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Economics and German, MA

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Economics and German at Aberdeen is a great combination to widen your solid grounding in the global economy and topical economic challenges and issues – giving you the strong competitive advantage of a modern European language, cultural perspective and experience, with a fast track to a career in European and international organisations and business.

This programme is studied on campus.

In Economics, you will explore the microeconomics of business and society, macroeconomics of the world economy and economic problems in political, social and historical contexts, with a strong emphasis on applied learning. You will thrive in the dynamic, international environment of our Business School of 45 nationalities and be taught by experts including leading petroleum economist and government adviser Professor Alex Kemp and our health economists whose work influences Scottish and UK policy decisions on public health.

German at Aberdeen has an outstanding reputation with the highest possible rating of ‘Excellent’ in the last national Teaching Quality Assessment. You will gain a broad understanding of Germany’s complex history and culture in today’s German-speaking world and have many opportunities to practise your developing language skills informally through the German Society and Drama Group.

As an integral part of your 4-year programme, you will spend half of year three developing your language skills as a Teaching Assistant, or visiting student in a German-speaking country.

On graduation, your combination of skills and experience will give you many choices. Should you opt for a career in business, you will offer a distinct advantage for employers and business organisations operating in Europe, including the European Commission. Other options include tourism and education. Key Programme Information


Within Subject Areas

What You'll Study



Compulsory Courses

Intermediate Microeconomics (EC2003) - 30 Credit Points

This course builds on and is a natural extension of EC 1006. By examining in a more rigorous way concepts introduced in EC 1006 students will develop further their analytical skills and they will obtain a better understanding of consumers and producers behaviour, market structure as well as the effectiveness of economic policy. The course is designed to appeal to all students interested in economics. This includes students who may wish not to enter into any further studies of economics, as well as students who may wish to continue studying economics at the honours level.

View detailed information about this course

Intermediate Macroeconomics (EC2503) - 30 Credit Points

This course focuses on macroeconomic policy in a global economy. The first part builds an open-economy Keynesian model to investigate what determines the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies, and how exchange rate regimes and capital mobility impact on policy effectiveness. The second part investigates what determines the level of macroeconomic activity and its growth over time. The final part looks at what determines inflation and unemployment. This intermediate level course uses live lectures to develop your analytical skills evaluating economic policy in a rigorous and technical way to equip you with the skills needed for honours level study.


Modern German Culture 3 (GM2043) - 15 Credit Points

The meaning of life? Knowledge of good and evil? What are the limits of human understanding? Of scientific inquiry? Goethe's Faust knows of no questions that are too big to tackle. In the course, students will encounter some of the greatest literary figures of European thought and literature, and follow them on their perilous journey.


Modern German Culture 4 (GM2543) - 15 Credit Points

This course consists of the study of selected aspects of modern German culture and involves the close analysis of German texts. The latter are normally 20th-century texts.


Optional Courses

German Language (Advanced Introductory) 1 (GM2040) - 15 Credit Points

The course consists of language classes leading to advanced communicative competence in German and it will include the analysis of contemporary texts drawn from a variety of contexts. This course may be taken only by students who have completed the German for Beginners courses.


German Language (Advanced Introductory) 2 (GM2540) - 15 Credit Points

The intention of the course is to extend and reinforce further students' command of German grammar, vocabulary and syntactic structures, and to introduce various styles of written and spoken German. The course builds on the work done in GM2040 and is intended only for continuing beginners.


German Language 3 (GM2042) - 15 Credit Points

This level two language course will build on and extend students' fluency and written skills in German.


German Language 4 (GM2542) - 15 Credit Points

Building on work done in GM 2042, the course will develop further language skills.





Second half session will be spent in a German-speaking country.

German Junior Honours Language Study (GM3069) - 15 Credit Points

This junior honours language course will build on and extend students' written skills and fluency in German.


Level 3 German Language Study (Mode B) (GM3525)


Plus 15 further credits of level 3 German courses to be taken in the first half session.

Plus 60 credits of level 3 Economics courses to be taken in the first half session.

Year 4



German Language Study for Senior Honours (GM4099) - 30 Credit Points

Building on the skills gained during the Junior Honours language course and before, this module expands and refines German language expertise in writing, reading, speaking and listening, to an advanced level, for their final exit written and oral exam in German.



One of the following dissertations

Plus further credit points in level 4 courses in Economics to make up to 60 credits in Economics

Plus 15 further credit points in level 3 courses in German and further credit points in level 4 courses in German to make up 75 credits in German

Economics Dissertation (EC4526) - 30 Credit Points

The dissertation presents students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and research skills of Economics to an individual piece of research, focusing on a topic which has been chosen by the student and approved by the Dissertation coordinator and Dissertation supervisor. Over the course of the Dissertation, with guidance from the supervisor, the student will study a particular topic, conduct a literature review of relevant material, select appropriate theoretical and/or empirical methods to address the topic and write a final analysis in the form of the Dissertation of up to 10,000 words.


German Dissertation (Joint Honours) (GM4052) - 15 Credit Points

Students engage in their first larger project of independent research.


Course Availability

How You'll Study

Learning Methods

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

Why Study Economics and German?

Why Economics

Why German

Interested in this Degree?

Entry Requirements

You will find all the information you require about entry requirements on our dedicated 'Entry Requirements' page. You can also find out about the different types of degrees, changing your subject, offers and advanced entry.


SQA Highers - AABB*
A Levels - BBB*

National 5/ S Grade/ GCSE - Maths
IB - 32 points, including 5,5,5 at HL*
ILC - 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3 OR AAABB, obtained in a single sitting. (B must be at B2 or above)*

*There is no formal requirement for entry to the German beginners' course. A pass in German at SQA Higher, GCE A Level or equivalent is necessary for entry to the German non-beginners course.

Further detailed entry requirements for Arts and Social Sciences degrees.

English Language Requirements

International Applicants

Fees and Funding

You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.

Fee Waiver

International non-EU Applicants

Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen


Our Funding Database

View all funding options in our Funding Database.

Our Experts

Information About Staff Changes

Key Information Set (KIS)


