Curriculum

The Kiel Institute offers one Advanced Studies Program degree in two formats: The Full-Time option, which entails 10 months of concentrated study; and the Modular option, which can be undertaken over a period of up to 34 months.

Both formats require the same high admission standards and provide participants with a rigorous curriculum in international economics featuring  courses taught by leading researchers from top universities, personalized career support from the ASP team and research guidance from experienced economists  from the Kiel Institute. Those who complete the course successfully obtain the ASP certificate and become members of a unique global network of professionals. This degree and the ASP experience in and of itself help to distinguish alumni from other candidates when applying for Ph.D programs, competitive internships and jobs at both national and international institutions.

• Courses:
  8-10 one-week courses in key fields of international economics

• Seminars:
  Representatives from international organizations, domestic policy institutions, academic institutions and international corporations will come and speak about their areas of expertise.

• Written Exams:
  At the end of each course, participants will demonstrate their understanding of the material covered and ability to apply it in a written exam. The standard of these exams are comparable to that of exams at the lecturer's home university. 

• Research Paper and Policy Lab:

  A key part of the Advanced Studies Program is the research paper which participants are expected to prepare. There are also opportunities to write co-authored papers jointly with other partcipants or researchers from the Kiel Institute. Participants who are heading for a Ph.D. after the completion of the ASP can use their research paper as the foundation of their thesis. 

  Furthermore, students are required to write a short policy paper with their fellow participants on one relevant global challenge related to one or more of the following topics: Sustainable Development; Infrastructure Finance; Financial Architecture; Macroeconomic Stability; Trade and Investment; Climate Change; The Future of Work and Educational Social Cohesion; Social cohesion; SME policy and Economic Policies for Aging Populations.

• Conferences:
  The research paper will be presented and discussed at a special conference where members of the Kiel University's Economic Faculty and of the Kiel Institute will be invited as discussants. Policy papers will be disseminated across the Kiel Institute and its broader research network.

• Optional Courses:
  Participants of the Advanced Studies Program have the opportunity to participate in selected courses of Kiel University's Ph.D. Program in "Quantitative Economics".

• Study Trip:
  Each year the group makes a study trip to one (financial) capital to attend a conference or meet representatives from national and international Institutions. In 2018, the group went to Frankfurt with tailored presentations at the Bundesbank, Dekabank, ECB and Frankfurt University from Alumni and senior representatives. 2019, the group went to Berlin to the Global Solution Summit 2019 on “Recoupling Social and Economic Progress — Towards a New International Paradigm”.

The Full-time ASP option differs from the Modular ASP in that participants additionally can take full advantage of enrolling in optional courses at Kiel University, participating regularly in seminars organized at the Kiel Institute and  improving their German through language classes. Furthermore full-time ASPs can also work as paid research interns on cutting-edge projects undertaken at the areas at the Kiel Institute.

While the Modular ASP may not allow for all of these additional experiences due to time constraints, it nevertheless provides the same strong formal training in international economic policy research and thus is a solid basis for continued professional development. The certificate allows you to plan your course of study according to your needs and at a pace that fits your career progression. This translates into 12 weeks spent at the Kiel Institute taking the 9 or 10 courses, on which this program is based. Additional homework and exam preparation are required for each course as well as for the ASP Policy Lab and the Term Paper.