Semester 1
The first semester of the programme serves as a general introduction to the discipline. During the course of this semester, the students are offered a broad introduction to the economic history of the world stretching over time and space offering a global long-term perspective. Four mandatory courses are given in the semester with two courses running parallel at all times. The first half consist of two courses, The Rise of Europe and the Atlantic Economy, ca. 1000-1890, and Colonialism and Economic Change in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These courses are dedicated to the pre-modern economies. The second half focuses on the modern economies in the global North and South in the two courses: Economic growth in Modern Europe, North America and the OECD Club and The global South: Comparative Economic Development since 1945.
Semester 2
The second semester has a clear micro economic focus and also introduces some more practical skills. The students will acquire fundamental micro-economic skills during the first half of the semester through one course in Microeconomics, which is followed by a course in Financial Economics. The second half of the semester builds on the newly acquired skills from the economics courses with the course Demographic Challenges. The semester ends with a more practically oriented course, Skill Training 1: Statistics and Data. This course focuses on general data management and basic statistics. In the second half of the semester, the courses run parallel to each other.
Semester 3
The third semester complements the micro perspective with a clear macroeconomic focus and continues the skill training form year one. The semester starts with two courses Business and Society – a Dynamic Perspective, a course with a business history focus, and Skill Training 2: The Art of Writing and Reporting. This is followed by a course in Macroeconomics and a course in International Economics.
Semester 4
The fourth semester builds on the broad knowledge and skill base that the students have acquired, particularly in the first semester of the programme. This semester is also an opportunity for students to broaden themselves within topics and disciplines. The semester is divided into two parallel parts. At the Department of Economic History, the students will study Regional Development and Growth and Global Sustainability, which is a continuation and deepening of the first semester of the programme. Parallel to this the students will elect pre-set course packages from other departments within LUSEM and the Social Science faculty at Lund University. The scope and number of packages may change over time.
Semester 5
This semester consists of electives according the student’s choice. The programme director must, however, approve the courses. Students are strongly encouraged to spend this semester abroad – either at one of LUSEM’s many partner universities or on an international internship. For those who wish to stay in Sweden during semester 5, national internships or studies at LUSEM or some other faculty at Lund University provide interesting options.
Semester 6
The final semester has a clear research focus with two courses running consecutively. The first half of the semester consists of an in-depth methods course, Research Design, Methods and Data Collection. The second half of the semester is constituted by the Degree Project/Bachelor Thesis Course.