Study Information

Why should you choose to major in economics at WU Vienna?

What do students learn when they study economics?

Students are provided with a coherent, modern, and forward-looking set of tools—both methodological and empirical—that enables them to independently address and answer the major questions in economics. In the areas of specialization, students’ methodological skills are further developed and applied to specific research questions.
A key advantage of our program structure is that the methods learned can be quickly and directly applied to ever-changing challenges—for example, in the past to issues related to the economic and financial crisis, or more recently, to questions regarding energy price increases and inflationary pressures, as well as the economic impacts of COVID-19; or even to the question of whether a robot tax might make sense in the age of automation and digitalization. Department members have published seminal work on these topics in leading international economics journals.

What do the Nobel Prize and the field of economics have in common?

The breadth of the field of economics is particularly evident in the numerous research areas of the Nobel Prize winners in the field of “Economic Sciences”.For example, you can find the press release and a summary of the 2022 Nobel laureates in Economic Sciences here.

Below is an overview of the research areas of all Nobel Prize winners since 2006:

The Department of Economics also covers a broad spectrum of research: Here you will find a list, sorted by research area, of all topics being researched at the Department of Economics.

In addition, the faculty is very international: Our researchers come from countries including Albania, Argentina, China, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Iran, Spain, Turkey, Hungary, and the United States.

What are the potential career paths or prospects for graduates of this program?

Our graduates have a solid education across the entire spectrum of economics and demonstrate a high level of methodological competence. This provides them with excellent opportunities to find attractive jobs after graduation, as well as to gain admission to internationally renowned master’s programs. Economics graduates typically find employment at economic research institutes, central banks (e.g., the Austrian National Bank, the European Central Bank), international organizations (development banks, UN agencies, etc.), public administration (ministries, federal agencies such as Statistics Austria, the Federal Environment Agency, etc.), EU institutions (such as the European Commission), national and international advocacy groups (e.g., the Chamber of Labor, the Chamber of Commerce, the International Trade Union Confederation); in academic research at universities following a master’s program; or in various departments of banks, insurance companies, consulting firms, and large corporations.

1. Taking complementary courses in other departments/institutes:

For example:

•    Data Science

•    Decision Sciences: Game Theory, Psychology, and Data Analysis

•    Ethics for Management, Organizations, and Society

•    Finance: Markets, Institutions, and Instruments

•    International Accounting and Controlling

•    International Business Communication

•    Business Management and Controlling

•    Economic History

•    Mathematics for Economics

•    Economics and Society

Here you will find all other complementary courses you can take as part of the Economics track.

2. Studying Abroad for a Semester:

Gaining experience in an international setting is becoming increasingly important. Here you will find all the information you need about studying abroad for a semester.

International Diversity of Department Staff

One of the hallmarks of the Department of Economics is the international diversity of its staff: Our researchers come from Albania, Argentina, China, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Austria, Iran, Peru, Spain, Turkey, Hungary, and the United States.