

The integration week curriculum combines the following modules:

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Econometrics
• Statistics and Mathematics
• Programming in R

The lectures in the integration week aim to deepen the study matter you have gone through in self-study and prepare you for the subsequent examinations you need to sit. To give you an idea of what to expect, here is a literature list and the last year's timetable for the integration week. 

Applicants with a consecutive Master's degree in a subject other than economics must complete the Master's preparatory level. You will first be registered in the Master's preparatory level. Only when you have successfully met the requirements of the Master's preparatory level, can you take courses at the Master's level. It is not possible to transfer external credits.

The learning programme for the Master's preparatory level consists of the following lectures (54 ECTS Credits):

4 ECTS Credits Macroeconomics II
4 ECTS Credits Microeconomics II
6 ECTS Credits Makroeconomics III
6 ECTS Credits Microeconomics III
6 ECTS Credits Data Analytics I: Statistics (VWL)
6 ECTS Credits Data Analytics II: Empirical Economic Research
4 ECTS Credits Accounting, Controlling, Auditing
18 ECTS Credits Economics core electives

The above courses are offered either in autumn or spring semester. The examinations for these courses, however, are conducted each semester. Therefore, you must plan carefully when taking the courses as you might be required to complete some of them through self-study before you can sit the exam.

For more information on the assessment of the above courses, refer to the respective course or examination fact sheets.

All students must take two language courses (foreign languages) in addition to their Master’s degree course to successfully complete their Master's degree programme. Crediting is possible according to the "fact sheet concerning language requirements".

All students must provide evidence of sufficient accounting knowledge to successfully complete their Master's degree programme.

If you have already acquired sufficient knowledge of accounting during your studies, the evidence can be credited during the admission process. If this evidence is missing at the time of admission, the accountancy examination has to be taken at the University of St.Gallen.

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

• Digital passport photo
• Signed "General Conditions and Code of Conduct"
  
• Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
• Curriculum vitae – style template
• Supporting documents for extracurricular activities
• Letter of motivation (foreign applicants only) - style template
• GMAT, GRE or LSAT test, optional (foreign applicants only)
• Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss maturity exam, foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
• Degree documents, if available. Otherwise current official transcripts from each university attended (including exchange programmes and transcripts from unfinished degree programmes). The current transcript must show at least 120 ECTS credit points for courses taken so that we can process your application. In the case of double degree programmes or "joint degrees", transcripts from each attended university including explanatory notes on the course programme must be submitted.

If any of the documents are not issued in German, French, Italian or English, you must also submit a certified translation of the document in German or English. Please observe our guidelines "Certified documents and translations".

Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point. You can use online tools such as online2pdf.com to create PDF files or to combine several pages into one PDF file. Make sure the files you send to us are legible so that we can process your application without delay.

Swiss citizens need their Swiss social insurance number (AHV number) for the application. If you do not know your national insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.