Bonn Graduate School of Economics

The Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) invites students from around the world to join our combined MSc/PhD program in economics. At the BGSE, you will have the chance to study and do research, entirely in English, in a supportive and intellectually demanding environment. We foster a cooperative team spirit among our student body.

The BGSE pursues research activities in the following five research areas:

Microeconomic Theory
Management and Applied Microeconomic
Financial Economics
Macroeconomics and Public Economics
Econometrics and Statistics

Our doctoral students receive grants to cover living expenses.

Many graduates of our doctoral program are now in leading academic positions.

PhD Program ¹

Job Market Candidates ²

People ³

Partners & Sponsors ⁴

Philipp Strack, winner of the Clark Medal and BGSE Alumnus

"I associate the University of Bonn above all with my co-authors and friends, as well as my time as a student, which I enjoyed very much. I am grateful for the world-class education I received at the University of Bonn and especially at the Bonn Graduate School of Economics, which made my academic career possible."

Job Market Candidates 2024/25 and Placements 2023

Meet our Job Market Candidates 2024/25! ²

In 2023, our job market candidates received various offers and decided to continue their academic careers at the following universities and research institutions:

Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
Erasmus School of Economics Rotterdam, Netherlands
Paris-Saclay University, France
University of Oxford, UK
University of Manchester, UK
Aalto University, Helsinki
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
TED University, Ankara, Turkey
European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Luxembourg
National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge (MA), USA

More ⁵

Our Program

Doctoral Program (PhD) with integrated MSc Economic Research

Duration:
- MSc: 2 years
- PhD: 3 years
Degrees: Master of Science and Doctoral Degree
Beginning of study: Winter Semester
Application period: once a year from end of November until January 15 (online)

More ¹

News and Events of Our Department

⁶

Two BGSE Students selected for Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2025⁶

The 8th Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences takes place from 26–30 August 2025 and welcomes around 20 Economics Nobel Laureates in Lindau to exchange ideas with the next generation of leading Young Scientists from all over the world. BGSE students Lina Uhe and Moritz May have been selected and will have the opportunity to join the event.

⁷

EDP Jamboree in Bonn - September 2025!⁷

The 2025 EDP Jamboree will be hosted by the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) on September 11-12, 2025 in Bonn. The aim of the annual meeting is to bring together doctoral students of the participating graduate schools in Barcelona, Bonn, Florence, Louvain, Paris, and Tel Aviv. The meeting provides an active forum for doctoral researchers to discuss their findings, seek feedback, exchange ideas for future research and promote active collaboration. We welcome submissions and registrations from all EDP students. Board and lodging for registered EDP-students are taken care of by the BGSE. Local Organizers at the University of Bonn:Prof. Dr. Sebastian KubeDr. Silke KinzigManisha Sindezingue For questions please contact: info.bgse@uni-bonn.de Submission Deadline: June 01, 2025 Registration Webpage: https://www.econ.uni-bonn.de/bgse/en/reg/2025-edp-jamboree

⁸

The Registration Portal is now open! Join the Manchot Lecture with Dirk Bergemann on May 06, 2025⁸

The annual Manchot Lecture, featuring Dirk Bergemann, takes place on May 06, 2025, starting at 16:00 at the Universitätsclub Bonn. This event, open to the public, welcomes all individuals interested in contemporary economics research. Sign up now for the lecture and the following get-together on May 06! https://www.econ.uni-bonn.de/bgse/en/reg/manchot-lecture-2025-bgse-registration Bergemann's research is in the area of game theory, contract theory, venture capital, and market design. His most recent work is in the area of auction and information design. His research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Omidyar Network and Google. (excerpt taken from https://economics.yale.edu/people/dirk-bergemann)

⁹

Application period is over⁹

The application period has ended as of January 15. We wish the best of luck to all applicants!

¹⁰

Bonn graduate Philipp Strack receives award from WirtschaftsWoche¹⁰

"Philipp Strack from Bonn is one of the world's most research-oriented economists. Some even consider the young Yale professor a candidate for the Nobel Prize” is how WirtschaftsWoche explains its choice. With the “Deutschlands 30 bis 2030” initiative, WirtschaftsWoche honors people from Germany who “encourage others with their ideas, projects or companies, create innovations and breakthroughs and are exemplary in their field”. Economist Philipp Strack, who graduated from the Department of Economics at the University of Bonn and completed his doctorate at the Bonn Graduate School of Economics, is one of the 30 award winners in 2024.

¹¹

Information Meeting for Advanced BA and MA Students in Economics Interested in Pursuing a Doctoral Degree¹¹

The Bonn Graduate School of Economics invites to an Information Meeting for Advanced BA and MA Students in Economics Interested in Pursuing a Doctoral Degree - November 25 & 26, 2024.

¹²

BGSE application period starts 15 November 2024¹²

The Bonn Graduate School of Economics invites qualified students to apply for admission of the combined MSc/PhD program. Interested students with a bachelor's or master's degree in economics or related disciplines are welcome to hand in their documents until January 15, 2025.

¹³

Bonn Graduate Philipp Strack wins Clark Medal¹³

Economist Philipp Strack, who is a University of Bonn graduate and additionally took his doctorate at the Bonn Graduate School of Economics, has received the John Bates Clark Medal—considered the second most prestigious award in the field of economics after the Nobel Prize. The medal is awarded by the American Economic Association (AEA) to economists under age forty living in the United States who have made significant scholarly and research contributions in the field of economics.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.

Manchot Lecture

The annual lectures are delivered by internationally distinguished experts and address a general audience interested in economic research.

More ¹⁴

BGSE's doctoral student exchange programs

The BGSE is a founding partner of the European Doctoral Program (EDP) and has established further exchange programs with other renowned universities abroad, such as Berkeley and Yale.

More ¹⁵

Department of Economics

The main research fields of our faculty include game theory, applied microeconomics, monetary and international macroeconomics, contract theory, labour economics and finance.

Department ¹⁶

Job Market

We are particularly proud of the success of our graduates in the academic world but also in research-related organizations and in the private sector.

Our alumni have obtained prestigious positions at universities in the U.S. (e.g., Harvard, Berkeley, Penn, UCLA, Michigan, Minnesota), in Europe (e.g., University of Oxfrod, University College London, Pompeu Fabra, Tilburg, Carlos III, Stockholm, Zurich) and in Germany (e.g., Mannheim, Munich, Berlin, Cologne). In addition, many alumni are currently in the non-academic sector (e.g., European Central Bank, German Central Bank, Bank of England, U.S. Federal Reserve Board, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group).

Job Market Candidates ²

Recent Placements ⁵