Overview

This specialist Master’s programme examines in depth critical issues in international business economics, together with the complexities of and challenges facing today’s world markets.
We focus on practical economic analysis, policy formulation and market efficiency in a real-world context, bringing you up-to-speed with challenges facing modern businesses through guest speakers, industry visits, case studies and internship opportunities. Emphasis is given to developing quantitative skills to evaluate outcomes of economic policies and interventions, making evidence-based decisions.

Our experienced teaching staff aim to share their professional or research expertise, having worked for organisations such as the Financial Service Authority, run national training courses for the Economics Network and published in leading journals, including International Journal of Economics and Business Research. You can also benefit from industry-standard facilities, including the largest academic trading floor in Europe.

Course information

The primary purpose of this course is to try and equip you with the practical experience, skills and knowledge to apply advanced economics principles and mathematics to support decision making – at a global, national or individual firm level.

We adopt a holistic approach, exploring the synergies between economic theory, management practice, international business and finance.

Throughout your studies, you will have the opportunity to encounter real-life scenarios. You will also have the opportunity to learn how to use managerial economics tools to solve actual economic problems – from determining optimal pricing strategies to evaluating mergers and take-overs, among others.

Course content is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect new developments in economics, the world economy and the needs of private and public sectors. For example, we have recently examined the topic on why corporate CEO pay is so high.

We have links with the Government Economic Service, the Bank of England, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Lloyds TSB, Barclays and the European Commission, many of whom have provided guest lecturers to our students.

Why choose this course?

Aimed at those seeking managerial careers in finance, management or international business, the MSc International Business Economics will suit students from either an economics or more general background who wish to develop their knowledge of business economics, international economics and finance. We will give you an insight into the way institutions and business practices operate in an international context.

A distinct advantage of this course comes from our links with the Economics Network of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), which have informed curriculum design and delivery. Several staff have received research grants to analyse the impact of various teaching and learning activities on the study of microeconomics and economics threshold concepts, presenting their findings nationally.

We aim to provide a solid grounding in the economic theory that explains business behaviour and operations both at the level of the firm and within the global macroeconomy. Gaining hands-on experience of market-leading economics and business software packages, from Stata to Bloomberg, you should also learn to critically apply economic tools to various management problems associated with international business decision making. For example, Principle-Agent model has been applied to study widespread banking failure during the 2007 financial crisis.

Your teaching will be research-informed by staff with an international reputation for research in the areas of applied economics and finance areas, such as international business, monetary union, development economics, financial economics, financial regulation, financial derivatives and emerging markets. In the most recent national research assessment exercise, the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 85% of the School’s ‘Business and Management’ research was recognised internationally, of which 13% received the highest ‘world-leading’ classification.

International experience opportunities

The course naturally has an intercultural and international focus as its staff and students come from a wide range of different nationalities. Team work, discussions and group presentations encourage sharing of ideas and knowledge between students of diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the subject of international trade, FDI and emerging markets themselves are international by nature and you will be given the opportunity to work on case studies from across the globe.

Furthermore, the Centre for Global Engagement (CGE) is Coventry University’s dedicated service that supports students’ international experience. Whether you are interested in studying abroad or would like to gain some work, volunteering or teaching experience in the UK, Europe or beyond, CGE is here to make it a reality (additional costs may apply).