Master in Economics and Development at University of Florence
Two-year English-taught economics master's at the University of Florence with curricula in Development Economics and Economics, coding labs in R and Stata, and double degree options with Göttingen, Bamberg and Rennes.
Master
2 years
Florence
English
University of Florence
Economics and Development is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's (class LM-56) taught entirely in English at the University of Florence, with curricula in Development Economics and Economics. Fees follow ISEE, and DSU Toscana scholarship winners pay only stamp duty, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Florence’s Economics and Development master reviews the completed bachelor’s qualification, final grade, economic/quantitative subject credits and B2 English before granting admission clearance. Its current course page explains when additional examinations, an interview or an English assessment are needed. Reviewed 6 October 2026. [1][2]
Completed qualification and grade requirements
A completed bachelor’s degree is required: the course states that applications for degrees not yet earned are not considered. Italian-qualified applicants should have at least 99/110. For non-Italian qualifications, the final grade must permit progression to graduate study in the home system; if that permission is not indicated, the university calculates the applicable assessment. [1]
Motivated candidates below the applicable grade requirement may still apply and may be called for an Admission Committee interview. The 99/110 threshold is therefore not an automatic exclusion for every lower-scoring candidate. [1]
Required economic and quantitative credits
The academic framework requires at least 18 ECTS in economics, 6 in mathematics, 6 in statistics, and another 18 in business, economics, law, mathematics, political science or statistics. These additional 18 are a separate requirement, not a replacement for the first three subject minima. [1]
Candidates missing the prescribed credits must pass examinations to obtain them before receiving the necessary clearance. The page allows these examinations at Florence or the applicant’s previous university. We map your course content and credits so the committee can determine which subject group they satisfy. [1]
English B2 and recognised evidence
A working command of written and spoken English at least at B2 is required. Applicants may provide evidence that the bachelor’s programme was entirely English-taught or certify B2 through Cambridge First, TOEFL, IELTS or comparable accepted evidence. A degree with only some English units is not the stated entirely-English-degree exemption. [1][2]
If the committee identifies a language deficiency, its conditional outcome can include passing a B2 English test. The reviewed course instructions do not assign one universal IELTS band or TOEFL score. [1]
Assessment outcomes and reference
The Admission Committee may grant nulla osta, require an interview and/or additional bachelor-level examinations and/or a B2 test, or reject a file that does not satisfy the requirements. A conditional outcome must be completed before it becomes clearance to enrol. [1]
The course strongly recommends a university professor’s reference letter. The programme’s official application listing requests at least one reference and gives a non-refundable €20 application fee. We include that reference in your application file, even though the general university checklist does not list it. [1][2]
Application documents and qualification verification
The central portal requests PDF copies of identification, the bachelor’s award or accepted official provisional award certificate, academic transcript, syllabus if available, and language evidence where applicable. EU applicants use an ID card or passport; non-EU applicants abroad use a passport; applicable non-EU applicants in Italy also provide their residence permit. Documents in English, French, Spanish or Italian need no further Italian translation; other languages require official Italian translation. [3]
Foreign first-degree holders apply through Apply Unifi for the Admission Document. Possible outcomes are admission, prescribed first-cycle single courses to make up deficiencies, or rejection. Final enrolment also requires the university’s validity/authenticity review through the Declaration of Value or CIMEA comparability and verification services. An academic clearance is not itself completion of final enrolment. [5]
2026/27 intake status and later-intake dates
The 2026/27 rounds for all applicant categories ran from 10 December 2025 to 6 February 2026 and from 16 February to 17 April 2026. The third ran from 15 June to 31 August 2026 and was restricted to EU/equated applicants and eligible non-EU residents in Italy, including only the specified study-permit route. All three windows have passed at this review, and the 2027/28 call will set new dates. [4]
The central Admission Document guidance gives 31 July for the Universitaly step after direct admission and 31 December for admission to single courses. These are distinct outcomes and procedures. We follow the current annual instructions, and any assigned academic conditions must be completed before matriculation. [5]
Source version and preparation checklist
The course Enrollment page was updated on 16 August 2026; its official Apply Unifi listing still identifies the 2026/27 intake and marks the application period ended. Prepare the completed degree, progression/grade evidence, transcript identifying all four credit groups, B2 certificate or full English-medium degree evidence, and at least one reference. [1][2]
Sources and verification
- University of Florence, Economics and Development: Enrollment, updated 16 August 2026; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Florence, Apply Unifi programme listing: Economics and Development, 2026/27 intake; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Florence, Apply Unifi: List of Required Documents for Application, published 3 December 2025; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Florence, Apply Unifi: 2026/27 Academic Year Intake Rounds, published 4 December 2025; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Florence, Admission Document for holders of foreign first-cycle qualifications, standing guidance; reviewed 6 October 2026.
About the programme
Economics and Development is a two-year master's degree in class LM-56 (economics) at the University of Florence, worth 120 ECTS and taught entirely in English. It belongs to the School of Economics and Management and is run by the Department of Economics and Management, with teachers from statistics, law and political science. Lectures are in person in Florence, with classes on the Novoli campus, and access is open, with no cap on places.
The programme is international: in 2025/26 more than 56% of enrolled students were not Italian. Students can also join shared courses with Syracuse University in Florence. It suits graduates with a solid base in economics, maths and statistics who want to work as economists or go on to a PhD.
What you will study
You choose between a curriculum in Development Economics and a curriculum in Economics, the latter split into an Economics track and a Behavioural Economics track. The first year lays foundations; in the second year you shape your path through electives. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:
- Development Microeconomics and Development Macroeconomics (9 ECTS each)
- Game Theory and Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics and Mathematics for Economics (9 ECTS each)
- Statistical Inference, Human Development and International Cooperation and Health and Education Economics
- Corporate Governance and Finance for Development or Corporate Governance and Financial Markets (12 ECTS)
- R, Stata and mathematical methods labs, plus an Econometrics Lab
- Electives such as Agriculture, Development and Poverty; Labour Economics and Gender; Applied Microeconometrics; Behavioural Economics
- International Trade and a 21 ECTS final thesis
How the programme is taught
Introductory maths and statistics courses run in September, and every first-year student is assigned an academic mentor. Each January and June some instructors offer research assistant positions worth 6 ECTS, and an internship can count as an elective. Erasmus+ allows a semester abroad.
In February of the first year you can apply for a double degree: with the University of Göttingen for Development Economics, or with the University of Bamberg or the University of Rennes for Economics, spending the second year and writing the thesis there. For 2026/27 entrants the programme will also award four €400 prizes to the top first-year students.
Career paths
The Development Economics curriculum prepares professional development economists for national and international agencies, civil service posts, NGOs and private companies with interests in developing countries. The Economics tracks lead to economist roles in private consultancies, business, finance, central banking, national and international organisations and governments. Both curricula are also a route into PhD programmes, and a professor advises students applying for one.
Fees and scholarships
UniFi sets fees by ISEE. For 2026/27, students resident abroad are given a figurative ISEE according to their country's World Bank income group, between €25,500 and €75,500. Students from developing countries pay only the €140 regional tax and €16 stamp duty. Winners and eligible candidates of the DSU Toscana scholarship pay only stamp duty, which means the degree can be tuition-free for eligible students.
How to apply from outside the EU
The Admission Committee checks your grade, credits and English. It can grant clearance (nulla osta), ask for an interview, extra exams or a B2 test, or reject the application. We apply on Apply Unifi (DreamApply) with a €20 non-refundable fee, one reference and a declaration of value or CIMEA statement.
For 2026/27, non-EU applicants living abroad had two rounds: 10 December 2025 to 6 February 2026 and 16 February to 17 April 2026. Admitted students then pre-enrol on Universitaly by 31 July and apply for a type D study visa.
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against Florence's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your Apply Unifi application, Admission Document request and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your DSU Toscana scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
Can I apply before completing my bachelor’s degree?
The current Economics and Development course page says applications for degrees not yet earned are not considered. [1]
Is 99/110 an absolute exclusion threshold?
Italian-qualified applicants should reach 99/110, but motivated lower-scoring candidates may apply and be asked to interview. Foreign grades are assessed for graduate-study progression. [1]
What credits are required?
18 ECTS economics, 6 mathematics, 6 statistics and another 18 in the listed business/economics/law/mathematics/political-science/statistics subjects. [1]
Can missing credits be resolved?
Yes, by passing the required additional examinations before admission clearance. The course allows them at Florence or the previous university. [1]
Can an English-taught bachelor’s satisfy language evidence?
Yes, if the programme was taught entirely in English. Otherwise provide accepted B2 certification or complete a committee-assigned B2 test. [1][2]
Is a reference requested?
The official application listing requests at least one reference; the course strongly recommends a university professor’s letter. [1][2]
Can someone handle my whole application to Economics and Development at Florence?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against Florence's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the DSU Toscana scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Economics and Development?
You need a completed bachelor's with at least 18 ECTS in economics, 6 in mathematics, 6 in statistics and 18 more in related subjects, plus English at B2. [1] A B.Com, BBA or B.A. in Economics can fit if its transcript covers these groups. The steps are the Apply Unifi application, the Admission Document and Universitaly pre-enrolment. [5] Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Economics and Development are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: Apply Unifi application, Admission Document and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Economics and Development are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: Apply Unifi application, Admission Document and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I'm applying from the UK, US, Canada, Singapore or Malaysia. Is anything different?
The academic rules are identical. Non-EU applicants who live abroad, including citizens of these countries, follow the same route: Apply Unifi application, Admission Document and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa. Read our guides for London, New York, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
More English-taught programmes at this university
Other public universities in this city
They began right where you are
