Master's Degree in Economics, Development, and Innovation

The Master's Degree in Economics, Development, and Innovation is a post-graduate course open to Italian and foreign students aiming to pursue advanced studies in the field of applied economics and finance from an international perspective. MEDI (Master Programme in Economics, Development, and Innovation) offers two separate tracks:

• Industrial Organization and Innovation:  this track aims to provide students with the necessary theoretical foundations, tools, and methodologies for understanding and analyzing innovation and competition within industrial sectors. The courses touch on many different areas: economics, econometrics, law, and management. Students will initially acquire a solid background in industrial economics, competition policy, market regulation, the economics of innovation, and analytical tools and methodologies useful to understand industry structures and the role of innovation in determining industrial dynamics. In the second year, students will have the opportunity to analyze more deeply the functioning of specific industrial contexts (energy industries, digital markets) and/or specific cross-industry subjects (intellectual property rights). Learning the specific software required for economic and econometric analysis will also be the object of dedicated Laboratories (LAB).
• International Development and Economic Policy :  this track aims at providing students with a solid quantitative and theoretical background for understanding and analyzing the economic and social processes driving individual and household decisions and the functioning of markets and institutions in developed and developing countries. The program offers a wide range of courses in different areas of economics, statistics, mathematics, and law. Graduates will learn advanced quantitative methodologies and analytical tools while also deepening their knowledge of international markets and the economy of developing countries, from the microeconomics and macroeconomics point of view.

Though students attending MEDI will get the same degree, they may choose from the start between the two curricula. Such a variety of academic options is consistent with the existence in our Department of different groups of researchers sharing common scientific interests, publishing extensively on these topics, and occasionally working as consultants for private and public institutions.

The MEDI program is also suitable for students wishing to engage further in academic research in top-level national and international Ph.D. programs. Our Department is already involved in many international mobility programs. Beyond the Erasmus Programs, a lot of Double Degree programs in Economics have been agreed upon and are being agreed upon with some major European Universities (please refer to our Department’s International Activities website for all info on Double Degree Programs). Our students can spend the second year of the course in one of these Universities and get both the MEDI degree and the one offered by our European partners.

MEDI is expected to be completed in two years and is divided into 4 semesters. Teaching time is mostly devoted to advanced courses in economics with an applied perspective.

In the case of the Industrial Organization and Innovation curriculum, the focus of our courses is on market structure, the applications of game theory and econometrics to regulated and unregulated markets, on applied industrial organization and antitrust policies. The International Development and Economic Policy track focuses on international Economics and Policy, the Economics of Development and International Cooperation, Empirical Methods for the Evaluation of Economic Policies, and Health Economics.

Complementary courses in Law are also part of MEDI curricula. These courses change according to each specialization and include European Community Law and Antitrust Law. Business Administration courses mainly concern multinational firms, business development, and organizational behavior. Following the Italian multicultural tradition, students are also required to attend one course in Economic History and/or one in Sociology. Most courses require students to undertake individual short projects, take part in collective exercises, and produce short essays and presentations for the class. Active participation through projects, exercises, and presentations contributes to the student’s grades, together with traditional exams. Students can also choose Laboratories in applied econometrics and other topics as well as foreign languages like Spanish, French, and German.

Furthermore, students can complete their study plan with elective courses, worth 12 credits, chosen among the huge variety of topics offered by the University of Pavia, in English or Italian. We suggest some options but students are free to make their own choice. In case students find an Internship, it is possible to have this internship recognized as an elective course of 6 credits. Lastly, students will have to write and defend a Master's program dissertation (worth 24 credits) that will contribute to their final grade.

The University of Pavia. Advancing Knowledge since 1361

The University of Pavia is one of the world’s oldest Academic Institutions . It was founded in 825 as a “School of law, rhetoric and liberal arts” by King Lothair I, and in 1361 it was officially established as a “Universitas Studiorum” by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Thanks to the reforms implemented during the 18th century by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and her son Joseph II, the University of Pavia became one of the foremost in Europe, boasting an impressive number of famous Alumni, celebrated Academicians and Nobel Prizes .

Nowadays the University of Pavia is an Internationalisation-driven University which participates in agreements with worldwide esteemed institutions, an advanced Research University which promotes innovative interdisciplinary projects, and a Job-oriented University which creates powerful networks and strong business chances.