Bachelor in Economics: behavior, data and policy

The Bachelor's Degree Programme in Economics: Behavior, Data and Policy is a three-year programme, entirely taught in English, that aims to provide a basic but solid knowledge of economic theory, its principles, and its quantitative and statistical tools. This knowledge is aimed at developing the ability to produce analysis and research in all the fields of economics. Students will acquire the ability to analyze the behavioral mechanisms that lead individuals to make decisions that influence the organization and functioning of markets. At the same time, they will understand economic systems, also from an international perspective, and the policies that regulate them. The programme also aims to provide critical awareness of social issues in contemporary reality, which are closely related to economic development, like public policies to counter inequality. The programme also offers an applied approach, with constant use of data analysis, and includes innovative branches of economics such as behavioral economics and experimental methods.

The programme's strongly internationallyoriented perspective is finally granted by the use of English as language of instruction. The first two years of the study programme aim to ensure basic knowledge in different disciplines, with a training in quantitative methods and the development of reasoning and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, students will grasp the basic principles of economics in order to acquire tools for analysing individual choices, market functioning, dynamics underlying economic activities and the labor market. Through targeted teaching, students will develop the ability to collect, process and interpret statistical data, with an early focus on consumer behavior. In the third year of the program, students take advanced courses and apply the tools and skills acquired earlier. They also have the opportunity to further enrich their competencies in analysing the behavioral mechanisms influencing consumer choices. The knowledge and skills acquired are useful both for graduates intending to continue their academic career with a Master Degree and for graduates entering the job market in positions and professional profiles such as operative marketing technician; strategic marketing technician, market analyst, and data technician.

The Degree Programme in Economics: Behavior, Data and Policy aims to train the following professional figures.

1. Profile: Data Technician Function in a work context: assist specialists in experimental research and in demographic, epidemiological, social and economic surveys; verify and apply research and data acquisition procedures; quality control of collected data and statistical processing and analysis of the data. Skills associated with the function: solid quantitative and methodological basis for collecting data and conducting statistical analysis. Employment outlets: enterprises, public and private organizations.

2. Profile: Market Analyst Function in a work context: to assist specialists in defining marketing strategies; carry out researches on consumer reactions and market conditions; evaluate commercial penetration opportunities for products or services; identify competitive situations, prices and types of consumers; apply established procedures to collect relevant information; organize and analyse collected information, and present it in a relevant and meaningful way to specialists and managers. Skills associated with the function: solid quantitative basis for conducting statistical analysis, in-depth knowledge of market systems and behavioral mechanisms of consumer choices. Employment outlets: enterprises, public and private organizations.

The University of Milan is a public teaching and research university, which - with 8 faculties and 2 schools and a teaching staff of more than 2000 professors - is distinguished by its wide variety of disciplinary fields. A leading institute in Italy and Europe for scientific productivity, the University of Milan is the largest university in the region, with approximately 64,000 students; it is also an important resource for the socio-economic context of which it is a part. Milan is, in fact, the capital of Lombardy, one of the most dynamic and international regions in the European Union, a leader in the national economy that stands at the Italian forefront of research and development investments and commitment to technological innovation.

The University of Milan also possesses a remarkable artistic and cultural heritage that includes important historic buildings, inherited and acquired collections, archives, botanical gardens and the old Brera Observatory commissioned by Maria Teresa of Austria. The University’s departments are housed in important historic edifices in the center of Milan and in modern buildings in the area known as Città Studi (the City of Studies). Among the palazzos that house the University’s facilities are the old Ca' Granda (the big house) – a monumental complex from the 15th-century in the heart of the historical city centre - the 18th-century Palazzo Greppi designed by Giuseppe Piermarini – who built the Scala Theatre in Milan – and the 17th-century Sant’Alessandro College commissioned by the Arcimboldi family. The book collection , which is one of the richest in the region, is preserved in 47 libraries, while the APICE Centre collects rare and valuable book stocks and archives. The University also has a Choir and its own Orchestra, which actively contributes to the cultural life of the city and receives international acknowledgments on an increasingly frequent basis.