Applying for Postgraduate Study

Applications for admission to postgraduate courses must be made through the University. For details about application forms, or how to apply online, and a variety of other information, see the University of Nottingham Applications for Postgraduate Study Webpage.

Any queries regarding applications to MSc/Diploma courses should be sent to the email address jane.spencer@nottingham.ac.uk.  For queries regarding PhD study, please email sarah.nolan@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that due to the large number of applications the School cannot give detailed feedback to unsuccessful applicants. 

Please note that decisions are not made on applications for the following academic year during September/October of each year, due to the start of term and this being an extremely busy period in the School.  If however you require an urgent decision on an offer for the following year for any reason, eg a scholarship application, please email sarah.nolan@nottingham.ac.uk.

Entry requirements

MSc Courses

Applicants should have, or expect to have by the beginning of the course, a first-class or upper second class Honours degree in economics from a UK university (or an equivalent qualification from a recognised institution for those with non-UK qualifications), with a strong background in quantitative methods.

Applied MSc Courses

Applicants should have, or expect to have by the beginning of the course, a first-class or upper second class Honours degree in economics from a UK university (or an equivalent qualification from a recognised institution for those with non-UK qualifications).

Diploma Courses

Applicants for the Diploma (Conversion) should have, or expect to have by the beginning of the course, a first or upper-second class Honours degree from a UK university (or an equivalent qualification from a recognised institution for those with non-UK qualifications), preferably having included some Economics modules; applicants without a grounding in Economics will be required to demonstrate familiarity with Mathematics and Statistics.

Research Students

Applicants should have, or expect to have, a good Masters qualification in Economics, equivalent to an overall average of 63% in an ESRC-recognised UK MSc degree.  (Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.)  The quality of an applicant’s research proposal, and its fit with the School’s supervisory capacity, are important criteria in assessing applications, so it is important that candidates include a research proposal in their application. The research proposal should include a statement about the research question, the methodology to be adapted, data requirements (if relevant) and references to recent literature on the topic published in leading acadamic journals.  Candidates can obtain information about the research interests and expertise of potential supervisors from the School’s web-pages.

Language requirements

Applicants for whom English is not their first language will be required to demonstrate that their English meets the minimum level of proficiency demanded by the School, namely

• British Council IELTS Band 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in every element, or
• a TOEFL (IBT) minimum of 100 with no less than 21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking.