International Trade, Finance and Development

Overview

The ITFD Program provides rigorous training in the economics of international finance, trade, and development for students interested in demanding professional careers and doctoral programs.

What can be done to avoid financial crises? How can growth in the least developed countries be accelerated? How can wealth be distributed equitably and sustainably? This program will allow students to acquire a thorough knowledge of the conceptual and empirical tools of modern Economics applied to international trade, finance, and development.

Tailor your program to fit your interests and goals

The program starts in the first term with a set of courses on economic growth and development, international trade and finance, and quantitative methods. In the second and third terms, students can choose from a wide array of courses and tailor their learning experience to their interests. Some students chose to specialize in the development, others in international trade and finance, while others opt instead for a more balanced approach that combines training in both areas.

Students complete a master project by the end of the academic year, allowing them to specialize in a policy topic of their choice. They also attend a series of policy lessons delivered by international experts.

Study with experts from academia and international organizations

The master's faculty consists of internationally renowned scholars who have previously held academic positions at MIT, NYU, Chicago, Berkeley, Stanford, and Cambridge. They have also worked or held consulting appointments at international organizations, including the World Bank, the IMF, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Central Bank.

Who hires ITFD graduates?

• Consulting Firms

• Financial Services

• Government & Authorities

• International Organizations / Non-profits

• Research & Academic Institutions

• Other Industries

Examples of recent ITFD placements:

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) − Research Associate − Manila, Philippines
• Banco de España − Research Assistant − Madrid, Spain
• Bloomberg − Debt Capital Markets Data Analyst − London, United Kingdom
• Economic and Finance Ministery − Capital Market Analyst − Lima, Peru
• European Central Bank − Traineeship in the DG International and European Relations − Frankfurt, Germany
• European Commission − Traineeship − Brussels, Belgium
• European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) − Trainee − Frankfurt, Germany
• European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) − Trainee − Frankfurt, Germany
• Evidence for Policy Design Harvard − Research Associate − Delhi, India
• Goldman Sachs − Analyst in High Yield Credit Institutional Sales − New York, NY, United States
• HM Treasury − Head of International Trade and business investment, economics groups − London, United Kingdom
• Imperial College London − PhD Student − London, United Kingdom
• Instiglio − Associate − Bogota, Colombia
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) − Consultant − Washington DC, United States
• Laterite − Research Assistant − Kigali, Rwanda
• OECD − Trainee in the Development Center − Paris, France
• Organization of American States (OAS) − Consultant − Washington DC, United States
• Princeton University − Senior Research Specialist − Princeton, NJ, USA
• United Nations (UN) − Internship at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia − Geneva, Switzerland
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) − PhD Student − Barcelona, Spain
• World Bank − Investment Analyst − Johannesburg, South Africa
• World Food Programme − Programme Officer − Colombo, Sri Lanka

Here is a brief profile of the classmates that a Master's student in the BSE Class of 2022 will meet this year:

• Most students have undergraduate degrees in Economics or Finance. Others come from Engineering, Mathematics, or other backgrounds. 
• Most of the students has work experience before joining BSE, but there are other students who were accepted to pursue the Master's programs immediately after obtaining their undergraduate degrees.
• All continents are represented in the Class of 2022. This year, students come from 49 different countries, with 86% of students coming from outside of Spain and 44% of students coming from outside Europe.

Accreditation

All Barcelona School of Economics Master's degrees have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorities and within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).

The Barcelona School of Economics has been distinguished as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence in every edition of the program (2012-15; 2016-19; 2020-23)