Introduction

The Double Degree Program -- offered by the MSc in Economics and Development of the University of Florence and the International Master in Public Policies of the University of Rennes (France) -- is a high-quality two-year program specialising in economics and in public economics. Upon completion, students earn a Master's degree from both institutions. Students with Home University Florence will spend their first academic year at the University of Florence and their second academic year at the University of Rennes -- webpage of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Rennes 

 

    

Structure of the program and educational objectives

The program provides students with advanced quantitative methods and techniques in order to use both theoretical and empirical tools to analyze major current economic issues and policies, with a specialization in the activities of governments in the economy, in an evolutionary, comparative, international perspective. Key competences provided include the capacity to conduct theoretical and applied research in the fields of economics, and the ability to use econometric methods to analyze data and formulate or evaluate economic policies by governments.

At the University of Florence, the program starts in September and students take courses in the curriculum Economics of the MSc Economics and Development. Shortly before the beginning of the second semester, first-year students of the curriculum Economics can apply to enter the double degree program, and up to 5 students are selected to spend their entire second year at the University of Rennes, attending courses, taking exams, and writing a Master's thesis at the International Master in Public Policies, according to the latter's regulations. These activities count toward earning the degree in Economics and Development from the University of Florence. At the International Master in Public Policies, students earn a deep understanding of the activities of governments in the economy, from several perspectives.

The program will provide a sound background in theoretical and empirical methodologies, with a specialization in public economics. At the end of the program, graduates will be able to:

• collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data from local, national, and international data sets;
• understand micro and macro phenomena from an economic point of view;
• use theoretical and applied (including econometric) tools to analyse economic systems;
• evaluate and formulate economic policies;
• play a role in the processes of management and reform of public sector activities and agencies, in a plurality of institutional contexts;
• acquire an international and interdisciplinary economics profile.

The program requires the student to earn 120 ECTS, according to the regulations described below.

Students with Home University Florence, please click here -- this is Annex 1 (for students with Home University Florence) to the Cooperation Agreement between the University of Florence and the University of Rennes establishing the Double Degree Program. 

Students with Home University Rennes, please click here -- this is Annex 1 (for students with Home University Rennes) to the Cooperation Agreement between the University of Florence and the University of Rennes establishing the Double Degree Program. The syllabus of each course of the MSc in Economics and Development of the University of Florence is available here or here, after clicking on the course's instructor's name.

Career perspectives

Graduates of this program are well-prepared for employment as professional economists in a variety of sectors. Opportunities include roles in private economic consultancy agencies (particularly those interacting with the public sector), national administrations at both central and local levels, and international organizations such as the EU, IMF, and OECD. Graduates may also find roles in banks, financial institutions (focusing on country-specific risk assessment and policy evaluation), non-profit organizations, and think-tanks. Furthermore, the program provides an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics or related fields at leading universities worldwide.

 

STUDENTS FROM UNIFI

Admission requirements, selection criteria

Students from Unifi applying to enter the Double Degree Program need to be first-year students of the curriculum Economics, and will be selected according to the following criteria:

• Final grade of the Bachelor degree;
• motivation letter;
• ECTS and grades earned at the exams of the courses Game Theory and Microeconomics, Mathematics for Economics, Statistical Inference;
• if two or more applicants have the same rank, then certified knowledge of the French language and  ECTS and grades earned at other exams of the first semester of the first year of the MSc Economics and Development are considered.

In order to enter the Double Degree Program, the selected students need to earn at least 42 ECTS at Unifi before moving to Rennes in the month of September.

 

Tuition fees, financial support

Students entering the Double Degree pay tuition fees only at Unifi for both years, and receive from Unifi an Erasmus+ scholarship. Please find here information (in Italian) about the scholarship.

 

Applications for and program presentation

The call for applications and the application form for a.y. 2025-26 are here and here .

Please find here the slides of a presentation of this program given on Oct. 21, 2025.

Further information:

• The director of the International Master in Public Policies of URennes, professor Fabio Padovano, is available to be contacted to provide further information: please write to fabio.padovano@univ-rennes.fr
• Three Unifi students at URennes in a.y. 2025-26, Francesco Libonati, Martina Martucci, Andrea Vignolini, are available to be contacted to provide further information: please write to francesco.libonati@edu.unifi.it, martina.martucci@edu.unifi.it, andrea.vignolini@edu.unifi.it